Ruger American 7.62x39 Gen I vs Gen II with the AK-47 magwell.

A quick rundown comparing the Gen I to the Gen II for accuracy and overall likes/dislikes. Both rifles are utilizing my AK-47 drop in magwell which is now confirmed to fit in the Gen II series of rifles. Please visit my website at www.firecastlecustoms.com if you would like to get a magwell for your Ruger American Rifle in 7.62x39 to use the magazine that it should have come with…. The Magpul MOE AK-47.

[@OldMoparGuy-jv3dj]

The Pro Mag 10 round Ruger Mini-30 blue steel "RUG 11" magazine works very well with this rifle.

[@briankelly2886]

Not bad considering it's basically crap ammo and the bench shakes worse than a bowl of Jello!

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

😂

[@NelsonZAPTM]

I appreciate you posting content. However, an average of four, five shot groups would be a better representation of accuracy. I'm not complaining, just suggesting what I'd prefer to see.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I’d agree, but when ammo prices have doubled, components I’m loading are spendy, and I’m still developing the load, 5 shot groups aren’t necessary to see if I’m on the right track.

[@h2oecho]

I've owned one of these since 2018. And I can tell you that they a ridiculously accurate with the cheap ammo. And even better with Hornady Black.

[@dualityofmorons]

Will your magwells work with Chinese metal 5 rounders?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

No they will not without modification. The Chinese mags are much bigger than almost everything else.

[@Gmoney30001]

I heard complains about chambering with the bolt in 7.62 on thes 1st gen is 2nd one better ?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Mine wasn’t, I can’t speak to other people’s experience.

[@dalesmyth7398]

Mine was rough, but found that my Ruger mini 30 mag had some very sharp edges, and not smooth in other places, around the lips mainly, and front of the mag. A dremel with cratex took care of it, smoothed it right out.

[@bobbyarnette1911]

Mini 30 shoots as well

[@barryparker893]

My mini 30 didnt like steel cased ammo. I got rid of it

[@MatthewsFabrication]

Great video & great rifles. That Range is sweet, love the paper target holding stand. The lead sleds, change your length of pull, due to the part holding the recoil pad. A bipod & rear bag is better for consistency & accuracy. And since you don't carry the lead sled when out hunting, its best to shoot the rifle how it will be shot in the field, recoil pad in your sholder. Have a Great Week~!

[@raybeattie985]

I use 154 soft point wolf..hard to find now..but accurate

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I only ever had one box of the 154’s. It has been quite a while since I’ve seen any

[@raybeattie985]

Might could hand load some heavys for testing..that would be interesting..@@FireCastleCustoms720

[@NicholasWolfwood-md7vm]

All the best hunting appropriate 7.62x39 is rare now. Remember that federal fusion load? Soooooo disappointed they discontinued that, considering how popular that caliber still is and the amount of rifles in North America that shoot it seems like a dumb business decision to me but what do I know 🤷‍♂️

[@Milspecpoptart]

That rifle would look hilarious and terrifying at the same time with a 75rd drum on the bottom... Because reloading is stupid.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I don't recommend it, but I have received pictures back from people who may or may not have done this 🤣

[@MossOutdoorsAR]

I just bought a gen 2. The bolt is the smoothest. I have a G1 American as well. It honestly sounds like a factory issue on your bolt. I know Ruger has great warranties and customer service.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Yeah I need to reach out to them and see if they’ll swap my bolt because it is pretty bad, much worse than my Gen 1.

[@joescott803]

150$ for a piece of plastic?? Wonder why china is making money

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@joescott803 go buy the parts to make a product, spend the hours developing testing tweaking, and then make the product for people, and then come back and complain. I don’t force you to spend your money on it.

[@nickmedford7087]

Are the bolt the same size as in can you swap them from gen1 to gen 2?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@nickmedford7087 the bolts are the same but you would want to confirm headspace with a go, no-go gauge before swapping bolts in a rifle.

[@h2oecho]

What model PA LPVO are you running on that Gen2 ? And how do you like it?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@h2oecho it is the Gen IV Aurora 5.56/308. It’s a well setup scope and good quality, but for me I prefer more magnification or the speed of a red dot.

[@h2oecho]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 I've been really giving the PA SLX Nova some thought lately. I'm currently running a 3-12x50. It works well, but a bit to clunky/heavy. Maybe the SLX 1-10x28 would be a good fit. I dig what you're doing. Keep up the good work.

