Ultradyne UD-5 Ruger American Build A-Z

Looking to upgrade your Ruger American? Ultradyne now offers a version of their versatile UD chassis compatible with this popular bolt-action!

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Bill of Materials

I’ve covered the Ultradyne UD chassis in a variety of configurations for REM 700 actions and the Tikka T3x. This chassis is available in three lengths: UD3, UD5, and UD7—named for the number of M-LOK slots on the forend.

For this build, I’m pairing a well-loved .243 Ruger American with an Ultradyne UD5 chassis, UD lightweight buttstock, UD spigot, and Ultradyne Mercury 7.62 brake.

Looking to continue the rifle’s legacy as a lightweight hunting rifle, I decided to swap out the barrel for a Carbon Six 6.5 Creedmoor barrel.

A Picatinny rail from EGW made mounting an Element Optics Titan 5-25x56mm easier. This is a lot of scope for this rifle, but I love the features of this scope and it will make bench shooting easy.

I also have a green Hogue over molded rubber grip set to match the chassis’ OD green Cerakote.

About the PM-1440HVT-2

The Precision Matthews PM-1440HVT-2 is a great gunsmithing lathe, with the following stand-out features:

All Taiwanese built with Japanese spindle bearings
2.055″ thru-spindle capacity
Available cast iron ultra-rigid base
Variable Speed drive
14” Swing, 40” Between Centers
D1-5 Chuck Mount
MT3 Tailstock Taper

If you’d like to know more about the PM-1440HVT-2, check out our full overview HERE.

Machining

I have a variety of reamers and gauges for 6.5 Creedmoor, but settled on using the same ones I used in my insane 6.5 Creedmoor build. I built the reamer with a “prescription” from Dave Manson of Manson Precision Reamers.

Every rifle build starts with planning. One thing that continues to amaze me as a gunsmith is the absence of tenon prints for extremely popular rifles.

I published one from my Tikka T3x .308 Take-Off barrel and generated two for my Ruger American. The first tenon print I made was for a shouldered barrel install.

Shouldered barrels are advantageous as they have a more secure interface between the barrel and the receiver. You also get more repeatable and predictable headspace if you take the barrel off and on.

Every time you install a barrel with a barrel nut, the headspace will always be slightly different. This isn’t a huge deal and I made an OEM factory tenon print for it as well, but I recommend using a shouldered barrel if possible.

Chambering the Carbon Six barrel on the Precision Matthews PM-1440HVT-2 went extremely smoothly. I’ve had great luck with Carbon Six’s ECM (electrochemical machined) barrels lately.

I secured the barrel blank in the lathe, indicated it to 0.005” on each end, and pre-drilled.

I indicated again and bored the pre-drill area true.

Next I bored off the lands with a straight fluted reamer to prevent the chambering reamer from bouncing on the rifling.

Boring the Lands with a Straight Fluted Reamer

I turned the tenon down to diameter and cut the thread relief.

Next came chambering the barrel and checking headspace.

It was right on.

To finish off the barrel, I flipped it around and did a standard 5/8×24” muzzle threading. One new thing I decided to do was bead blast the stainless steel to give it a matte finish.

I masked off the carbon portion of the barrel as well as the threads on both sides.

When this was completed, I laser engraved the barrel details on this location as well as a satin matte UR logo.

Putting it Together

I used a SAC Bravo barrel vise to torque the action onto the barrel.

I had left the trigger connected to the action, so there was nothing to change there. I also used this time to clock the muzzle brake.

Before I could put the barreled action into the chassis I had to install the UD lightweight buttstock and grip.

The grip must be installed after the buttstock.

I secured the chassis in the Arrow Products Precision Rock Vise for easy access during all of this work.

It mounted quickly and easily via ARCA.

An important note for a Ruger American in a chassis—you have to remove the magazine catch to expose the rear action screw.

I substituted an Ultradyne magazine catch which features a side Allen screw, eliminating the issue.

The UD Chassis inletted for the Ruger American comes with two bedding blocks/recoil lugs. I inserted these, then added the barreled action and UD spigot.

With the rifle fully put together, it was time to mount the Picatinny rail and add the optic.

Shooting

I followed my updated zeroing routine to sight-in the rifle at 100 yards. I secured it on the bench with a rest and bag rider I custom made from Delrin.

Next I removed the bolt to bore-sight the rifle, looking down the barrel to find the target and adjusting the scope turrets to center the reticle on the target. This got me relatively close.

I started with Berger 6.5 Creedmoor 140 Grain factory ammunition and moved on to a PRS handload featuring Hornady 147 grain ELD-M bullets. I achieved ⅝” results for five-shot groups.

I was impressed, shooting them in quick succession through a carbon barrel. I relocated to the ridgeline on one of the best shooting days I’ve had in a long time. The conditions were perfect and I started on a 335-yard rockchuck target with general dope I had for a Ruger precision rifle with the same load.

After hitting the target with every shot I took, I moved to 660 yards and did the same. I couldn’t believe it— this is one of the most seamless 600 yard shooting experiences I have ever had. I could see the target with absolute clarity through the Element Titan, center punching it every time.

After these confidence-boosting shooting experiences, I decided to try for Harold the rockchuck at 1,390 yards.

While I didn’t hit him with the first shot, I did so within five rounds, indicated by Caldwell Flash Bang.

What is particularly impressive is that the batteries are still running two years later after the Rock Chuck Olympics!

I also tested the rifle on some real rockchucks, shooting them both from the window of the Ultimate Reloader cabin and from where I was shooting with Pieter Malan last year.

Conclusion

This upgrade exceeded my expectations.

As I’ve confirmed in a number of previous videos, the Ultradyne UD Chassis continues to perform, offering great flexibility at an affordable price. I would also be remiss to not mention the performance of the Mercury 7.62 muzzle brake.

It not only tamed recoil, but made the rifle extremely flat-shooting. If you’re interested in more in-depth testing of Ultradyne brakes, check out our comparison video.