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Category: Ruger

  • Ruger Yukon – a Quiet, Powerful Gas Ram

    Ruger Yukon – a Quiet, Powerful Gas Ram

    The Ruger Yukon is one of the more feature-oriented and budget-friendly gas-piston air rifles, but is definitely up against some very stiff competition in its price class. Consequently, if you are considering this as your first “gas-ram,” you will want to pay close attention to this model’s strengths and weaknesses before deciding if its the right air rifle for you.

    Ruger Yukon Gas Piston Air Rifle Review>>Check Price, User Ratings & Availability!<<

     

    The Ruger Yukon – What We Like

    Great Power

    With reported velocities using lead of 1050 and 850 FPS for the .177 and .22 caliber versions, respectively, this is a powerful gas ram. In fact, based on these velocities and assuming standard weight lead pellets, we estimate that this rifle produces approximately 20 foot-pounds of energy (“FPE”) in the .177 and 22 FPE in the .22. This makes the Yukon as powerful – if not a bit more powerful than most other popular gas-piston and spring rifles under the $200 mark. Given this power, you should therefore have little trouble using the Yukon for small game hunting or eliminating pests around the home or business. We suggest you opt for the harder-hitting .22 caliber version in such case.

    Relatively Quiet Shooting

    Many people want an air rifle that don’t wake up the neighbors and can be used in relatively urban settings without causing needless disturbance. The good news is that the Yukon’s rifled steel barrel, which is fitted with Ruger’s SilencAIR integral silencer, makes it a pretty quiet air rifle, comparatively speaking. This quiet report is definitely one characteristic that is routinely praised by users. As such, this is a very good choice for backyard plinking, target shooting or hunting/pest elimination.

    Fantastic Trigger

    Finding an air rife for less than $200 that comes with a good trigger is actually quite challenging, and even very expensive rifles are often plagued by awkward, heavy triggers that draw numerous complaints. That is why we were so pleased to learn that the Yukon was fitted with a very crisp, light two-stage adjustable trigger that is rated at just 3.3 pounds of pull. A predictable, light trigger like the Yukon’s really does help you maintain a good hold and facilitates repeatable accuracy – a very big perk in our book.

    Decent Scope on the Combo

    Aside from trigger complaints, most people are very unhappy with combo scopes included with more affordable air rifles. Yet again, however, the Yukon delivers better than expected quality. Now don’t misunderstand – the 3-9×32 scope (which comes with a duplex reticle and 35-yard parallax setting) is not one we’d recommend to buy separately of course, but hey, it’s definitely workable and considerably better than most we see on air rifle combos under $200. The picatinny optics rail is also good. Overall, this is a capable scope if shooting within around 30 yards or so.

    We should add that if you are into open-sight shooting, you will like the fiber-optic front sights – you may even prefer them over the scope!

    Solid Build and Great Fit & Finish

    This is a beautiful air rifle that comes with a rich wood ambidextrous stock adorned with detailed checkering along the trigger grip and under the barrel. It has a rubber butt/recoil pad. In addition, the rifle has that “quality” feel that is evident in the heft of the model when first picked up. Overall, we have to applaud Ruger for using such a bold, attractive design on the Yukon!

    Moderate Cocking Effort

    If you’ve only used underpowered and inexpensive pump/spring guns, you may find the Yukon a bit challenging to cock. However, relative to the very impressive muzzle energy this rifle produces, we think the 30 pounds (rated) cocking effort is actually quite modest. Try cocking a powerful metal-spring rifle! Nevertheless, we suspect that younger/female users are likely to struggle with it, particularly during the initial break-in period.

    Good All-Around Value

    When you consider this rifle’s quiet report, above-average power, impressive build-quality, light trigger, and the usable scope on the combo, its current price tag of roughly $180 shipped is very good in our view. This is definitely a lot of rifle for your money, and would make a great first gas-ram for users interested in giving them a try.

    Things We Don’t Like

    Too Heavy?

