Mike, I wondered the same thing, and when I read Precison Shooting Magazine for decades, noting the winners/competitors rifles, calibers and actions used, I noticed that no one ever built one of these rifles on any Ruger action....ever. They are decent hunting rifles no doubt, but have never been in either the winner's circle, or used for many custom builds where prime accuracy is the goal.
Some shooters have an example that shoots well, but it seems those few are the exception rather than the general rule. Part of the issue with them is the uncommon/unusual bedding method Ruger uses for the action. Then there's the trigger.....won't go into that one. The Mauser type/controlled round feeding is another issue. No one wants to single load and have a claw extractor struggle to snap over the cartridge rim. Ruger barrels have always been suspect too, but in a custom build, the OEM barrel is hardly ever used. A few of the custom smiths I've used in the past will not work on these actions either, and that tells me much.
Almost all the custom builds I've done over the years were based on what I learned from reading, specifically PS Magazine. The Ruger action may be a good candidate for a hunting rifle, but it's just not the 'hot ticket' for any custom build where accuracy is the prime concern. That's all JMO and experience.
.-Al
