Page 2 - Ruger Explorer Reviews

the stock and the like nitron piston

the trigger hate the shape of the trigger

its amazing

Good size and weight for youth.

Poor build materials and trigger action.

The build quality of the one I received was horrendous. I'm 6'2" 200lbs and I had a hard time breaking the barrel, no way the kids could break it apart. Thought it would get better over time but after putting 50 or 60 rounds through it the plastic housing containing the bearing that locks the barrel in place broke apart. As others have said, the trigger is just not good. I also couldn't get much accuracy out of it. I had to crank the windage almost all the way over to get it anywhere near center of the target. I'm no veteran air gunner, but I do know my way around firearms, and growing up on a farm shooting tons of BBs I'm familiar with how these things work. I probably just got a defective example, but I was really disappointed in this gun. I thought it would be perfect for the kids to learn on. As it is, I just can't give it more than one star across the board due to the poor quality.

Light weight, easy cocking, love the fiber optic sights, very easy to put a red dot on it and have fun.

Trigger is absolutely horrible. it's not heavy, but it is gritty, long and hard to predict (which obviously affect accuracy). Perhaps with more shooting it will smooth out.

It's definitely a good value for the cost and a very nice rifle. I would have paid more to get a decent trigger (if anyone knows of a good replacement trigger, let me know).

Great product for the youth or beingner shooter. High quility at a reasonable price. Easy sight system to lern on.

Nothing!!!!!!!!

Great sights for teaching someone to shoot.

The fit and finish is good and the gun shoots well right out of the box and my 9 year old Daughter can cock and shot it with little problems. The fiber optic style iron sights are easy to pick up and acquire the target. My daughter can shoot 2 inch groups at about 15 yards and I about 1inch groups. With a better trigger these would shrink I am sure

The trigger on this gun is next to terrible it not only has a long hard pull it is also inconstant and rough. Anyone finding support or a fix for this should post to help others. When a 9 year old girl complains about the trigger something is wrong.

I purchased it because my Daughter has been shooting my adult air rifles from a rest as she cannot hold them up. She is much more accurate with my rifles because of the trigger. Overall this is a nice rifle for the youngsters and if I find a way to tweak the trigger it will be very nice.

Bought this for my grandson, he loves it. It fits him just right. Is accurate and easy to hold.He really likes the cool look of it.

the reflex sights are sick, i only used them for about a week because i got a scope.. the scope was easy to put on, i've been using the scope for a month now, and its dialed in so you can really see how good the gun is, its dead accurate most of the time.. i shoot from about 35 yards.

the trigger sucks, thats the only flaw i have found with this gun, its not too loud, has a little pop but what gun doesnt

its a great gun for 70 bucks, deffinitly reccommended to anyone

Fit and finish are great.I like the stock sights are good.Shooting from a bench the rifle seems fairly accurate,it would shoot a lot better with a descent trigger.

Trigger,Trigger,Trigger. This rifle has the worst trigger I have ever used.Of all the airguns and firearms I have shot (and I do shoot a lot)this trigger is the worst. It is so heavy I thought the safety was still on.My son uses two fingers to shoot it.If the heavy weight of the trigger was not bad enough it also has a lot of rough creep/take up.All in all a rifle is only as good as its trigger.Some might say that's what you get with a cheaper rifle but my sons Red Ryder costs less than half of the ruger explorer and has a trigger that's twice as good.

If I knew that ruger was going to fix the trigger issue or that maybe I just got a bad one I would strongly recommend this rifle.But you just cant shoot this rifle accurately (especially young shooters)with a trigger this bad.

Accuracy is great for something this cheap and small. I also love the fact it only takes 16.5 pounds of force to cock it!!! I got it for my little sister and I've actually put down my Beeman just so I can shoot it with her. It'll hit paint balls consistantly from 10 yards without a sand bag rest!!!

I don't really care for the trigger.... It has way to much pull for my taste....

If your looking to get your younger brothers and sisters into shooting.... This is the best way to go!!! I've had a lot of air guns in my time, but none were this much fun for the money!!!

This is a perfect rifle for a 8 to 10 year old due to the pull length much to short in the stock for an adult or teen. shoots perfect. Does not need a scope but would be fine with one.

Nothing

Made very well has a single stage trigger,auto safety is great for a beginner, trigger is a little stiff but I know it will break in nicely.Very tough stock . Junior wont have to worry about Dad hogging it much,,Too short for an adult...shorter than the recon.....

Dead on... accuracy right out of the BOX at 65 ft. Got 490 fps on chrony with a 7.9 lead pellet didnt check the alloy pellet. Built as good as my Beeman. Composite stock was military Grade in my opinion and I was in the army. great for first shooters due to the small size ,trigger to stock, very good for a child under 12.grandson doesnt need to tuck the stock under his arm to aim like with the others,

Nothing this is the only sturdy built youth rifle and I have 3, gamo ,crosman , and this one.Of course this is ONLY my opinion.......

