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.
In reviewing "bargain" bolt-action rifles for American Rifleman, Managing Editor Joe Kurtenbach couldn’t help but think that, much like a stripped AR, these guns may make great foundations for personalized rifle builds. To test the theory, he purchased his own bargain-bin bolt gun and set a goal to build a precision hunting rifle.