Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK singing

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Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK singing

Post by in2anity » 28 Apr 2019, 9:05 pm

Got the little RARR 300blk singing. Had to sand out the barrel channel. Factory trigger was mushy AF so replaced her with a Timney. Added a permanent cheek riser - American style combs aren't to my taste (especially for explicitly scoped rifles, I don't understand Merica :huh: ).

The rifle loves Hogdon's Lil'gun paired with (cheap) Speer 125gr TNTs. Using CCI400s and Lil'Gun standard deviation is on the higher side. Nevertheless the RARR does not like hard CCI450 magnum primers, and light-primer strikes like a sob. Headspacing is sure on the liberal side, at least 5 thou over SAAMI (as far as I can tell without the right gauges). Paired with under spec shoulders you might have issues - luckily I'll only be collet neck sizing (suits me). Basically you can't use hard primers, and some factory ammo might not work (depending on shoulder height).

Barrel stays comparatively cool compared to other calibers I have. Easy to reload with mild recoil. It consistently 3-shot groups into MOA at 200m with this load, that's as far as I've stretched it (so far). Weighs 3kg scoped.

This is my first Ruger, and indeed I now like this little package.

solo2.jpg
Kydex Cheek Riser
solo2.jpg (1.2 MiB) Viewed 6219 times


duo.jpg
20" LA101 vs 16" RARR
duo.jpg (1.1 MiB) Viewed 6220 times


forend.jpg
Not sure what Ruger's definition of "free floating" is
forend.jpg (389.33 KiB) Viewed 6220 times


timney.jpg
RA Timney Trigger
timney.jpg (282.99 KiB) Viewed 6220 times


CCI450.PNG
50m group - 18gr LG + CCI450s = light primer strikes + poor accuracy. NOPE.
CCI450.PNG (1.25 MiB) Viewed 6220 times


CCI400.PNG
50m group - CCI400 primers (important). YEP.
CCI400.PNG (1.27 MiB) Viewed 6220 times
Last edited by in2anity on 21 Jun 2019, 11:36 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Stix » 28 Apr 2019, 9:38 pm

FMD...ok...stupid question time...does a primer make that much difference...?
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 28 Apr 2019, 9:42 pm

Stix wrote:FMD...ok...stupid question time...does a primer make that much difference...?

Well in this case it sure seemed to. I hear yu though mate - it sure seems like a big delta doesn't it - it's also by far the biggest difference I've seen in my years of reloading. There's more to the story than meets the eye I feel - a couple of the 450s were bulging, and stretch was inconsistent, not to mention the light striking issue - many of those shots were on the 2nd or 3rd strike.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Stix » 28 Apr 2019, 10:27 pm

So excessive chamber expansion due to heat from previous couple of fired rounds maybe...?
:unknown:

Ive noticed results of mine similar to what ive mentioned above with my 7-08 shooting near 100% & compressed loads...
However ive never used different primers...ever...
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by duncan61 » 28 Apr 2019, 11:05 pm

Never new there was a small magnum primer.always learning.I use a large Magnum primer in my 7mm Rem cos its a Magnum but the others get standard
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by JimTom » 28 Apr 2019, 11:24 pm

I use small rifle magnum primer for my 6.5 ManBun. They exist.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by JimTom » 28 Apr 2019, 11:27 pm

Glad to hear you got yours going well mate. I loaded mine with the 125SST and AR2205 and like you achieved some good accuracy. I didn’t touch my trigger though. Whilst not perfect it does seem to do the trick for me.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by wanneroo » 29 Apr 2019, 12:34 am

Rifle looks good. No surprise it needed a little tuning, but it looks like you've got it shooting good.

I've never heard of anyone using Magnum primers for Blackout or what the reasoning is behind it.

Lil Gun is a great powder for Blackout and I have used it for many thousands of rounds. I tried H110(I think W296 is the same thing...not sure) and got inconsistent results. Tried Lil Gun and no issues. Still have IMR 4227 and CFE BLK to try out.

I found some variation in dies and switched from a Rcbs die to a Forster sizing die and that works much better.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by bigfellascott » 29 Apr 2019, 5:28 am

Stix wrote:FMD...ok...stupid question time...does a primer make that much difference...?


