This is all my opinion. Other's may vary
The good:
I love the feel of the Houge stock! Somewhat tacky/rubbery, but the overall feel/fit for me is spot on! The forearm is a wide flat varminter style, and the the recoil pad feels like it will eat recoil and remain hungry for more. Not to mention the olive drab color is ascetically appealing among the black majority of synthetic stocks. It's also pillar bedded with a floating barrel.
The matte finish on the stainless has no glare, and again looks great with the Houge stock.
The break! I know a lot of people cant stand how loud they are, but IMO that's what ear plugs are for. I wear a pair around my neck that can typically quickly be inserted before the shot. I'm more than capable of taking heavy hits from magnum calibers, but if something as simple as a muzzle break works, I'm on board! If you shoot the break at the range, but choose to leave it at home for the hunt, they have included a weight that will maintain the weight and harmonics of the barrel so your impact remains the same without the extra decibels. Also included is a "thread protector" for those that don't like either or would rather trim a few ounces.
Neutral:
The Ruger website shows two studs on the forearm for sling/bipod. Mine was only outfitted with one.
The bolt throws nice and smooth, but the slide is nothing to brag about.
The bolt is mauser style
The bad:
A bit on the heavy side. Especially once the scope will be mounted plus the bipod
Definitely needs a trigger job! My uncalibrated finger says it's 6ish + lbs, a good bit of creep, and not exactly smooth.
Overall:
I'm very happy with this purchase so far *censored*ty trigger aside... I think once this is cleaned up and brought down to the 3lb'ish range my only complaint will be weight. This rifle is packed with some quality features you would expect to pay far more for. Now if my Vortex will hurry up and arrive I can finish this build and get to the range!! I'll write another review after a couple boxes of shells.
