The Ruger American Predator is a short-barreled bolt-action .308 Winchester built for predator and varmint hunting. Ruger no longer makes it, so it is a used buy. Its 18-inch barrel is a heavier taper than the standard American carried and comes threaded 5/8-24 under a factory thread protector, so a brake or a suppressor goes on without gunsmith work.

A one-piece Picatinny base is already on the receiver, and the rifle came with one magazine, the thread protector, sling swivel studs in the moss green stock and a Marksman Adjustable trigger the owner tunes. Nothing on the stock adjusts, so comb height and the 13.75-inch length of pull cannot be changed, and there are no sights.

If you’re cross-shopping, the Ruger American Rifle is the standard version of the same action, also a used buy, 0.08 lbs lighter with a 22-inch barrel and no muzzle thread. The Savage 110 Tactical is a used buy with the same 5/8x24 thread, but it is a 24-inch heavy barrel at 8.87 lbs feeding from a 10-round Magpul AICS magazine. The Predator sits between the two, with a truck gun’s barrel length on a carry rifle’s weight.