GunsAmerica Product Reviews – Rifles

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Ben shot this gun again at Media Day and the buzz around the shooting world is that Ruger really nailed it with this gun. We expect the American to be around for a long time.

The Ruger American Rifle – An American Legend is Born

The Ruger firearms tradition is about to experience nothing short of a slam dunk. What else would you call a six and a half pound 22″ barrel Ruger deer rifle that has a modern design polymer stock, trigger safety, four round rotary magazine, aggressive recoil pad, shoots into about an inch at 100 yards consistently, and has an MRSP of $449? Ruger calls it the American Rifle, and I call that a slam dunk.

Over and over we are hearing from manufacturers in the American firearms industry that they are bringing to market a “completely new gun.” I think it is actually because of the internet. Because where it used to be that a product succeeded or failed, and the reason for the success or failure was largely a mystery. The ubiquitous voice of the internet now can and does let you know almost immediately what consumers like about your product and what they don’t like, and this gives you the power to change your product to better meet their needs.

Heckler & Koch HK MR762A1 Civilian Battle Rifle -VIDEO POST

Heckler & Koch HK MR762A1 Civilian Battle Rifle -VIDEO POST

The MR762A1 from H&K is a 7.62×51 (.308 Winchester) descendent of the HK416/417 series, a semi-automatic rifle for civilian users. This system uses a solid “pusher” rod instead of the gas tube on a standard AR, and this makes the system very clean, because gas never gets into the receiver. It takes HK417 mags, and as you can see from the video, there are a number of features built into this rifle that make it more sure and stable than a standard “legacy rifle” AR-platform configuration.

We were able to shoot the new StG 44 from American Tactical Imports at Media Day. This gun is a big deal for historical collectors and .22 rimfire collectors both, because the real StG 44 guns can't be found for reasonable prices in the US. These are full weight guns with real stamped steel parts that handle just like the originals, and they should sell like hotcakes.

Historical StG 44 in .22LR Rimfire Coming from ATI

A real StG 44 is out of reach for most WWII enthusiasts, but this .22LR replica, made in Germany and imported by ATI could give you that fix of history you are looking for. At full weight and $599 it will fly off the shelves, so get one while you can.

Ambush Firearms .300 Blackout - Hunting Rifles from Daniel Defense

Ambush Firearms .300 Blackout – Hunting Rifles from Daniel Defense

Daniel Defense has a novel concept in the “modern sporting rifle” (otherwise known as ARs made for hunting). They have decided that rather than just paint some camo on one of their existing rifles, it would be much better to actually build an actual hunting rifle from the ground up. Ambush Firearms is a separate effort from DD to do just that. Watch the video for the details. They even have a forend for the guns that feel like a shotgun forend. It is a great approach that is refreshing for those of us who hope the AR-15 platform hunting rifle becomes a big part of the hunting market. And yes, they make a .300 Blackout!

Unlike other gunmakers, Sig releases only very mature new products and this new P224 will be available in many finishes and options. This is the Equinox version.

Sig Sauer 7.62 Rifle, P224 Doublestack Compact, 551-A1, SBRs!

Sig Sauer brings a lot of new products this year, and they all have the common theme that they are based on guns we already know and love, and probably even own, from Sig. The P224 pistol is the same doublestack 9mm, .40S&W or .357Sig. as your P226, but in a compact for concealed carry. The SIG716 is a 7.62NATO rifle based on the successful SIG516 platform, the M400 is finally a standard AR from Sig for you police armorers & Sig enthusiasts out there, and the 551-A1 is just like the Swiss 550 on which the 556 is based. Also SBRs!

The SPR-Mod1 comes in two new chamberings in 7.62 x 39 and 6.8 SPC with the monolithic rail platform.

Armalite AR-10 P-Mag Version & New 7.62×39 + 6.8 Uppers

The AR-10 finally is available with a non-proprietary magazine, it takes Magpul P-Mags now. Also some new uppers from Armalite as they charge ahead with a 7.62×39 and 6.8SPC upper for their iconic rifles.

TC Arms Youth Rifle - Venture Compact

TC Arms Youth Rifle – Venture Compact

The TC Arms Venture is one of the best value in American made bolt action rifles, and this year TC answered the call to make a youth sized version. It has an 11.5 length of pull out of the box and it will be available in .223, .243, 7mm-08 and .308 for now. The barrel is only 20 inches for good balance in a small gun, and it comes with a 1 inch spacer for the stock, so the gun can grow with your child. All of the Venture rifles come with an MOA gaurantee, and we proved this out easily with a rifle they sent us for testing. There is also a new winter camo Venture as well. TC makes a lot of “gotta have it” guns and this looks to be another.

The review rifle at Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2012 had a Leupold Hog scope on it. It is a 1.25-4 power optic with an LED powered center dot.

Savage Arms Hog Hunter & Leupold Pig-Plex

You wouldn’t think that a gun would be made specifically to bang around behind the seat of your truck, to get banged and bumped on who knows what, and to get dripping wet, dirty, and still work, but that is exactly what Savage has done with the new Hog Hunter line of rifles. They aren’t pretty guns, but they aren’t for pretty game either.

Ben got to shoot this suppressed .338 Lapua Magnum at Media Day. APO does also make the suppressors by the way, but what we found really amazing was that this was a chassis product, not a custom rifle. We only saw the folding stock versions that day.

APO Saber Modular Rifle Chassis System

Awesomeness is not a word you would think could make it through spell check, but it is actually a word. If there was one product at Media Day at the Range, SHOT Show 2012, that excelled at awesomeness, it was the modular rifle chassis system from Ashbury Precision Ordnance, or APO. It is called the Saber-FORRST, for Folding Rifle Stock System Tactical. They all don’t seem to fold, going by the catalog, so it is a little confusing. But they sure excel at awesomeness.

Teludyne StraightJacket Proof from H.P. White

Teludyne StraightJacket Proof from H.P. White

Finally nobody has to believe GunsAmerica that the Teludyne StraightJacket is nothing short of a miracle for rifle accuracy over sustained fire. If you read our original article, Ultimate Accuracy Makeover, but didn’t send your gun to Teludyne, you may want to beat the crowds now because they have enlisted the H.P. White testing organization to certify the results, and you can download the PDF of the report.