RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

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RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby RBDMTJager » Sun Sep 25, 2022 2:59 pm

Was wondering if there is any truth to what I have been reading in more than a few posts here and other websites about Ruger American rifles in which people comment that the rifles made during the first years it was produced were of better quality and were more accurate than the current production models. I have read the statement "Those first ones were real shooters" more than a few times.

I ask because I would like to buy a second bolt gun in 450BM for my son to use but he is left handed and despite looking as exhaustively as internet search engines allow the only left handed bolt gun I can find in 450 Bushmaster is a Ruger American rifle. Baring in mind this rifle will see a a decent amount of use, I don't see it being shot more than 20-30 times a year as my son first become proficient with it then subsequent pre deer season practice with it once I complete load development for it.
If I buy a RAR in 450BM it will be strictly a deer hunting use only rifle shot only as much per year as needed for that purpose likely less than 40 rounds per year pre deer season prep.

Shure a H*** wish CVA made a left handed Cascade in 450BM as I absolutely love mine.
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby Al in Mi » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:45 am

if you have a spare LH Savage or find a cheap donor, there are a few places who make 450 Savage barrels.

No shame in using a single shot either, I can only think of one time I had a need for a follow up shot. Next 450 Henry I see I'll probably have a weak moment!!
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby coyote wacker » Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:33 am

I've been a left hand shooter for around 15 years since my injury....had a left hand Ruger American 450 BM one of the first from Randy's it shot very good supers and sub-sonics I just didn't really like its looks, feel or safety....so down the road it went at a profit....
Ruger Americans are a good gun for the everyday user I just don't like how cheep they look and feel....to put it plane and simple there a OK tool....I just wouldn't expect hard and long use to be a high point of them....there 2 position safety is not a good point of there design....

P.S.
I bought a Ruger 77 made a very large profit on it....but will never own a nother it was the roughest gun I've ever laded my hands on maybe if I spent some time smoothing the action out ....way more money than it was worth....

Savage number rifles 10-16 are in a higher class than the Ruger....3 position safety ....with a design that has been around for decades and will last for generations....
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Mon Sep 26, 2022 2:00 pm

I don’t know if they make a 450 Bushmaster but my Howa 1500 in 6.5 CM is a fine rifle. You might check and see if they make a 450B model.
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby RBDMTJager » Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:41 am

Thanks to all for the replies.
The rifle would be for my son to use and he would be happy with what ever I get him. I just have an experienced based loathing of single shot centerfire rifles for deer hunting and much prefer bolt action ones.

If CVA made the Cascade in left hand there would likely be two more in my gun safe already. I have been to both CVA's and Savage's WS and there is no information at either what so ever to indicate any left hand bolt guns available in 450 Bushmaster.

In a sub $700 factory bolt rifle chambered in 450B I believe my only option is the RAR.

Howa was out of my price range when I bought my CVA and I was looking for at least a 20" barrel. While I have not confirmed for certain Howa doesn't make a LH bolt gun in 450B, I have done dozens of on line searches for LH bolt rifles in 450B and only RAR has ever come up.

My only other option as I own AR's would be an upper in 450B but a quality one is kinds pricy (especially and 18"-20" one) and then there is the added cost of mags and different ring and I only have two with a mid length gas system and I would likely need to up the weight of the buffer none of which I'm all that interested in doing AND both my mid length AR's are really good shooters (and my personal favorite fun guns) I'd also rather not convert to 450B.

So it appears my options are a LH/RAR or a single shot.
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby RBDMTJager » Thu Sep 29, 2022 9:15 am

Al in Mi wrote:if you have a spare LH Savage or find a cheap donor, there are a few places who make 450 Savage barrels.

No shame in using a single shot either, I can only think of one time I had a need for a follow up shot. Next 450 Henry I see I'll probably have a weak moment!!