Very nice rifle built to last. barrel was clean when I got it has great fiber optic sights Not for Adults too short.

VALUE ! For the kids...quiet firing, small size, light weight, ease of cocking, minimal recoil, fiber optic sights For dad...quiet firing, small size, light weight, ease of cocking, minimal recoil, addition of center point 4x32 scope, accuracy with RWS Meisterkugeln Standard and Beeman .177 Cal, 7.7 Grains Wadcutter pellets. This is a FUN and fairly accurate rifle at 30 to 70 feet. Beyond 70 feet pellet drop needs to be accounted for. I find myself using this rifle in the backyard more than the kids. For plinking and fun target shooting it is a blast. I've researched many youth rifles for my three children 12, 10 and 8 to use. I like the safety features of this gun, it's size and weight. This may be the perfect starter air gun for the youngsters.

The trigger pull is somewhat stiff and amount of creep to fire inconsistent. Not as bad as it reads in my review but can be improved. My kids have no problem with accuracy at 10-15 meters, even with the trigger. At the price it is not an issue that would prevent me from purchasing the Explorer.

For this price everyone (youth or adult) should get one of these rifles for fun backyard shooting. This rifle is very small make sure you have an idea of the size before purchase, if using as a small backyard adult rifle. I find this rifle is pretty darn accurate within its intended range using RWS Meisterkugeln Standard and Beeman .177 Cal, 7.7 Grains Wadcutter pellets.

perfect size for the intended youth market. We have not had it long nought to know for sure, but it appears to be a durable design and should hold up to the expected abuse from my 7 YO boy. It is also easy to cock even for a small boy with a little experience. Wife likes it too because it is so quite.

the front sight it pretty tall and actually forced us to return the scope we ordered with it because we did not want to add a higher scope mount to see over the blade. The rear sights are adequate for a rifle of this price range, but after it was sighted in, the rear sight is pretty far off center?

great little gun for small beginners. Shoots best with the predator pellets, with 1-ince groups resting on a bench at 25 yards.

Surprisingly good fit, finish, and function at this price level. An ideal, rugged composite stocked plinker for a younger shooter. Accurate enough to be rewarding to shoot.

Not sure the Ruger license was necessary - the explorer can stand on its own merits. The rear sight is too high and must be adjusted all the way down to be close at shorter (11 yard) ranges.

For anyone who has experience with top shelf firearms the trigger will display some creep and slightly inconsistent break point... hardly a fair criticism given the intended user.

Good looking air rifle, and accuracy at ten meters is very good with a variety of pellets. The best thing I like about this gun that I bought for my wife to use as a plinker is its very low cocking force required to operate it. The factory sights are good enough for plinking at targets such as rimfire metallic silhouettes placed at short distances within 25 meters. Ruger's chinese manufactured Explorer looks to be a very tough gun that will take a lot of abuse, and still function properly.

The design of the stock takes some experimentation for cheek position in order to correctly align the plastic sights, but once you find that magic cheek location, the gun becomes an excellent pointer, and sights are not even needed. An adjustable stock similar to the IZH 60/61 would perfect this small easy to cock airgun.

For Ruger to have designed this gun to obtain almost 500 fps with lightweight pellets, and with such a very lightweight cocking effort is a big plus for this gun intended for the whole family including small framed wives, and kids.

I've owned the Ruger Explorer .177 Youth Air Rifle now for several weeks. I purchased it because I wanted a small, light weight , non-expensive .177 air rifle for use in my backyard and for small pest around the farm that I live. I am a Vietnam era Veteran and also a machinest of 35 years and I know weapons and good machinical equipment when I see it and I must say that I am very impressed by the design and quality of craftsmanship of this little Ruger rifle. I am currently firing 7.9 gram pointed pellets and have no problem hitting quart size oil containers at 40 yards. I have just ordered the 11mm scope mounts for mounting my 3-9 power x 50mm rifle scope onto it. Great job Ruger, ... this is one fantistic little air rifle !

Nothing that I can see. Perhaps offer a nitro piston in this design for upgrades.

Don't underestimate the power of this little Ruger, ... the 490 fps seems a lot faster , ... more like near 600 fps ... Out shoots my 550 fps co2 pistol.

This is a great little gun. I purchased it to shoot with my grandkids. They were able to cock it, load and shoot in a safe manner. The location and style of the safety is great for kids. The trigger pull pressure is high. I do not like it, but I think that is a good thing with the kids. The long stiff pull might be just the ticket to stop premature discharge while trying to get the gun aimed. The gun is very accurate right out of the box. A number of 10 yard bullseyes. We shot 200 shots the first time out. Everyone enjoyed the gun.

I would like an adjustable rear stock so it could be fit to the smaller shooters and extended as they grow.

This is a wonderful gun for the money.