Ruger’s SR-556 rifle has been a massive success. The piston-driven rifle from the well-known rifle maker has been flying off the shelves, and for good reason. We haven’t had a chance to do a proper review of the rifle ourselves, but I spent a week out at Gunsite in Arizona shooting and carrying the gun and I have nothing but good things to say about it — the thing kept ticking despite basting in the fine Arizona dust, and not being cleaned all week long. Now, news comes that Ruger has released a 7.62×51 / .308 Winchester version of the gun dubbed the SR-762. Just in time for hunting season, the heavy-hitting piston gun with a two stage trigger sounds like a hog hunter’s dream. Needless to say, we’ve already asked for one to review. In the meantime, make the jump for the presser . . .
The NEW Ruger® SR-762™ brings the downrange authority of the .308 cartridge to the popular SR-556® family of two-stage, piston-driven, AR-style rifles. The SR-762™ is a lightweight, quick-handling carbine that is an ideal rifle for those who appreciate the familiar and ergonomic AR-style platform. The .308 Win./7.62 NATO cartridge is perfect for hunting medium and most large-sized game and enhances the capability of the AR-style platform in defensive or tactical roles. The SR-762™ retains the features of the original SR-556® that make it a solid performer among AR-style rifles.
How much does it weigh? The last AR I handled in 7.62 felt like a brick. Not what I’d want to haul in a days hunt.
8.2 pounds I believe
Add a scope, mag full of ammo amd sling and you’re pushing what, 10 lbs?
Might as well go with a BAR, if they made 20 rd mags for it. They weigh 3 kg if I remember correctly (the Shorttrac model).
I don’t know, but it’ll lighten your wallet by about $2,000.
Woof.
Seems like $1199-$1799. You have to expect to shell out a bunch of extra bucks for the famed Ruger snob appeal. Hey, that’s a good name for a newspaper: The Blanketyville Snob-Appeal.
MSRP $2195 shown here.
I’ve bought three Rugers, between 16% and 22% off MSRP.
That would put the actual price at about $1,750 in the real world.
8.6 lbs, according to Ruger’s information sheet.
Add a little more than a pound for 20 rounds of .308. Now we’re up close to 10lbs, without glassware on the rifle.
Add glassware and you’re adding about another pound. Now we’re up near 11lbs.
Yea, I’d give this a clean miss. If I’m going to hump a 11lb rifle over hill and dale, it’s going to pack more punch than a .308.
Unless you’re young and dumb 11 lbs is just too much for a hunting rifle. With the exception that you noted. A truly powerfull rifle.
Otherwise this is just another range toy.
So, less than FAL, G3 or M1A. So why are people complaining?
The Ruger is being touted as a hunting rifle. In my days of hunting that meant a lot of hiking over rough ground for a chance of 1-2 shots at a game animal. A lightweight rifle was a blessing for this job. If my rifle had a 5 shot mag I carried 5 in the mag and then 5 for reloads. I don’t ever remember firing more than 3 shots during a hunt and that was a rarety to fire that many.
I’m talking about hunting. I know that these military style rifles have a place in our safes. I just don’t think of them for hunting.
I’m listening- what I think I hear you saying Dys, is buy a light hunting rifle in more powerful caliber, and JWM- saying same.
So I am re-thinking my one-gun-to-do-it-all.
Just to bookmark this convo with some facts –
Here’s Chuck Hawks on the 300 Magnum, citing adverse recoil on lighter (for example 8 pound) hunting guns, and bad experience of guides with some new owners.
And borrowing from JWM- I agree- I normally carry only the 5 rounds in the .270, and another 5 in my pocket- never have used those all up in the whole season, much less a day of hunting. (which is due to being in So Cal- one deer tag limit)
So in your example, I would be carrying at most a ten round magpul in the AR 15 or AR10 platform, reducing the weight gain in your example by a half-pound, and avoiding getting the rounds gunked up in the bottom of my pocket, same time…:)
And here’s an example of a AR platform in 300 Mag weighing in at much more than 8.6 pounds, and the likely $1800 street on the Ruger:
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/armalite-30a1-rifle-30a1bt300-winchester-magnum-fixed-stock-black-finish-p-135328.html
I didn’t mean to sound like I was advising a more powerful rifle. .308 is fine for the majority of hunting in the lower 48. I was trying to make the point that for hunting a lighter weight rifle is a blessing. Certainly less than 10 pounds. Unless you’re hunting very large and potentialy dangerous game.