Thank you for the suggestion, but I do not own a single dedicated left hand rifle. The rifles I bought for my boys to hunt with on private land in our home state were JM stamped lever action Marlin 336c's in 35 Remington. I foolishly thought I would just trim 0.2" off the 35 Remington brass to take it from 1.9" to 1.7" and make it public land legal.

Then I trimmed one and saw it really wasn't doable and that left me BARELY enough (and maybe not) neck to hold a bullet and it remain in place under recoil and brass for the 35 Remington is rather pricy ($1-$1+ea) currently ONLY made by Hornady VERY hard to come buy and I stock piled a bunch but not enough to be willing to sacrifice a bunch just to see if they would work and be safe to use.
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Thu Sep 29, 2022 11:57 am

I myself am a southpaw. That’s right folks. You wouldn’t know it by watching me shoot. But that’s because I had to learn everything right handed including Archery. As an adult, I had to teach myself how to shoot a bow left-handed so that I could teach my son when he was little, how to shoot a bow because he too is left-handed. Today I can shoot left-handed or right handed pretty much anything. I am typically left eye dominant, but I can override it fairly easily. This is just something that you have to do to survive in a right handed world. But I will tell you, the kids of today are so lucky that the world considers a left-handed version of anything. Back in my day, it was almost nonexistent. Even in the classrooms, we had to learn to write left handed sitting in a desk designed for right handed people. And we would get slapped or spanked or hit with a ruler or sent to the principals office for sitting oddly in the desk to try and do our work because we had to adjust to the fact that there was a part of the desk on our right side that really didn’t serve us for anything. And all the right handed people had that part of the desk to support their arm while they were writing. We didn’t have that. so we would squirm in our desks to try and adjust, and the teachers thought this was misbehavior. Hiel yeah… we learned really quick to adjust to a right-handed world or we would get punished.
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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby Hoot » Sun Oct 02, 2022 9:27 pm

Texas Sheepdawg wrote:I myself am a southpaw. That’s right folks. You wouldn’t know it by watching me shoot. But that’s because I had to learn everything right handed including Archery. As an adult, I had to teach myself how to shoot a bow left-handed so that I could teach my son when he was little, how to shoot a bow because he too is left-handed. Today I can shoot left-handed or right handed pretty much anything. I am typically left eye dominant, but I can override it fairly easily. This is just something that you have to do to survive in a right handed world. But I will tell you, the kids of today are so lucky that the world considers a left-handed version of anything. Back in my day, it was almost nonexistent. Even in the classrooms, we had to learn to write left handed sitting in a desk designed for right handed people. And we would get slapped or spanked or hit with a ruler or sent to the principals office for sitting oddly in the desk to try and do our work because we had to adjust to the fact that there was a part of the desk on our right side that really didn’t serve us for anything. And all the right handed people had that part of the desk to support their arm while they were writing. We didn’t have that. so we would squirm in our desks to try and adjust, and the teachers thought this was misbehavior. Hiel yeah… we learned really quick to adjust to a right-handed world or we would get punished.


Me too +1 My right-handed Dad taught me that way, despite me being left-handed. I can work most hand tools either-handed which was a boon to working in the technical field. I write left handed, throw a ball left-handed but bat right-handed. I swing a golf club right-handed but shoot handguns with either. IE, the world and my Dad had an impact upon my motor skills development. Funny how that goes. As TSD implied, my dominant eye is neither. It favors the left when addressing something to my left but my right takes over in the other direction. Most of my trap shots that I miss are straight aways as I suspect that neither eye can decide whether to lead of follow.

Go figure...

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Re: RAR is there a quality diff old vs new?

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Mon Oct 03, 2022 5:53 am

Yep. Same here. I bat right, throw left. (Note: You won’t find any really successful baseball players with our affliction).
I golf right handed too and I suck at it IRL. My short game is okay but getting to the green is a circus. I’m Pretty good at playing PGA 2K21 on my PlayStation 4 though. HaHa. I ride a skateboard like a righty. Kicking it just depends on which foot I need to use.

I know. My life sounds like a train wreck.
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