    This is actually a minor issue, since we tend to like heavier rifles. But, the 9.0 pound weight coupled with the rifle’s overall nearly 45-inch length could be a bit much for some users. In particular, we could see some people getting tired of carrying and holding this rifle for a long day of shooting.

    Scope Insufficient for Distance Shooting

    Unless you upgrade to a better scope, the model included with the combo will largely limit your shooting (if you care about accuracy) to within about 30 yards. Beyond that, your shots may start wandering and/or you could have some issues trying to keep it zeroed in. Of course, this may not be problem for you… and we happen to think that most shooters should limit their shooting to within 30 yards anyway – especially if small game hunting and one-shot humane kills are desired. But just keep in mind that this is an optics issue; the Yukon has plenty of FPE to keep even the .22 version shooting relatively flat, so the rifle has the capacity for delivering tight groups at 50 yards. Of course, as we always say, make sure you are using quality air rifle pellets, since even the most expensive scope cannot overcome a cheap/poorly-matched pellet.

    Quality Control

    We’ve heard some reports of users having triggers that won’t adjust, parts falling out, or faulty mounts or other hardware issues. This happens to varying degrees with just about any rifle, but be sure to inspect your rifle carefully upon receipt, and make sure to tighten any screws (particularly around the trigger and scope mounts) that appear loose before shooting.

    Buy the Ruger Yukon Gas Piston Air Rifle at the lowest price!

    >>Buy the Ruger Yukon at the Lowest Price!<<

    Concluding Thoughts & Recommendations

    We can’t say that the Ruger Yukon is necessarily better than other sub-$200 gas-piston air rifles, such as the Benjamin Titan or Crosman Nitro Venom, for example. However, it does have its virtues and is an unusually solid offering for the price. In particular, we think its quiet report, impressive muzzle energy and surprisingly good trigger make it an outstanding backyard rifle that is perfect for close-range hunting and pest elimination, right out of the box. Just remember that if you really want to tap into this rifle’s longer-range shooting capability, give it good pellets and an upgraded scope for maximum impact!

     

     

  • Ruger Air Magnum Combo Air Rifle Review

    Ruger Air Magnum Combo Air Rifle Review

    If you are looking to maximize velocity, muzzle energy and downrange hitting power for your buck, then you just can’t beat the overall value you get with the Ruger Air Magnum Combo. Not only is this combo superb for hunting and pest elimination, it’s also very well made and is currently selling for less than $200. We call that nearly too good to be true! However, don’t take our word for it, please read along as we look at the Air Magnum in more detail so you can decide for yourself whether it’s the right choice for you.

    Ruger Air Magnum Combo Air Rifle Review
    >>Check Price, User Ratings & Availability!<<

    Why We Recommend This Combo.

    1) Extreme Hunting / Pest-Eliminating Power & Velocity

    Simply put, the Ruger Air Magnum absolutely screams. In fact, it’s hard to imagine a more powerful spring rifle anywhere near its price range. Specifically, the .177 Air Magnum is rated to reach velocities of up to 1,200 feet per second (“FPS”) using lead pellets, and the .22 caliber Ruger Air Magnum can attain velocities of 1,000 FPS, also with lead. This is truly remarkable for any springer, and by our calculations makes for a rifle that produces nearly 26 foot-pounds of energy (“FPE”) in the .117 and a whopping 32 FPE in the .22 caliber!

    Obviously, for those looking to maximize hitting power for taking down game and pests, we strongly encourage you to go for the greater FPE delivered by the .22 caliber Ruger.

    2) Good Quality & Features for the Money

    The Ruger Air Magnum is essentially a knock off of the RWS 350, and while it does not bring the same level of quality as the RWS, it only costs half as much and is surprisingly well-made. The Ruger has a very nice trigger (which you don’t often seen in value-oriented rifles); it comes with a very good synthetic stock that should last for many years; the front/rear adjustable fiber optic sights are great for open-sight shooters; and it comes with some very nice details, such as a recoil pad (definitely necessary!) and an automatic safety.

