Freshly delivered to my hot little hands is Ruger’s new wundergun, the Ruger Precision Rifle. Based on the comments under the presser we released a couple days ago, people are very excited at the prospect of a rifle that has all the accoutrements of a high dollar rifle with a much more affordable price tag. I’ve only had the opportunity to play with the RPR in my garage, but so far, I like what I see . . .
Starting at the business end, there’s a threaded muzzle perfect for attaching silencers and muzzle brakes. The threads look clean, and the shoulder appears to be squared pretty nicely.
This model is the .308 WIN generously provided by our friends at Kentucky Gun Company. The good news: Ruger is sending over the 6.5 Creedmoor version as well.
The .308 has a shorter twenty-inch barrel which is a very handy length. The barrel itself is quite thick and assuming it shoots well, should be able to stand up to long strings of fire. It’s covered by a Samson Evolution KeyMod rail that’s attached using an AR-10 style barrel nut. This makes future customization relatively simple and well within the scope of any shadetree gunsmith.
The barrel and hand guard are mated to an upper receiver that features a 20 MOA rail and a very functional Picatinny rail. If you remember from my Ruger Predator review, the top rail was sorta worthless. In this case, I had no problem sticking a one-piece mount on it. And unlike the Predator, the surface of this gun is free from tooling marks and defects.
The lower receiver is where things start to get interesting. Ruger has designed a nifty little magazine release that allows the usage of both Magpul-style magazines and Accuracy Internationals AICS mags. Ruger ships the rifle with two of the Magpul magazines in the case, but my testing indicates that it feeds perfectly out of both styles.
That lower receiver also features Ruger’s Marksman Adjustable Trigger which breaks cleanly on my scale at 2 pounds 1/8 oz. Above the trigger is an AR style safety lever that features a 45 degree throw. And southpaws rejoice…Ruger claims the safety is reversible. You’ll also notice that the RPR ships with an AR-15-style grip. I haven’t yet swapped it out, but the word from Ruger is that any grip meant for an AR 15 will work here.
Last up the completely adjustable buttstock that is compatible with AR buffer tubes. Ruger’s model is adjustable for comb heigh, length of pull, and according to the manual the pad can be rotated seven degrees in either direction for a truly custom fit. There’s also a Picatinny rail along the bottom for a monopod attachment.
And it folds to the side! If there’s any glaring weakness out of the box, the buttstock has to be it. Its a little clumsy to work with, and seems a little delicate. Good news though, if you hate it, you can change it out to any of the commercially available buttstocks. It does happen to be covered in QD cups, so my review won’t have any gripes about a lack of sling attachment points.
Having spent a few hours fondling it, racking the bolt, and dry firing, I’m certainly pleased with the ergonomics, the modular features, and the overall look and feel of the rifle. The only test(s) that remain are the most important ones. Thankfully, I have a prodigious amount of .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor ammo headed my way (thanks boss!) and if the weather holds, I should be able to get some shooting in soon. Watch this space.