I haven’t hunted in many years. If I was to take it up again(short of a SHTF survival situation) I would look into a single shot like the Thompson rifle or Baikal. Get it in .308 or .30-06. Put a simple scope on it and a sling and a cuff on the buttstock for shells. My .30-30 has a holder on the stock that carries 9 shells. More than enough for my needs.
This rig would be light enough to carry all day and certainly up to any hunting tasks I would ask of it.
I’ve had the terrific opportunity to be on some really neat hunts. Seriously, aside from the absurd weight of a .50bmg, it really won’t matter what the rifle weighs. The hunt gives you the strength.
Like JWM said, very minimal rounds carried. I carried my .375 Remmy with 3 rounds in the gun and 5 on the buttstock. Yeah, it got heavy, but when it was time to pull the trigger, I was glad for the weight. I still cut myself with the scope in all the excitement.
But in retrospect, a comfortable sling made all the difference.
you were also hunting in Africa, Tom. I would have gladly humped the weight of a powerful rifle like the .375. There was stuff where you were at that can eat you. And not in a good way.
jwm, I would hate to be eaten in a bad way.
Of course, if you are hunting, you will be using a small mag carrying 3 or so rounds, not 20 (unless you stumbled onto a massive group of hogs).
Meh. Looks like every other AR and its in another bland cartridge. Wouldn’t phase me if I saw one.
Okay, what would you want an AR to look like, not an AR? Such a dumb thing to say. “I don’t like it because it looks like an AR when it is an AR.”
There’s a reason why I don’t own an AR 😉
Here, let me translate that for you.
“Looks like every other AR” = Standard platform with widely available interchangeable parts.
“in another bland cartridge” = Standard .30-cal rifle round widely available & used by NATO.
I realize lots of folks enjoy custom one-off rifles chambered in exotic handload-only calibers, but please hold off on the hatin’ of a potentially nice rifle that you might actually be able to find both spare parts and ammo for. Lots of folks enjoy THAT, too.
Care to think that over? What were the only two rifle cartridges that were severely impacted by the ammo and gun buying panic? .223 and .308. Not 7.62x54r, not .30-06, all the non-NATO stuff.
Dunno about that- in SoCal still cant find .22LR, even at Walmart.
Never out of .270Win
On the other hand, I am starting to see Wolf and Tula brand 5.56 showing up at Turners. Have to double check on the .308
The panic buying only LEFT two calibers on the shelf in my area through it all: .243 Win and .270 Win.
.270 Win was around here in Orlando, but I had to scramble to find stuff to feed my .243.
The only two? cmon now man, even oddball stuff like 10mm and 357 sig was gone for a while.
What happened to .223 and .308 around here is simply that their availability dropped to that of all those other cartridges like .243 and .270, meaning that you could almost always find it by the box but not by the case (during the panic that is, now effectively over as judged by availability if not price). Besides, aren’t those calibers you just mentioned also “bland?”
Now, maybe the gun shows in your area have pallets stacked with cases of .257 Roberts or .338 Lapua or .300 AAC Blackout or whatever, but the ones in my area don’t. Actually, they don’t even have pallets of .243 or .270. It’s all by the box (or bag, if Georgia Arms is in town).
So I stand by my original point: an AR shooting a standard NATO caliber has a LOT of utility for a LOT of folks. However, I also concede that having one of those as your ONLY weapon is probably very foolish; also having rifles in other calibers provides the ability to shoot whatever isn’t being scarfed up by your neighbors that freak out when politicians do what they always do.
Oh, and don’t forget about spare parts. The AR is in the same league as Ruger 10-22’s and Remington 870’s in terms of ubiquity and pricing for parts; they’re everywhere, which is a “Good Thing” (TM).
9mm was hit worst
.22 almost as bad
.223 hit pretty bad
.45 damned tough to find
7.62 Scarce, but not as bad as the ones metioned above.
I would reverse 9mm and .22 for my area. I could get 9mm for quite a while after the .22 had vanished. Now, big box stores like Gander have scads of 9mm on the shelf (albeit some of it off brands), but they still have no .22 unless you get there with in a couple hours of it hitting the shelf.
There for a while I was shopping for a muzzleloader. It seemed to be the only reliable source of ammo. Black powder and lead and percussion caps.
I never did run out of ammo for my pellet rifle.
308 is a bland…?
That round will kill the crap out of anything breathing in North America and has an effective range further than most people can shoot.
What’s the matter, not tacticool enough for yah?