Yes it can do. :drinks:
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 7:31 am

Stix wrote:So excessive chamber expansion due to heat from previous couple of fired rounds maybe...?
:unknown:

Ive noticed results of mine similar to what ive mentioned above with my 7-08 shooting near 100% & compressed loads...
However ive never used different primers...ever...


I didn't let the barrel get hot - took a couple of breaks on that first target, so I don't think this was a variable.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 7:42 am

wanneroo wrote:Rifle looks good. No surprise it needed a little tuning, but it looks like you've got it shooting good.

I've never heard of anyone using Magnum primers for Blackout or what the reasoning is behind it.


Both Lil'gun and H110 are ball type powders, and the theory goes they are suited to the more aggressive magnum primer. From a Speer reloading manual "Ball powders are double base powders containing nitroglycerin, and in order to lower the peak flame temperature these powder have more deterrent coatings than single base powders. Therefore they need a magnum primer to get things burning uniformly."

Also data from Hodgon's explicetly states the use of "Remington 7 1/2, Small Rifle Magnum" for 300AAC. And to back up this theory, indeed my standard deviation was lower using magnums. But std dev is only a measure of velocity, not accuracy! :thumbsup: Given my results using CC400, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!!" :drinks:
Last edited by in2anity on 29 Apr 2019, 8:30 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by SCJ429 » 29 Apr 2019, 7:47 am

Would the excessive chamber measurements especially in the shoulder make it hard for the firing pin to put a decent dent into the harder magnum primer cups? The case is probably moving forward with the firing pin looking to headspace on the shoulder. I would take it to your gunsmith.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 7:50 am

wanneroo wrote:I found some variation in dies and switched from a Rcbs die to a Forster sizing die and that works much better.


That's interesting - I'll be keeping a close eye on this :thumbsup: I'm currently only using a lee (collet) neck sizing die, and neck tension is definitely on the looser side (compared to fresh unfired brass). I've order an undersized mandrel as an neck-tension experiment; those super accurate groups were using unfired Jagemann brass (where neck tension was noticeably tighter).
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 7:52 am

SCJ429 wrote:Would the excessive chamber measurements especially in the shoulder make it hard for the firing pin to put a decent dent into the harder magnum primer cups? The case is probably moving forward with the firing pin looking to headspace on the shoulder. I would take it to your gunsmith.

Yes - this is the theory. Do you think fire-formed brass would alleviate this problem? If I want to use magnum primers, then at the very least it needs headspacing.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Member-Deleted » 29 Apr 2019, 9:35 am

G'day Stix mate you were wondering if different primers make a difference to a rifle mate all my rifles shoot different with a load developed for each rifle but different primer it can be up to1 inch difference the 22-250 is the worst then the 7mm the rest are around 10 to 20 mm compared to 25-30mm not saying you can't get the primers to shoot but with a given load by changing the primer usually will give a different outcome I've found with many trials in 7 calibers 243, 223, 22-250, 303, 7mm, 308, 270
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 10:42 am

JimTom wrote:Glad to hear you got yours going well mate. I loaded mine with the 125SST and AR2205 and like you achieved some good accuracy.


Cheers mate - I experimented with 2205 - worked ok, but from a small sample size it appeared Lil'gun groups were a 'lil' tighter :thumbsup: plus I can squeeze a tad more performance out of Lil'gun.

JimTom wrote:. I didn’t touch my trigger though. Whilst not perfect it does seem to do the trick for me.


Yeah I agree the factory trigger isn't terrible - it's just I'm spoiled for triggers these days :P so I can't stomach going backward in this regard. I try to standardise all my triggers across my rifles as much as possible.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by gunnnie » 29 Apr 2019, 11:43 am

in2anity wrote:
wanneroo wrote:I found some variation in dies and switched from a Rcbs die to a Forster sizing die and that works much better.


That's interesting - I'll be keeping a close eye on this :thumbsup: I'm currently only using a lee (collet) neck sizing die, and neck tension is definitely on the looser side (compared to fresh unfired brass). I've order an undersized mandrel as an neck-tension experiment; those super accurate groups were using unfired Jagemann brass (where neck tension was noticeably tighter).