[@BIGDEZUL]

Any idea if the bolt runs smoother with the pmags vs the stock ones

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Infinitely smoother with the MOE pmags. With steel magazines its comparable because of the rought metal surfaces on the magazine lips.

[@BIGDEZUL]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 right. I figured that.

[@BIGDEZUL]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 my gen 1 is so damn rough to feed and eject rounds. That’s not fun to me. I understand it’s a 400.00 rifle but man, it’s bad. I have the Howa also and it’s butter

[@brianhoxworth3881]

Looks like you've got this mag conversion figured out. Very nice. One question, will these run surplus mags or fitted for pmags only?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

They are designed around the MOE pmags and that is what I warranty them for. I know for a fact that Chinese mags, Tapco mags, and US Palms mags will not work and will break the magwell because they are too big. Others may or may not work. There is a surprising amount of variation from one brand/manufacturer to another.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

The Pmags feed the best though, metal mags tend to feed like crap because of how rough they are.

[@italianrelic]

How do you get it to work with AK mags???

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I designed a replacement magwell that drops into the rifle. You can check them out at FireCastleCustoms.com

[@williamdevitt7866]

not very good what did you do to your gen one thats not good at all sorry to say my ruger in the 7.62x39 gets one inch group or less at a 100 yds and that was using norinco ammo the cheepest crap we can get i fired my first groups of 5 rounds each and the holes were touching each other just saying

[@scottydouglass1892]

Man I love mine. My buddies think it’s awesome with a 30 rd mag. I like the 10 rd plastic ones. Keep that weight down. Feeds better than the mini 30 mag. That’s for sure.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@scottydouglass1892 I really like the 10’s personally. They are easy to manipulate during loading and reloads and they don’t get in the way of bench rest or tripod shooting.

[@Mikp-zw3cs]

I don't recall if you said what suppressors you're using on the 2 guns, but they are nice and quiet, can you tell me what they are I would like to put one on mine.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@Mikp-zw3cs one is an older AAC 7.62-SD and the other is a Liberty Mystic X

[@WT_NUB]

My man I'm a Canadian living under the communist trudeau. I'm super interested in you magpul hunter conversation that allows for the use ak mag. If I am able to ship the stock over the border legally. Would you be okay shipping to Canada.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I’ve sent a few across the border. Shipping is a little more but it shouldn’t be an issue. Send me an email at [e-mail] and we can work out the details.

[@henryying8689]

When did they start taking AK magazines? I thought it was mini 30 magazines....

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I make a conversion magwell so they can use AK mags. FireCastleCustoms.com

[@bozaiwarrior]

I like that conversion well but I wish ruger had made all the gen 1's the same. I've got one of the older ones with a flared barrel and the stocks are more a less only good for one mag well system. kinda like rugers got a Gen 1, 1.5 and 2. You may also wanna try PPU 123 soft spire points they seem to be hotter than wolf, they throw off my BDC reticle in my primary arms SLx, the zero changes vertically by about 4-6 inches. it may also be just the rifle to

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Yeah the only fix to that is to get a later generation stock, which sometimes you can pick up for pretty cheap, but other times you're better off going to an aftermarket stock like the Magpul or some other chassis. I haven't fired the PPU over a chrony to see what kind of speeds it is getting.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

If you’re really wanting your early gen 1 to utilize AK mags you could send me the stock and I could convert it for you, but there’s no going back and forth after that. AK goodness only after that 😄

[@bozaiwarrior]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 yeah it doesnt seem worth it for a hunting gun and 5 rnd ak mags are harder to remove than the 5 rnd mini 30 mags.(FL is caped at 5 rnds for hunting)

[@owennikish7995]

Ok. Honest question. I am from Canada and suppressors aren't allowed here for whatever reason. (Government) But I see so many videos from you guys in the USA putting suppressors on everything? I get it with a big cartridges to help with recoil but 7.62x39? My brother bought one of these and brought it out to my farm a couple times and it has become my favorite rifle for plinking. Cheep ammo Low recoil!!!!!! You can shoot cheap Chinese ammo all day long and not get worn out. It's so nice and short and handy from the factory I don't get why you want too add what looks like 8" to the barrel?

[@EnderPearlRs]

Noise mitigation... Ya know, the primary purpose of a suppressor.

