Ruger announces RECALL of select Ruger American Rimfire rifles

[ogfarmer 138]

Ruger is issuing a recall of a batch of Ruger American Rimfires chambered for .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire and .17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire manufactured between November 17, 2013 and January 8, 2014. Some of these rifles may have been manufactured without a vent hole.

The vent hole is there to release gas out of the action in the case of certain types of ammo-related failures, like a bore obstruction or a case rupture. The hole lets the gas escape the rifle, reducing the risk of having a “kaboom.”

While this is a rare occurrence, given the increased capacity and pressure of .22 Magnum and .17 HMR relative to other rimfire cartridges, it is a welcome safety measure.

Users can easily determine if their rifle has the vent hole by checking to see if there is a hole drilled into the left side of their receiver at the rifle’s chamber, down and to the right of the serial number. If there’s a hole that’s good, if not, Ruger asks that you voluntarily return your rifle to the factory for servicing.

This recall does not affect any Ruger American Rimfire rifles chambered for .22 Long Rifle. The recall affects guns within the serial number range 830-34831 to 830-43880.

Even though these types of failures are uncommon to rare, good sense and self-preservation require that all owners of .22 Magnum and .17 HMR Ruger American Rimfire rifle owners give their guns a once-over to make sure that their rifle has the safety.

Although this recall represents a somewhat serious flaw in select rifles, no actual problems have been reported even with affected rifles. These flawed rifles are safe during normal operation, it’s only in the case of ammunition problems that the lack of the vent hole could pose an issue.

Ruger will pay for shipping for people with affected rifles and give everyone a free magazine for their trouble. Anyone who’s dealt with Ruger’s customer service department knows that the trouble is minimal. Ruger has an outstanding customer service department and a swift maintenance schedule.

Ruger is promising a turnaround time of just one week from the day the rifle is shipped.

Residents of Connecticut will receive a gift certificate to Ruger’s web store in lieu of a free magazine.

All the details of this recall can be found on the Ruger recall page. Owners of rifles that fall into this recall may also contact Ruger by phone at (603) 865-3100 or by fax at (603) 863-6165.

Announced just a few months ago, the Ruger American Rimfire is an expansion of the popular Ruger American series of rifles. These inexpensive guns are lightweight, durable and above all show outstanding accuracy for their class.

Designed from the ground up to reduce costs without sacrificing features, the Ruger American series of rifles uses modern manufacturing techniques to cut costs by not shoehorning an outmoded design into the modern machining process.

Already they have risen to the top of easily-recommendable bolt-action rimfire rifles, with beginning shooters, experienced plinkers and small game hunters. They’re desirable guns and compete on all fronts with guns costing much more.

All in all, this shouldn’t really discourage anyone who was considering a Ruger American Rimfire for their collection.

 

[BlueLineFish 615]

Mine is 22lr...good to go. Thanks for the heads up

[Vlad G 345]

FFS, can Ruger make a gun they don't have to recall?