New Ruger in Hand(Massad Ayoob)

backwoodshome ^ | 11 June, 2009 | Massad Ayoob

[marktwain]

A few entries ago, you were promised that as soon as we got our hands on the latest new Ruger rifle, you’d hear back. Well, we muckled onto three or so of ‘em this past week, so here we go. As noted here earlier, the rifle is designated SR556, for Sturm, Ruger 5.56 millimeter. It takes standard AR15/M16 magazines, and comes with three of them, produced by Magpul, one of the best makers.

It’s the most “vendor-outsourced” firearm this company has ever assembled – really, pretty much everything but the barrel and barrel extension come from outside the factory – but it’s an AR15 clone, after all, and that’s the logical way to make one given the nature of the industry.

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Ruger’s switchover to “lean manufacturing” has changed the look of the factory dramatically in the last few years. SR556s were literally flowing off the production line.

But, enough of that: how does it SHOOT? The subtle feel of the mechanism as it cycles is different from your usual Stoner-type AR15, because the Ruger entry works of a piston design, specifically a proprietary two-piece piston. One of my fellow shooters said, “It feels like a whoosh, not a sproing.” That about describes it, even if it ain’t engineer terminology. My buddy Russ Lary threw a 6.5-20X variable power Leupold Tactical scope onto his T&E SR556, and cranked it all the way up. Twenty power magnification ain’t much for sophisticated bench rest shooters, but for us meat n’ potatoes riflemen, think “Hubble telescope with crosshairs.” At about 100 yards, he found sub-one-inch groups easy, with Match grade 69 grain and 77 grain loads from Black Hills Ammunition shooting the tightest.

[marktwain]

Interesting rifle. I wonder if Ruger will get it out in time to catch some of the current bubble.

[DuncanWaring]

SR556s were literally flowing off the production line.

This seems to suggest they will.

[KoRn]

"I’m told by folks I trust at Ruger that this thing has gone 20,000 rounds without a malfunction OR a cleaning in factory torture-testing."

WOW!!!! You would NOT be able to do this with your traditional AR15/M16 type rifle! The rifle also has great accuracy right out of the box. Of course accuracy is expected of AR type rifles. I have yet to see one that wasn't accurate.

[MrB]

aarg! the bastards wasted 20k rounds!

:)

[Fee]

I preferr the Mini-14. Like AK-47 has loose rattling parts when shook, but all that space allows for dust, sand and dirt so the weapon can keep firing without jamming. Only complaint is the barrel is too thin, and it tends to get soft if you use high capacity mags and shoot 30 plus rounds rapidly. Screws up the long range accuracy. Later versions of the Mini-14 have thicker barrels and eliminated the soft barrel problem as many rounds are shot thru at rapid rate.

[taxcontrol]

pant pant pant

Can I get one in 7.62 or 7mm-08?

[KoRn]

"aarg! the bastards wasted 20k rounds!"

Yeah that hurt! Couldn't they have done a computer simulation, and used the rifle in Call of Duty on the PS3 or something? lol

[wastedyears]

Twenty power magnification ain’t much for sophisticated bench rest shooters, but for us meat n’ potatoes riflemen, think “Hubble telescope with crosshairs.”

Funny

[PubliusMM]

Yep, I chuckled at that one, too. Ayoob comes up with a good one, every now and then. On the main, though, I’ve found him to be quite ‘readable’ for many years.

[Spktyr]

Yeah, it’s called the AR-10.

[Durus]

Or 6.5 Grendel?

[Spktyr]

Um, that wasn’t the only problem with the Mini-14. There were *many* other issues corrected in the recent “580” redesign:

http://www.rifleshootermag.com/featured_rifles/rugranch_071807/index1.html

“Soft barrel” was the least of the problems.

[wastedyears]

How about a Beowulf upper?

[wastedyears]

Would’ve been better off testing it in SOCOM.

Call of Duty is sub-par to me.

[Spktyr]

Guess you never had the misfortune to shoot a Hesse AR, then.

All this is is a commodity AR clone with one of the new gas piston systems on it. They’re becoming quite common in the aftermarket and have appeared in makers’ catalogs for several years now.

[shooter223]

[Mrs. P]

But, the most important question: Does it come with a pink stock?

[Shooter 2.5]

Mini-14’s are the Glocks of the rifle world. They can fire every time under every condition. My problem is I have never known of one first hand that could hit anything.

I asked a new owner if his Mini was accurate and he replied he was able to hit what he was aiming at. I noticed his target was a tree stump at 30 yards away.

I don’t consider a rifle that can’t hit at 200 yards anyway as reliable. If you can’t hit, you’re wasting your time.

[wastedyears]

Or can it cook breakfast?

[Spktyr]

Um, no, they're not the Glocks of the rifle world. Glocks are at least reasonably accurate, and the Mini-14 prior to the 580=series revamp isn't.

This, on the other hand, is.

Not as accurate as the M-14/M1A or the AR, but demonstrably able to hit and take down a man at 600 meters. Can be made more accurate through application of modern tech and gear. Like Glocks, magazines are everywhere and cheap. And they still make them, some right here in the USA. .308/7.62 NATO, for those that don't know.

And I just bought one. :D