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I’ve taken on the attitude of most other places in the world where civilians are allowed to own and shoot firearms. If you’re shooting a firearm and it’s not suppressed you’re an inconsiderate jerk. Mainly though is the noise and muzzle blast, it takes most cartridges down to only needing light hearing protection which makes conversations much easier. I hope as time progresses we here in the USA and our neighbors to the North can get rid of the stupid laws we have so everyone can use whatever tools they choose to make shooting better.

[@aaronenbody2724]

Because….. Merica !

[@epiphonedotblack]

Great Video! Any chance you could provide more information on how you mounted the rail on the stock of the gen 1?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Sure, it’ll be easier to make a short video of it so subscribe and keep an eye out. I’ll get a video put up 5.31.24 with some tutorial on how to do it.

[@epiphonedotblack]

Thank you, liked and subscribed, looking forward to it!

[@jcann313]

Is there a magwell for the GEN 2 308 that will convert to M14/M1A? So that it will use M14 magazines?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

I don't have anything in the works to make a M1A/M14 magwell. The cost of those magazines is rather prohibitive and in my experience have a lot of tuning requirements to function reliably.

[@jcann313]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 Do you have any double stack magazine well for the Gen 2 308 Ruger?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@jcann313 I've got the unit working in my personal rifle, but it requires substantial modification to the bolt. Once I get a mill so I can do clean repeatable work I'll start offering the Magpul AR-10 magwell conversion.

[@Indefatigable222]

What bipod rail are you running on the Gen 1?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

It’s a blank I bought years ago, I ground a flat spot for the rail to sit, used the sling swivel as the front screw and added a rear screw before JB welding the whole thing together. Ugly but effective.

[@brucegardner7630]

Hi I'm Bruce,.what caliber are you shooting and what magazines are you using for the Gen 2?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Both my Gen 1 and Gen 2 are 7.62x39 and they are utilizing my conversion magwell that allows me to use Magpul MOE AK 47 magazines

[@brucegardner7630]

@FireCastleCustoms720 ok thanks for your info. I'm interested in getting the Gen 2 with either .300 blk out or .308 which I already have magpul magazine for both of those. What do you think, Is .300 blk out more powerful than the 308?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@brucegardner7630 The 308 is way above and beyond the 300 Blk in terms of power, it just depends on what you're looking to do with the rifle. 300 Blk is much more mild in recoil and has easy to obtain subsonic ammo if you're wanting to shoot suppressed. I don't think the 308 can be used with Magpul magzines unless you get the Hunter which uses the AICS magazine. I've been developing a magwell for the Ruger American rifles to utilize the Magpul AR-10 magazine, but I haven't got it perfected yet.

[@phxamigo]

Is there ever any sales on these magwells? thanks

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

@@phxamigo I’ve done cosmetic discounts / sales before but I haven’t had that problem for a while. My anniversary is coming up soon, maybe I can work something out for that 🥳. Let me crunch some numbers and see what I can do.

[@phxamigo]

@@FireCastleCustoms720 Thank you, much appreciated, in this current economy, things are much tighter!!

[@shootingstuffsuppressed597]

Are the mag adapters still available?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Currently I am out of stock, but the website will have stock listed by the end of the week.

[@psychobeam99]

Strong enough to use 30 rounders?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

As long as they're the Magpul MOE than yes. The rifle gets really unwieldly but it'll run just fine.

[@ellismike2793]

When will these be back in stock?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Hey Ellis, I'm waiting on a bunch of supplies to be delivered tomorrow. Once I have the supplies I should be able to have them ready by the end of next week.

[@thanielsommers4500]

Did ruger throw a thread protector in the box of the gen 2 in case people want to take the break off?

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Nope, just the radial break

[@thanielsommers4500]

Thanks I asked ruger that question and they never responded. Downside to not throwing a thread protector in the box is the ceracoat finish will make it hard to match up the color. I like that the barrel is threaded but ide likely not use the break on most calibers or chose a linear comp

[@hunterkhan8433]

Velocity test also plz

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

What are you looking for velocity on? I may already have the data saved.

[@michaeldavis5808]

How long is shipping for the mag well? Ty

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

Right now from the time I receive your magwell to swap over the magazine release, it is a 3-5 business days. I’m out of town for work and my son is handling any orders that come in, he’s working on them as fast as he can but he’s a full time college student and working so not quite as fast as I would like 😁.

[@richardmartin3243]

Do they have a 24 or 26 inch barrel will it use high capacity mags or drums

[@FireCastleCustoms720]

The only barrel option they make the 7.62x39 in is a 16”. The conversion will use any size Magpul MOE magazines, I don’t think Magpul makes a drum magazine.