Well, I’m damn excited! I really enjoy my SR-556FB. It’s a tank, and easy to clean (except the forward operating portion of the piston system). It’s a little heavy overall and muzzle heavy, but I’ve loosely based mine off the IAR concept. It stay much cooler than a conventional AR during extended periods of rapid fire.
If the 7.62 isn’t excessively heavy, Ruger may have another hit on their hands. Regardless, the more MSR’s in civilian hands, the better.
If it’s like my rock river in 7.62, it tends to be a bit heavy. I like the heck out of being able to shoot long range and hit steel with authority though. .308 is my all time favorite caliber.
The 16″ incher is 8.6 pounds according to the Gunblast review. “It’s a dandy little rahfle.”
I laughed out loud.
Yea that does sound like a gunblast review. Sadly y’all laugh, but some of us just naturally pronounce rifle that way 😀
That’s funny, good call, I say rifle that way.
I like Gunblast, sometimes he calls guns dandy that aren’t very dandy though, just opinion.
I’m pretty sure that to Jeff, “dandy” and “gun” are synonymous.
I’m always a little skeptical of Jeff’s (Gunblast) “reviews”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him say something negative like, “Ya know what? This rifle/pistol ain’t all that. I wouldn’t spend my own money on one.” His reviews read like paid advertisements, and have for years. Even the very occasional mild criticisms he has are so sugar-coated, you might miss that it’s a criticism. For example, with this new Ruger he doesn’t say “this trigger sucks” (which it does). He says, “Just drop in a competition trigger and you’re good to go.” No mention of WHY you’ll definitely want to replace the trigger. Oh well. Such is the state of many gun “reviewers” these days.
That’s the joke.
I’m tired of the word “platform”
Chassis? Bod? Frame? Bunga-Bunga?
“The thing that stays down.” Ahem.
Projectile Management Infrastructure
Munitions delivery vector.
How about “weapon system” when referring to a semiautomatic pistol? Because you hung a light on it. It’s no longer a gun, it’s a “weapon system.”
Just poking a little fun here, but need we get the Gunny in here for a rousing rendition of “This is my rifle, this is my gun”? :p
I prefer “chassis.” As in, check out the chassis! Damn nice, eh? Ammiright?
“Weapons systems” are utilized by “operators.”
I remember when an “operator” was a maiden lady who sat in front of a switchboard at the telephone company.
I think I want one. Please get a review in the works.
+1. This is what I’ve been waiting on:
Coopers “One Rifle” concept “plus”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_rifle
Semi-auto with reliable, adjustable gas piston, at 1MOA.
Light enough to carry all day hunting.
Big manufacturer stands behind product, proven tech, means lots of buyers, means good components made in after-market- trigger, for example.
Add a Leopold Mk4 for one rifle to grab and go in common ammo.
This replaces the bolt gun in 270 and the cheapo 5.56.
Me gusta if it doesn’t weigh a ton.
If a lightweight 7.62 AR is what you want, get a KAC SR-25ECC.
I have an .308 lower on the way and it should be a fun rifle when I get all of the pieces together.
I did take a look and see if there was an AR in .30-06 out of curiosity and there was one by Cobb before Bushmaster bought them. That would be even more fun because of all of the cheap ammo I buy from the CMP.
I’ll stick with my M1A.
For the weight of this Ruger beast, I completely agree. This makes a M1A almost look svelte.
And the M1A has a trigger I can work over to make very nice, a good sight package and a 22″ barrel. The M1A takes a sling better.
I love the M1A, someday I will own (at least) one again, but I think the AR ergonomics are more suited to close and medium range quick shooting. Especially if you count magazine changes and other manipulation as part of the package.
That’s not to say the same things cannot be done with the M1A, but it takes more training to do them with the same speed. By contrast, I find the M1A ergonomics better for longer range shooting and traditional marksmanship. If you want to get more AR style ergonomics with the M1A platform, the aftermarket stocks end up weighing more than the AR-10.
M1A triggers can be made very nice with skill. AR triggers can be swapped out by someone without skill for something nice. Agreed on the sling, if the sling is used as they were meant to be- to help shoot the gun. If you’re using a sling in the modern fashion, to let the gun hang while you’re doing a transition to handgun drill or something similar, then the AR has more options.
I think there’s a place in my safe for both. Just not a place in my wallet, for the time being.
I have a suspicion I won’t be seeing these on the shelves in California.
Not unless the Californians wake up one day, realize they are losing their constitutional rights and vote for pro 2nd amendment politicians. The Nanny leaders out there think no one should be trusted with anything sharp, pointy, blunt or goes bang.
