Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
This budget-friendly 6.5 Creedmoor hunts light, cycles smoothly, and stacks tight groups. After Ruger fixed an early extraction hiccup, the rifle flat-out performed.
Sub MOA On A Budget Meet The Ruger American Gen II Predator
The Ruger American Gen II Predator proved to be a sub-MOA budget bolt-action rifle with a fluted and threaded barrel and modern hunting stock. Ruger’s latest Predator variant brings meaningful upgrades to a platform already known for blending practicality with solid accuracy. This variant delivers a lightweight rifle that performs well above its price range. Coming in with a street price around $600 street, the Gen II Predator incorporates a fluted, threaded, and Cerakoted barrel, an upgraded stock with an adjustable length of pull, and intuitive controls to make it a compelling choice in its class.
Table of contents
- Sub MOA On A Budget Meet The Ruger American Gen II Predator
- What You Get Out Of The Box And Why It Matters
- Stock Texture, Fit, And Field Comfort
- Action And Reliability After The Fix
- Trigger Feel And Adjustability
- Magazine Behavior: What Works And What Fusses
- Barrel Details: Flutes, Finish, And Muzzle Device
- Precision Testing Real Groups Across Loads
- Real World Performance Carry, Recoil, And Heat
- Ruger American Gen II Predator Specifications
- Pros And Cons From The Bench And The Field
- Ruger American Gen II Predator Summary
- Related Reads from GunsAmerica Digest
What You Get Out Of The Box And Why It Matters
The Gen II Predator arrives where you’d expect a rifle in this class. Well packaged, with everything needed to start shooting except an optic and a box of ammo. Ruger includes one 3-round magazine and steel sling swivel studs front and rear. A factory-installed Picatinny scope base is ready for just about any mount you want to throw at it.
First impressions were positive: the rifle feels balanced, and the spiral flutes give it a lighter feel toward the muzzle without sacrificing perceived rigidity.
Stock Texture, Fit, And Field Comfort
Ruger’s updated stock on the Gen II Predator works well. The green splatter pattern not only visually complements the Cerakoted barrel and controls, but its texture is raised enough to enhance grip. The classic hunting-oriented grip has a low angle that most shooters will find comfortable when carrying or offhand, and the recessed palm swell fits my hands well. The rubber butt pad features a generous radius on the heel and progressively collapses to soften recoil impulse. It also helped keep the rifle from slipping around on my shoulder, which is always appreciated.
Also, the rear sling swivel is recessed so it doesn’t snag. A thoughtful and appreciated feature. While I never ran a sling during my testing, I did run an MDT ORYX bipod attached to the front sling swivel, and it held solid and secure.
Length of pull is adjustable from 12″ to 13.75″ using the included spacer. A low comb cheek riser is installed at the factory, which improved sight alignment with lower scope mounts, but was a bit low for my Vortex Razor 4-24 in a 39mm tall Reptillia AUS mount. Ruger offers additional stock spacers and cheek risers for those who want an even more tailored fit. While this stock is clean and simple, having an adjustable cheek riser built in would have been a great touch.
Action And Reliability After The Fix
The Ruger Marksman Adjustable trigger and three lug bolt are familiar from other American series rifles, and they work well here. The one-piece bolt is CNC machined from stainless steel, offering smooth cycling with extra scope clearance with its 70° lift. The oversized bolt handle is easy to manipulate confidently, even with gloves.
However, during early testing, I ran into a significant extraction problem. Fired brass would stick in the chamber and require mortaring the buttstock on the ground to break loose. Unfired rounds could easily be chambered and removed, but once fired, the brass was very difficult to remove. After some quick email troubleshooting with Ruger, they had me ship the rifle back for inspection. They ended up replacing the barrel and bolt, and when it returned, the rifle ran without a single extraction or feeding problem. While this was disheartening to see, it was great to see them stand behind their product and get the issue fixed. Once fixed, everything ran great.
Trigger Feel And Adjustability
The Marksman Adjustable trigger on this rifle measured between 3.5 and 4.0 lbs consistently from the factory. It presents a smooth take-up before hitting the wall, and then there’s a bit of creep before it breaks. Either way, the trigger feels good, and I have no complaints for a rifle in this price range. The trigger is also user-adjustable between 3–5 lbs.
Magazine Behavior: What Works And What Fusses
The proprietary AI style magazine worked fine and fed every round during testing, but seating it is not as intuitive as most modern rifles. It takes a firm push and a slight rock to lock it into place. Once it’s seated, it stays put, but it’s more fussy than other designs.
I would have very much preferred compatibility with AICS pattern magazines for the ease of finding and swapping mags, especially for shooters who already own platforms that use that standard. Proprietary mags limit aftermarket options. However, Ruger does offer 3, 5, and 10-round AI-style mags for $42.95.
Barrel Details: Flutes, Finish, And Muzzle Device
The medium contour fluted barrel is a standout feature for this rifle. Deep spiral flutes reduce weight at the muzzle end and increase surface area to help the barrel shed heat faster. Ruger’s cold hammer forged process yields very precise rifling, and the burnt bronze Cerakote finish is durable and easy to maintain.
The factory-installed radial port muzzle brake does well to reduce recoil, but I hate radial brakes since they kick up so much dust when shooting prone. I immediately swapped out the included brake and installed a SilencerCo ASR brake. This was for even further reduced recoil and the ability to use my suppressors with their QD mounts.