Have you considered neck crimping the projectiles with the cases tgat have a 'loose' neck tension? This is one way of achieving a similar result to increased neck tension by using an undersized mandrel. I'd suggested a tapered crimp rather than a roll crimp.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 11:57 am

gunnnie wrote:Have you considered neck crimping the projectiles with the cases tgat have a 'loose' neck tension? This is one way of achieving a similar result to increased neck tension by using an undersized mandrel. I'd suggested a tapered crimp rather than a roll crimp.

I'd rather this be a 1 step process. Do you have experience with an undersized mandrel? Any problems here?
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Sergeant Hartman » 29 Apr 2019, 1:16 pm

Lot of people use the Lee undersized Manvel to great effect.

I also saw a post about a guy going to from a (cci or federal) to a s&b primer and getting 15fps more without changing anything at all. I suppose it effects the way powder is burnt
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Blr243 » 29 Apr 2019, 6:37 pm

I too have heard that because of the silly little shoulder on the case short ammo and big chambers often result in misfires on blackouts. I’ll be reloading for mine when the sucker turns up
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by Blr243 » 29 Apr 2019, 6:49 pm

I too have heard that because of the silly little shoulder on the case short ammo and big chambers often result in misfires on blackouts. I’ll be reloading for mine when the sucker turns up
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by SCJ429 » 29 Apr 2019, 8:01 pm

If you need a little more neck tension could you put your existing mandrel into a drill and polish it up with sandpaper? Have you run out of tension with the existing one and the brass will not hold the pill?
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 8:19 pm

Blr243 wrote:I too have heard that because of the silly little shoulder on the case short ammo and big chambers often result in misfires on blackouts. I’ll be reloading for mine when the sucker turns up

Mine is reliable with CC400s and fireformed brass. You could also try a softer primer like Federal or Winchester - I bet they’d work good too.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 29 Apr 2019, 8:22 pm

SCJ429 wrote:If you need a little more neck tension could you put your existing mandrel into a drill and polish it up with sandpaper? Have you run out of tension with the existing one and the brass will not hold the pill?

Yeah I’ve heard of people doing this - although I picked up an undersized mandrel for only $15 delivered from the bay - I suppose I like the idea of preserving the original mandrel. If it were more expensive I’d probably diy though
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by MJW380 » 01 May 2019, 11:23 am

I see they’ve just brought out a ranch rifle in 350 Legend, a new cartridge from Winchester, basically a straight walled .223 case that accepts a .357/358 bullet, sort of an upsized .300 BO
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 01 May 2019, 3:35 pm

MJW380 wrote:I see they’ve just brought out a ranch rifle in 350 Legend, a new cartridge from Winchester, basically a straight walled .223 case that accepts a .357/358 bullet, sort of an upsized .300 BO

Interesting concept - it looks like a rimless straight cartridge? Suppose that would mean it's headspaced off the mouth? (helping mitigate stretching?). Then again, probably not so good with lead (requiring a flare) - can't crimp a rimless straight wall right?
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by JimTom » 01 May 2019, 4:48 pm

Will be interesting to see if the 350 legend gains any traction.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by MJW380 » 01 May 2019, 8:57 pm

Chuck Hawks review was fairly critical of it
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by in2anity » 01 May 2019, 9:18 pm

MJW380 wrote:Chuck Hawks review was fairly critical of it

Yeah I saw that - made sense. It’s really not that far ahead of a hot 30/30 load in a strong gun like a Marlin. And what about a 375 win?

I can see the advantages for the handloader though - I think brass life would be good, not to mention quick to turn around loads with a carbide die. And I suppose you could seat any jacketed 357 projectile? It’d definitely make an interesting experiment.
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Re: Got the little Ruger American Rifle Ranch 300AAC/BLK sin

Post by duncan61 » 01 May 2019, 9:46 pm

Same poop different shovel.I am aware that some residential areas have restrictions on firearms in the USA and it fits into the slot but and 8 inch drop at 200 does not give me the horn
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