When I was 12, my first hunting rifle was my grandfather’s Winchester 94 in .32 Special. A beautiful gun, reliable as they come, but eventually, my dad decided I needed something with a little more oomph, so he got me a Ruger Model 77 in .30-06. That rifle has been with me for 40 years, and it’s still a beast. But it has one problem—it won’t take a suppressor. And as much as I love my old rifle, I wasn’t about to start hacking it up just to thread the barrel.
So, when I got my hands on a Griffin Sportsman Ultralight .36 suppressor, I needed a rifle that would do the job without making me feel like a traitor to my old Ruger. Enter the Ruger American Generation II Ranch Rifle, a bolt-action workhorse that checked all the right boxes: lightweight, compact, and suppressor-ready.
Why the Ranch Rifle?
I’ve been using a Ruger American Rimfire for a while with my Surefire .22 suppressor, so sticking with Ruger felt like the natural choice. When I started looking at their centerfire lineup, the 16-inch barrel Ranch Rifle stood out. A shorter barrel meant a more manageable overall length once the suppressor was mounted. Given that most of my shots in Pennsylvania are well under 200 yards, I didn’t need a 24-inch barrel capable of reaching the moon.
First Impressions
The Ranch Rifle’s synthetic stock has a splatter-finish texture that gives you a solid grip without feeling like sandpaper. It comes with a soft rubber recoil pad, which is a welcome change from my old Model 77’s hard plastic buttplate (which may as well have been carved from rock). The adjustable length of pull is a nice feature—something my old bolt guns never had. You can fine-tune the fit whether you’re hunting in a t-shirt or bundled up in three layers of winter gear.
The medium contour, cold hammer-forged barrel is fluted to reduce weight and is fitted with a removable radial port muzzle brake. The cerakote finish on the barrel, receiver, and bolt is a nice touch, especially if you plan on dragging this thing through the woods in all kinds of weather.
The Caliber Choice: .350 Legend
Ruger offers the Gen II Ranch Rifle in a variety of calibers, from 5.56mm to .450 Bushmaster, but since my goal was suppressor compatibility and practical hunting use, I went with .350 Legend. I already had a .350 Legend AR, and that’s the reason I got the .36 caliber Griffin suppressor in the first place. Pennsylvania doesn’t require a straight-wall cartridge for hunting, but after shooting .350 Legend at SHOT Show, I liked it enough to build an AR in the caliber.
The .350 Legend is like a big, beefy .30 Carbine round, with bullet weights ranging from 145 to 255 grains and an effective range of 200-250 yards—perfect for my needs. Supersonic and subsonic loads are available, and ammo is fairly affordable (a rare miracle these days).
Shooting the Ranch Rifle
At 6.2 pounds without an optic, the Ranch Rifle is a lightweight dream. The oversized bolt handle makes cycling the action smooth, and the three-position tang-mounted safety is intuitive. The Marksman Adjustable Trigger lets you set the pull weight between 3 and 5 pounds, and let me tell you—it’s a huge upgrade from my old Model 77’s factory trigger.
The Ranch feeds from standard AR mags, which means no overpriced proprietary nonsense. It ships with a 5-round magazine, but I also had some 10-rounders on hand. Loading and unloading is easy, and the ability to engage the safety while working the bolt is a feature I wish every bolt gun had.
Optics and Accuracy
Since this rifle was meant for mid-range shooting, I slapped on a Winchester Supreme 1-4x24mm LPVO. Yes, I know—I mounted a Winchester scope on a Ruger rifle. The universe didn’t collapse, so I think we’re good.
At the range, I started with Browning 124gr supersonic loads. Bore sighting got me on paper fast, and within a few adjustments, I was printing ragged one-hole groups at 25 yards. At 100 yards, groups stayed under 1.5 inches, sometimes even 1 inch. With a higher-magnification optic, I probably could have squeezed a little more precision out of it, but I was happy with the results.
Suppressor Time
Once my Griffin Sportsman Ultralight came in, I ditched the muzzle brake. The thread protector went on, and the suppressor mounted seamlessly. With the can on, my 16-inch barrel stretched to 22 inches—about the same length as my old Model 77. The Griffin is just 10.4 ounces, so it didn’t make the rifle feel front-heavy.
Shooting supersonic loads suppressed was already a game changer, but when I switched to 255gr subsonics, things got downright movie quiet. Let’s be clear—suppressors aren’t Hollywood-silent, but this was the quietest centerfire rifle I’ve ever shot. No ear protection needed, just smooth, quiet shooting.
Final Thoughts
I hate sounding like a fanboy, but the Ruger American Gen II Ranch Rifle in .350 Legend is a fantastic hunting rifle, especially when suppressed. It’s compact, lightweight, and deadly accurate. The adjustable stock, solid trigger, and AR mag compatibility make it a great value at around $600 street price.
For states that require straight-wall cartridges for hunting, this rifle is a no-brainer. If you’re chasing deer, hogs, or even smaller black bears, it’ll handle the job. If you’re just looking for a compact, suppressor-ready bolt gun, this is one of the best options out there.
Ruger nailed it with this one.