Precision Testing Real Groups Across Loads
Ammunitiontogo.com was the official ammunition sponsor for this review, and I ordered a variety of Hornady 6.5 Creedmoor loads to test accuracy and consistency. Their website offers a wide selection of competitively priced ammo with quick shipping and easy ordering. For those considering 6.5 Creedmoor’s suitability for your needs, Ammunitiontogo has a helpful article comparing the cartridge to .308: 6.5 Creedmoor vs 308
Due to the issue previously described, I ended up shooting groups with two barrels. The original (barrel #1) and the replacement Ruger sent after servicing (barrel #2) are shown in the table below. Barrel 1 groups were shot at 100 yards, and Barrel 2 at 50 yards, but all group sizes have been normalized to MOA. Across multiple loads, the rifle demonstrated precision that punches well above what you’d expect at this price point. With two barrels and 5 types of ammunition, I am quite pleased with the consistency of precision I was able to squeeze out of this rifle.
| Ammunition Type | Average Velocity (FPS) | Extreme Spread (FPS) | Standard Deviation (FPS) | 3-Round Group Size Barrel #1 (MOA) | 3-Round Group Size Barrel #2 (MOA) |
| Hornady Match 120 gr ELD® MATCH | 2749.0 | 70.5 | 29.5 | 0.87 | 0.63 |
| Hornady American Whitetail 129 gr InterLock® | 2724.5 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 0.54 | 0.53 |
| Hornady Match 140 gr ELD® MATCH | 2577.7 | 17.0 | 7.6 | 0.93 | 0.49 |
| Hornady Precision Hunter 143 gr ELD-X® | 2622.9 | 57.2 | 23.4 | 0.96 | 1.35 |
| Hornady Match 147 gr ELD® MATCH | 2577.0 | 11.1 | 5.0 | 0.77 | 0.63 |
Real World Performance Carry, Recoil, And Heat
In the field and on the range, the Gen II Predator delivers on its design goals. Balance and weight distribution make it easy to carry all day, and the combination of the lightweight fluted barrel with recoil reducing brake and soft butt pad results in a rifle that is pleasant to shoot.
Ergonomics overall are solid, though the low comb riser was too low for my scope mount. This caused me to sacrifice a solid cheek weld for a good sight picture. The grip angle is comfortable for carry and general shooting, but prolonged prone shooting caused some hand fatigue due to the traditional hunting grip angle.
Feeding and extraction were flawless after Ruger fixed my issues, and the rifle never hiccupped afterwards under live fire conditions. Also, stretching this rifle out, I had no trouble making repeated hits on a C zone silhouette at 635 yards with a 15 mph crosswind. However, after about 10 rounds in succession, the barrel began to heat noticeably, and the point of impact drifted slightly. Just a reminder that the fluted medium barrel isn’t intended for mag after mag volume fire like a heavy target barrel would be.
Ruger American Gen II Predator Specifications
| Model | Ruger American Gen II Predator |
|---|---|
| Caliber | 6.5 Creedmoor |
| Barrel Length | 22″ fluted, 5/8″-24 threaded |
| Overall Length | 43.25″ |
| Weight | 6.7 lb. |
| Twist | 1:8″ RH |
| Capacity | 3 (AI style proprietary) |
| Stock | Green splatter finish with adjustable spacers |
| Finish | Burnt bronze Cerakote on barrel and controls |
| MSRP | $729 |
| Street Price | ~ $600 |
Pros And Cons From The Bench And The Field
- Pros: Sub MOA precision with multiple loads, light and balanced carry, fluted threaded barrel, smooth bolt lift, good factory trigger, rugged Cerakote.
- Cons: Proprietary magazine seats are fussier than AICS, low comb for taller optic mounts, early sample had an extraction issue that required factory service.
Ruger American Gen II Predator Summary
The Ruger American Gen II Predator blends thoughtful upgrades with real performance at a value you’ll struggle to beat. The textured stock and balanced weight make it carry well. The fluted and threaded barrel allows this rifle to do it all, and with proper ammo, it will outshoot its price tag. While the proprietary magazine and fixed comb height leave room for refinement, the core performance is quite impressive.
If you’re looking for a capable predator rifle that can also stretch into longer-range precision work without pushing into premium pricing, the Ruger American Gen II Predator is a strong contender. Based on its accuracy, feature set, and overall performance, I have no hesitation recommending this rifle. It consistently performs above what its price point would suggest.
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Mitchell Graf is a dedicated hunter, competitive shooter, and firearms enthusiast. As a former instructor and president of Oklahoma State’s Practical Shooting Team, he has a strong foundation in marksmanship and competition shooting. These days, he spends as much time as possible chasing pigs and coyotes with night vision and thermal optics.
When he’s not in the field or on the range, Mitchell works as a full-time Mechanical Engineer in the Aerospace and Defense industry and manages a part-time farming operation. Whether he’s behind a rifle, designing parts, or working the land, his drive for precision and performance remains the same.
Experience:
– Mechanical Engineer – Full-time professional in the Aerospace/Defense industry.
– Competitive Shooter & Instructor – Former President and Instructor of Oklahoma State’s Practical Shooting Team.
– Night Vision & Thermal Hunter – Passionate about night time predator and hog hunting.
– Part-Time Farmer – Working to provide for my family, and raise food for this great nation.