Rifle showed up but I completely overlooked the need for an adapter for the Hybrid 46 suppressor so have ordered a couple of the SilencerCo ASR muzzle brakes so that I can move the Hybrid between the Ruger and an AR15 also chambered for the .450 Bushmaster.
So here's a mini review for this Ruger American Ranch Rifle chambered in .450 Bushmaster. Short version: I really like this rifle but wish it had a locking bolt handle.
I removed the Picatinny rail, cleaned the screws, applied blue Loctite and torqued them to 18 in-lb. I used a pair of Kimber marked steel rings I had laying around and had to spend a minute or two lapping the lower halves after installing on the rail and torquing the 1/2" nut to 45 in-lb. The magazine that shipped with the rifle snaps in with a positive click whereas the two I bought from Ruger's website last week are a little spongy sounding. I tested feeding, extraction and ejection with all three magazines and they seem to work well despite the incredible amount of fore/aft room in the magazine. The trigger pull as shipped is very nice and probably 2-1/2 lb. The barrel looked a little dirty but nothing terrible so I decided to bore sight and shoot a few rounds to get the scope zeroed.
Here's the rifle with a Leupold Mark 4 1.5-5x mounted.
50 yards
I bore sighted at 50 yards using Hornady 250gr FTX ammunition and shot the 3-round group show on the left. Not bad, so I dialed right 3.5 moa but decided to leave the elevation where it was since the 50 yard target is below my shooting position and the 100 yard target above. The rifle beat me up a bit shooting at a downward angle.
100 yards
I moved the target to 100 yards and decided to again aim at the center large diamond figuring that the bullets would land somewhere below the diamond. The next three shots were #4 through #6 landing within about a 1/2" group a minute high and a minute left .... whoa!! I thought I saw the first shot land just on the outer edge of the diamond but couldn't see the other two shots with the 5X scope. I went inside, got my 10X binoculars and then could see what looked like a ragged hole.
To finish up I shot one more 3-shot group without a scope adjustment but this time aiming at the lower right diamond. This is too small of a data set but it might go to show the importance of matching the target to the optic if shooting groups. The Special Purpose Reticle (SPR) in combination with 5X max magnification and my eyes makes it easier for me to get a consistent point of aim with the larger diamond compared to the smaller one, and the results seem to bear this out.
Anyway, 9 shots away and I couldn't be much happier with how this is going. It will be great to shoot with the Hybrid on the end of the barrel. I found the rifle to be very nice to shoot at the 100 yard target but not so much at the 50 yard target due to the position of the butt in my shoulder. As shown above the rifle weighs 7lb 10oz.
