The Ruger American Rifle is a synthetic-stocked bolt-action .270 Winchester built for deer hunting. Ruger has replaced it with the American Rifle Generation II, so it is a used buy. Its receiver sits on a bedding block moulded into the stock, which locates the action in the same place every time the stock screws are tightened and leaves the barrel free-floating.

A one-piece Picatinny base is already on the receiver, so rings and an optic finish the job, and one detachable magazine holding four rounds came in the box. The stock has sling swivel studs fitted and a soft rubber buttpad. No sights are fitted. The Marksman trigger adjusts for pull weight with the barreled action out of the stock, and a used rifle may well have been adjusted already, so it is worth checking where the pull sits before the first shot.

If you're cross-shopping, the Ruger American Rifle Generation II that replaced it has an MSRP of $769 and a 20-inch barrel with a muzzle brake and a 5/8x24 thread behind it, a comb insert and a spacer that change the fit, and a trigger adjustable between 3 and 5 lbs. It is 0.3 lbs heavier and 0.75 inch shorter. The Bergara B-14 Hunter has an MSRP of $949 and a sub-MOA guarantee, with a 24-inch barrel and an internal magazine. On a used one, check that the magazine is still with the rifle; it is a Ruger part and nothing else feeds it.