There’s no reason it couldn’t ship to CA. It’d just come with that ridiculous bullet button and 10 round mags. Ruger has shipped lots of CA legal (other states have limits as well) SR-556’s, 556E’s, etc. Ruger also sells complete uppers, so you could potentially purchase just the upper and put it on your lower.
So you’re actually ahead of us, I think.
I have not seen anyone in CT try the bullet button as a loophole in our new laws. Apparently our guv told Stag Arms that whatever tricks they tried to use to produce compliant ARs, he would just keep getting the law amended to make them illegal.
Time to donate to CCDL again.
Wish this had been available when I got my PWS, could have saved a a bunch of money and got an adjustable regulator as a bonus. Of course, now that PWS also has an adjustable widget on their updated model, they raised the price by several hundred dollars.
As I am just beginning to look into .308 options, your post raises a question: Is there so much variability in .308 ammunition or so limited by operational tolerances in the firearms that adjustable gas systems are required?
A well made gun of a type already made by other companies. Still a good gun (I’m sure), but nothing new. It’s what I’ve come to expect from Ruger.
Two inches short of worthwhile. A 16 inch barrel is ok for 223 which burns up all of it’s powder in 12 inches of barrel. A 308 requires 17 inches of barrel to burn all of it powder. The difference in muzzle blast and velocity between a 16 and 18 inch 308 is huge. My brother-in-law’s M1A SOCOM is a fire breather compared to my M1A Scout. If Ruger put an 18.5 or 20 inch barrel on her, it would be a great hunting rifle. The 16.12 inch barrel it just too short.
Interesting observation.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Ruger comes out with a “match” variant upper in the future, depending on sales and demand of course.
Personally, I am very interested.
I see your point for a hunting rifle, but for a combat rifle that is about as long as you want to get. My 16″ barrel is not particularly handy clearing buildings, or getting out of the car in a hurry, but it’s managable. Put a good muzzle device on it and the extra drama can be tamed pretty well.
Really, for modern non hunting applications, a 14″ might be a better choice. The loss of velocity still leaves you better off than a full length .223, and it’s just as handy as a short AR-15.
99.9% of SR-762’s, like 99.9% of AR’s in general, will not be used for combat or clearing buildings or any situation that involves getting out of the car in a hurry, but for hunting, target shooting and competition. For those applications, the wasted powder and unnecessary muzzle blast are too high a price for two inches of handiness.
5.56mm in carbines. 7.62 NATO in rifles. If someone wants a 7.62 in a short barrel, .300 BLK seems a better choice.
This is true about how many people will use them in a given role, but I think it’s a more even trade than that. Of course, that’s my opinion, nothing more. Never shot a 3 gun match, wonder if it makes a difference there.
Being part of that 0.01% does not mean I’m any kind of cool guy, either. In this case, all it means is I spent too much money on a heavy rifle.
Yay for those of us in Maryland!!!
It’ll be a good rifle. I have a SR556CLA (the lighter carbine version) and it’s very solid but nose heavy. I imagine the new SR762 will be very similar – solid but heavy, and a great value with the features and included equipment. The MSRP is very reasonable for a .308 AR – most piston .308 AR’s seem to start in the $2500+ range.
That being said, I still prefer my PWS rifles. I have a MK214 coming soon, so I will probably pass on this new Ruger, but I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good package at a reasonable price. If the street price on this new Ruger ends up being $1700, it will be a steal.
Argh. 16″ barrel on a .308 = fail.
S&W got it right. Well, except for the collapsible stock.
Agreed Somewhere around 18″ – 20″ would prove more functional and useful.
Maybe later they’ll put out more models of this with the longer barrels.
That’s how it went with the SR556- the Varmint/Target model came out something like 6 months later. 20″ barrel added a little over a pound vs the 16″ carbine.
I would REALLY like to see how this works out hog-hunting.
That’s the hunting application that makes most sense- multiple shots from a hide, in the up-and-down western country, after glassing to find where they are, and get in position,
or while driving in on an ATV in TX or southern states farm and leased flat land.
Not impressed
I have two 308/7.62 AR “platform” guns. I have several 308 bolt guns. Please explain to me why the 308 AR’s kick more than my bolt guns.
All else being equal, they should feel like they have less recoil, as the impulse is slightly spread out by the motion of the bolt carrier. The same force, just over more time. However, all else is usually not equal. The weight of the gun matters, the size and shape of the buttstock contact with the shoulder matters, the presence or lack of a rubber pad, and the amount of drop in the stock matters.
