G&A 2014 Rifle of the Year: Ruger American Revolution

The rifle itself was a new product in 2012, garnering many awards. For 2014, this rifle was offered with a quality Redfield Revolution 3-9X riflescope. It printed sub-1-inch groups out of the box for only a $679 retail. The scope usually goes for $250, and the rifle is advertised for $450 without the optic, so this package is saving everyone a handful of bucks if you had to buy them separately (and you'd still have to buy rings and then mount the scope). Like most products, actual street price is lower than MSRP. Expect to find these in the neighborhood of $500 to $550. Here's what else we considered.

This three-lug bolt action with 70-degree bolt throw has been given dual cocking cams, which helps in smoothing up the action for extracting, ejecting and loading from its detachable rotary magazine. Ruger's crisp Marksman adjustable trigger that sent bullets through the tube after only 4 pounds of pressure is awesome. This trigger gave us the ability to obtain a decent trigger pull unique to each of our tastes and doesn't interfere with printing your best groups.

Inside the composite stock is an integral bedding block system that locates the receiver and free floats the barrel for optimal accuracy potential. Ruger calls this "Power Bedding."

The American Revolution is already offered in seven calibers ranging from .22-250 to .308 to .30-'06, and we doubt this will be the end of this list. We can't wait to see how the aftermarket responds in the next few years, particularly in the way of stocks and optic mounts. (Someone, please make a chassis ... .)

"It is disturbing to me," said Kyle Lamb, "when I see other brands selling custom guns without the attention to detail that comes standard with this Ruger economy model."

Guns & Ammo of the Year Awards 2014

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We are proud to announce our selections for the best of 2014. Click on each for more information regarding how it achieved this prestigious rank: