I just set up my Ruger Americans with iron sights to backup the scopes. I had to replace the rails on two of my older ones as those had an odd space of the slots that would only accommodate items with a single recoil lug.
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I switched scope rings, which have three lugs each, and the iron sights, which also take up three slots. The newer Ruger rails are picatinny with perfectly even spacing but are also considerably higher than the original ones. That extra height made it necessary to find different rear sights.
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I originally used the UTG-910 Shotgun sight on the rear paired with the Nodak Spud front sight.
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That worked fine on one of my rifles, but Nodak Spud seems to have disappeared and for my second rifle I went with the UTG-722 shotgun front sight, which fits around many muzzle devices. I used a YMC Phantom flash hider. This front sight is well made except for the provided tightening screw, which will snap under moderate pressure -- just get a slightly smaller-thread bolt at the hardware store that will travel loosely through the threads and use a nut and lock washer.
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That worked with the UTG-910 Shotgun sight, but only with the lower, original Ruger rail. The newer picatinny rail set the rear sight too far above the front sight and I could barely get on paper.
There are quite a few rear sights for picatinny rail, but most are too high to pair with the UTG-722 front sight. I found two options that seemed to be low enough, the NECG ghost ring:
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And the Kel-Tec SU-16 rear peep:
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The NECG was on back order so I went with the Kel-Tec, which was also less than half the price.
The Kel-Tec rear peep is excellent. For the UTG, the height from rail to center of the peep is 0.454" at the lowest elevation adjustment. The Kel-Tec, which has only windage adjustment, is ~0.300" from rail to center of peep. That reduction in height was just enough to compensate for the higher picatinny rail.
To get the scopes to clear the rear sights requires high scope rings, at least 0.75" saddle height, or 1.25" from rail to center of a 1" scope. I found only two rings that fit that bill that were also quick detach, the UTG Accu-Synch:
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And the Burris Xtreme Tactical:
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I went with the UTG as they are true "quick-detach" and not nearly as bulky as the Burris. I put those on both a .308 and 7.62x39 Ruger American and they held perfect zero even after being removed and replaced several times. They're very nicely constructed. Yes, they're made in China, but everything I've purchased from UTG has been high quality and I guarantee that 90% of the accessories sold on www.shopruger.com are also made in China.
The high scope rings force a hybrid cheek-jaw weld and require a riser of some sort. It's a bit of a compromise; if you use riser that provides a perfect cheek weld, it will be too high to get a line of sight with the irons. I used some pipe insulation wrapped with black vet tape and covered with a buttstock pouch:
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While a little awkward at first, I got accustomed quickly and was shooting 1" groups comfortably. When using the iron sights, it's a deep cheek weld. It's an acceptable compromise, especially if used for an all-around-everything gun.
There is another option, the Skinner peep sight extended rail made especially for the Ruger American:
The Skinner does require gunsmithing. While the sight radius for the iron sights isn't ideal, the rail does allow for low QD scope rings which brings the Scope down closer to the bore and provides a better cheek weld. The guy in the video doesn't seem to have any trouble ringing steel at 100 yards with the shorter sight radius. I highly recommend anything made by Skinner.
Skinner also makes rear sights threaded in 6-48 that attached directly to the receiver without gunsmithing, but that would eliminate the picatinny rail and the use of a scope. I guess a rail could be cut down and mounted with the three front holes to accommodate a scope.
So how much does this all cost? It seems that whichever way you go -- Nodak Spud, my recipe, or Skinner -- all said and done, with gunsmithing when required, it's about $200. My cost list, including shipping where applicable, is below:
-- New picatinny rail, $25 (not necessary with newer models as they already come with that rail).
-- UTG-722 front sight, $25
-- Kel-Tec SU-16 peep, $45
-- UTG Accu-Synch 1" high scope rings, $65
-- YHM Phantom Flash Hider, $50
-- Innovative Industries 5/8-24 jam nut, $14
The Skinner extended peep rail is $149, plus shipping and gunsmithing.
I hope this helps somebody. If Nodak Spud ever comes back online again, I would recommend them over everything above as their stuff is top quality, doesn't require gunsmithing, and designed especially for these rifles.
Oh, and another plug for Promag 10-round magazines. I wasted so much time and effort trying to make the garbage Ruger brand 10-rounders work. Those terrible magazines almost made me give up on the rifle. The Promags have worked perfectly and now the Ruger American, with its high-reliability and excellent accuracy, is my go-to rifle.
I switched scope rings, which have three lugs each, and the iron sights, which also take up three slots. The newer Ruger rails are picatinny with perfectly even spacing but are also considerably higher than the original ones. That extra height made it necessary to find different rear sights.
I originally used the UTG-910 Shotgun sight on the rear paired with the Nodak Spud front sight.
That worked fine on one of my rifles, but Nodak Spud seems to have disappeared and for my second rifle I went with the UTG-722 shotgun front sight, which fits around many muzzle devices. I used a YMC Phantom flash hider. This front sight is well made except for the provided tightening screw, which will snap under moderate pressure -- just get a slightly smaller-thread bolt at the hardware store that will travel loosely through the threads and use a nut and lock washer.
That worked with the UTG-910 Shotgun sight, but only with the lower, original Ruger rail. The newer picatinny rail set the rear sight too far above the front sight and I could barely get on paper.
There are quite a few rear sights for picatinny rail, but most are too high to pair with the UTG-722 front sight. I found two options that seemed to be low enough, the NECG ghost ring:
And the Kel-Tec SU-16 rear peep:
The NECG was on back order so I went with the Kel-Tec, which was also less than half the price.
The Kel-Tec rear peep is excellent. For the UTG, the height from rail to center of the peep is 0.454" at the lowest elevation adjustment. The Kel-Tec, which has only windage adjustment, is ~0.300" from rail to center of peep. That reduction in height was just enough to compensate for the higher picatinny rail.
To get the scopes to clear the rear sights requires high scope rings, at least 0.75" saddle height, or 1.25" from rail to center of a 1" scope. I found only two rings that fit that bill that were also quick detach, the UTG Accu-Synch:
And the Burris Xtreme Tactical:
I went with the UTG as they are true "quick-detach" and not nearly as bulky as the Burris. I put those on both a .308 and 7.62x39 Ruger American and they held perfect zero even after being removed and replaced several times. They're very nicely constructed. Yes, they're made in China, but everything I've purchased from UTG has been high quality and I guarantee that 90% of the accessories sold on www.shopruger.com are also made in China.
The high scope rings force a hybrid cheek-jaw weld and require a riser of some sort. It's a bit of a compromise; if you use riser that provides a perfect cheek weld, it will be too high to get a line of sight with the irons. I used some pipe insulation wrapped with black vet tape and covered with a buttstock pouch:
While a little awkward at first, I got accustomed quickly and was shooting 1" groups comfortably. When using the iron sights, it's a deep cheek weld. It's an acceptable compromise, especially if used for an all-around-everything gun.
There is another option, the Skinner peep sight extended rail made especially for the Ruger American:
The Skinner does require gunsmithing. While the sight radius for the iron sights isn't ideal, the rail does allow for low QD scope rings which brings the Scope down closer to the bore and provides a better cheek weld. The guy in the video doesn't seem to have any trouble ringing steel at 100 yards with the shorter sight radius. I highly recommend anything made by Skinner.
Skinner also makes rear sights threaded in 6-48 that attached directly to the receiver without gunsmithing, but that would eliminate the picatinny rail and the use of a scope. I guess a rail could be cut down and mounted with the three front holes to accommodate a scope.
So how much does this all cost? It seems that whichever way you go -- Nodak Spud, my recipe, or Skinner -- all said and done, with gunsmithing when required, it's about $200. My cost list, including shipping where applicable, is below:
-- New picatinny rail, $25 (not necessary with newer models as they already come with that rail).
-- UTG-722 front sight, $25
-- Kel-Tec SU-16 peep, $45
-- UTG Accu-Synch 1" high scope rings, $65
-- YHM Phantom Flash Hider, $50
-- Innovative Industries 5/8-24 jam nut, $14
The Skinner extended peep rail is $149, plus shipping and gunsmithing.
I hope this helps somebody. If Nodak Spud ever comes back online again, I would recommend them over everything above as their stuff is top quality, doesn't require gunsmithing, and designed especially for these rifles.
Oh, and another plug for Promag 10-round magazines. I wasted so much time and effort trying to make the garbage Ruger brand 10-rounders work. Those terrible magazines almost made me give up on the rifle. The Promags have worked perfectly and now the Ruger American, with its high-reliability and excellent accuracy, is my go-to rifle.