If your bolt action rifles have a pronounced drop from the bore axis to the contact with the shoulder, you may feel like the recoil energy is directed more to making the muzzle rise than to pushing into your shoulder, whereas the AR has the energy go straight back in line with the bore.
I hadn’t seen the picture yet but I read the title and immediately had to scroll down to verify. This is a good idea indeed. Maybe this will be available in Maryland.
I’m in love! I need to work on gettin one of these.
My PTR 91 GI needs a friend to play with…
Been thinking about PTR GI? How do you like it?
If this new Ruger 7.62 is as nice-shooting as the SR-556c I have, it’ll be another winner for Ruger. A lot of people are “ho-hum” about Ruger’s AR’s, but I gotta say, they did one heck of a job with the design. My 556c is dead-nuts reliable, and it’s easily the smoothest shooting AR I own. The only gripe I have with it is the stock trigger, although that was easy enough to replace.
It’s kinda hard to describe, but if you’ve ever driven a Mercedes and know how they have a certain “tank” quality to them while remaining silky smooth driving down the road, well, that’s sorta how my Ruger AR operates. Kudos to Ruger for what I’m sure will be another quality product.
I don’t see a point of a .308 AR with today’s prices, but I’d rather get the PWS MK216 if I was in the market. I love my MK116 in .223 Wylde.
Like above, I also agree that if you truly need .308 power, you should shoot it from a 20+” barrel.
Are longer barrels even available? If I am going to add a 7.62 to my arsenal, I will not buy a 16″ barrel.
There are so many people on here that have no idea what they are talking about. The SR762 is one of the lightest 762×51 ARs available. You loose about 50fps on exit over a 20 inch barrel. If thats an issue get a hotter load or a bolt action 24′. The trigger is heavy because of liability issues but the current range reports dont seem to reflect accurace issues. If you want it lighter spend an hour on it and make it lighter. The piston does make it a little heavier but at the expense of a cleaner more reliable gun. Before the “stoner” AR became the mil spec AR, the piston and 762×51 came first. It was to pricey at the time and piston “was” much heavier and was scrapped making the 5.56 DI the winner. Technology is better now and the government is not the ones buying our guns for us so its about time gun makers start making what we want. The furniture on any AR will never satisfy everyone. Isnt that why we like the AR in the first place. If you dont like something change it duuuh. And No, the non floating barrel and or piston does not effect accuracy in a negitive way. The bullet is already traveling down range before barrel harmonics kick in or the piston begins to move. Ive never been a Ruger fan but ive been in the market for a 308 AR and after handling many and compairing them online comparing MOA, weight, price, I have one on hold for me here in Texas for $1670 plus tax.
Im sure ill catch hell for this so ill update my current post. Stoners first design of the AR was in 308 but the army wanted something in a lighter smaller cal. He didnt however invent the piston gas system but referred to the ar15 as a piston system not Direct Impingement.
I’ve run almost 1,000 rounds through my SR762 without a problem. I have a Nikon 4×12 on it and with a full mag and sling it weighs out at 11.12 pounds. I walk less than a mile to my stand so that isn’t an issue. What gets me are people whining about a couple of extra pounds, my weight issue comes with lifting up, dressing and then lugging a deer out of the brush, if weight is such a killer what are you hunting? Squirrels? This weapon is a stone killer deluxe, doesn’t get too dirty after firing and the .308 is an adequate round not to mention very accurate. Plus if/when TSHTF it will do double duty as a home defense gun. Did I mention it’s great on the range and attracts lots of attention?
Hey guys for those of you that don’t have a SR 762 get one then let’s see what you say, it may not be the weapon for you,, but I love to shoot mine and at 500 Yrds. I pull out 1.5 moa consecutive and at 100 Yrds I pull out .75 moa some are probably same hole but that’s kinda hard to tell when your sending 10 rds down before you go check,, still either way its definitely a kill shot either way,, that’s with a 5/12/50 and my short barrel that came with it so let’s give it a try before we bash a really sweet shooting AR!!!
This is to Ghost Prime,, yes you can get a longer barrel,, but of your not going to be shooting 800+ Yrds you don’t need it it’s not going to make that much difference at below that,, only 1/4 to 3/8 moa below 800 and that depends on the shooter,, out does hold a tighter group at600 to 1,000 but most shooters don’t mess with that range to many variables…
1500$ out the door in dallas, runs like a champ so far