The Ruger American has some great features—hammer-forged barrel, reliable action, crisp trigger—but many would not consider the molded, polymer stock to be among them. With that in mind, American Rifleman's Joe Kurtenbach went with an aftermarket solution in his quest to build a precision hunting rifle.
There are lots of reasons to put a new stock on your old rifle, but cost, time and skill required to do the job prevent most of us from getting around to it. Magpul leaves us with no more excuses now that the company has introduced its Hunter 700 stock. It’s tough, adjustable, easy to install and has a built-in aluminum bedding block—all for about $250.
If you're going to spend the money it takes to design a custom rifle, you'd better do it right—the first time. Keith Wood offers a few things to keep in mind when planning the long gun you've been dreaming about.