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Gen 1 Ruger American Predator Review

Chambered in .204 Ruger

At Ally Munitions, we put rifles to work. This review covers the original Gen 1 Ruger American Predator in .204 Ruger, a lightweight, budget-friendly platform that’s often overlooked but surprisingly capable when paired with the right loads. Everything in this review was tested in-house — and every shot fired supports what we sell. This isn't a sponsored post. These evaluations are funded by our own product line, and we test with real-world performance in mind.

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Specifications and Setup

The Gen 1 Predator comes with a 22-inch light-contour barrel, threaded at the muzzle to accept your favorite suppressor. Ours is set up with a 1:12 twist rate, which favors lighter bullets typical of the .204 Ruger cartridge.

The rifle ships with an AICS-pattern magazine. For this test, we replaced it with a Magpul AICS-pattern magazine for .223 Rem, which improved feeding reliability. Across all ammo types tested, feeding was flawless — or at least as close to flawless as you can expect from a rifle under $500.

Most Gen 1 rifles come with a green synthetic stock, which is hollow, flexes under pressure, and offers poor support for precision work. To get through this evaluation, we added a Hornady cheek pad for improved eye alignment. Still, we strongly recommend swapping the stock for one of the many aftermarket options available now. It’s a straightforward upgrade that significantly improves practical accuracy.

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Trigger and Action

The factory trigger is what Ruger calls a two-stage, but in reality, it’s more of a blade-safety trigger similar to a Glock — not a true two-stage mechanism. It breaks at 3 lbs 12 oz and has noticeable take-up with minimal creep. You could argue the take-up qualifies it as a two-stage, but we wouldn’t.

For those unfamiliar:

• Take-up: the amount of travel before the trigger starts to break

• Creep: the lack of crispness during the break

While the trigger isn't impressive out of the box, we've adjusted many of these in the past with good results. There are also aftermarket options available today that offer significant improvements. If you're chasing tight groups, the trigger should be addressed.

The bolt on the Gen 1 is standard fare and does not allow for knob upgrades. Ruger’s Gen 2 rifles improve this by offering a modular handle and upgraded knob. For this test, the bolt cycled smoothly and locked up cleanly.

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Group Testing and Performance

We ran five-shot groups with multiple ammo types and used a suppressor throughout testing (an Anechoic 5.56 can). Between each group, the rifle was allowed to cool to ambient temperature (75°F). Before each group, we fired a single fouling shot to stabilize POI and account for ammo changes. After that, the rifle cooled again before firing the full group.

We only measure outside-to-outside group sizes. Benchrest-style subtraction and center-to-center math serve a purpose, but for our application — understanding real-world field accuracy — a good group is a good group.

Test conditions:

• Ambient temp: 75°F

• Elevation: 2,550 ft

• Humidity: 35%

• Suppressor used throughout testing

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Ammunition Tested

Average Group Size: Just under 1 inch — this qualifies the Gen 1 Predator as a true 1 MOA rifle with factory loads and a suppressor.

Note: The Hornady 32 gr V-MAX is not currently available on our website, but all other ammunition tested — including the coyotero 35 gr — is available now.

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Final Thoughts

The Gen 1 Ruger American Predator may not come with premium components, but it’s clear the platform is capable. With a better stock and a cleaner trigger, this rifle can easily punch above its price class. Even in its factory form, it produced 1 MOA accuracy and cycled without issues using five different loads — including our own coyotero round.

This test isn’t theoretical. It’s practical and product-backed. Everything used here is tested the way our customers shoot: suppressed, cooled between strings, and with real ammo that’s on our shelves. We're not chasing internet clout — we’re testing what we sell, and we're publishing the results so you know what to expect.

We’ll be following this up with a test of the Gen 2 Ruger American Predator in .204 Ruger, and we expect some solid upgrades. Stay tuned for that report.

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Ready to tighten your groups?
Shop the same ammo we used in this test, including the coyotero 35 gr — developed and tested in-house for optimal varmint performance. When you're ready to upgrade your rig, we've got the components, advice, and support to back it all up.