    3) Decent Scope With the Combo

    The 4×32 scope that comes with the Air Magnum Combo is definitely not something we’d recommend anyone buy separately, but you could do a lot worse compared to the scopes included with many other combo air rifles. It’s OK for shooting pests/targets at closer ranges, but for any serious hunting you will want to eventually upgrade to a better quality air rifle scope.

    Anything Not to Like About the Ruger Air Magnum?

    1) Difficult to Cock

    Not surprisingly give the tremendous power this rifle generates, the Air Magnum requires approximately 42 pounds of cocking effort. That is a heck of a lot of force needed, making this rifle suitable only for relatively strong adult male shooters. Definitely not an air rifle for wimps!

    2) Big & Heavy

    At nearly 49 inches in length and weighing in at just under 10 pounds, this is a beast of an air rifle that feels more like a conventional firearm. This is yet another reason that younger, more slightly-built users are likely to struggle with the Air Magnum.

    3) Loud & With a Kick!

    If you had any visions of snapping off shots quietly as you hunt near urban areas, think again! The Ruger Air Magnum not only comes with rimfire power, but rimfire sound to match! And as you might guess, it has a very respectable springer kick as well. For shooters used to springers, neither should be very alarming, but if this is your first springer, you might find it a tad unsettling at first.

    User Ratings

    With it’s over-the-top power, solid build, good feature set, and very affordable price tag, the Ruger Air Magnum Combo has earned some of the highest user satisfaction scores we’ve seen to date.

    Users praise the insane power of this rifle and remarkably solid construction for a sub-$200 air rifle combo. The relatively few complaints were aimed at the combo’s lackluster scope and the noise/kick this gun generates – pretty typical gripes for most high-powered springers.

    Air Magnum in the .22 or .177 Caliber?

    With this much power, we don’t see any reason why you should go for the .177 caliber. Yes, the .177 fires a much lighter pellet faster, but the .22 produces far greater FPE and downrange hitting power than the .177. This makes the .22 the only sensible choice if you want an air rifle for hunting small furred game and/or eliminating pests. The .177 is fantastic for plinking, target shooting (provided you avoid breaking the sound barrier) and taking down pest birds.

    The only thing is that making this rifle in the .177 is like putting bicycle tires on a Lamborghini! The .22 generates so more power, and the sizzling high velocities of the .177 are not useful for anything, since any pellet traveling faster than 1,100 FPS is likely to go supersonic. And we all know that breaking the sound barrier causes a pressure wave that overtakes the pellet and totally throws it off its trajectory and makes you miss, badly. As such, if you feel like you must buy this rifle in the .177, remember to use a heavy air rifle pellet to keep the FPS at or below 1,000 FPS.

    Ruger Air Magnum Combo - maximum "bang" for your dollar!
    >>Buy the Ruger Air Magnum Combo!<<

    Concluding Thoughts & Recommendations

    Yes, the Ruger Air Magnum is the poor-man’s version of the RWS 350, but who cares! This spring air rifle has got insane power, is well-built, and is selling for a fraction of the price of many other springers, most of which cannot produce anywhere near this kind of muzzle energy. And while it may not be quite as inherently accurate as an RWS or Air Arms rifle, with an upgraded air rifle scope and some experience with the artillery hold, the Air Magnum can be deadly accurate, with tons of downrange power to take down all sorts of game and clear out pests in a convincing fashion. As we note above, the biggest downside of all of this power is that the rifle is difficult to cock and can be heavy for smaller, younger or more slightly-built users.

    Just remember to opt for the much harder-hitting .22 caliber Air Magnum if you are using this rifle for hunting/pest-elimination. Of course, the .177 would make a sizzling hot bird air rifle and is great for laser-like target shots at long ranges. If you go for the .177, steer clear of gimmicky lightweight alloy air rifle pellets made for supersonic speeds – for accurate shooting, try heavier pellets instead, something closer to a 10-grain pellet.