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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 . . .

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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.

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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.

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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.


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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.

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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.

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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.


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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. 


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69 COMMENTS

  1. Can’t wait to read this review. I ordered one of the 6.5 Creedmoor variety. Wanting an objective opinion badly. My buddy has one but he is a quintessential fanboy.

    • Why do you need an objective review? You are obviously comfortable enough with it to buy one, you just said you have one on the way.

      • It’s kinda like when a new car owner obsessively reads the reviews and the manufacturer’s sales literature on the new car they just bought.

        Trying to reinforce their decision to buy the damn car was the right one.

        (And hell yeah, I did it as well when I bought my first new one.)

    • Did you get your rifle? I’m curious how long it took them to fulfill the order. I’m thinking about ordering.

      • Hi there in reply I haven’t received one yet I ordered the 308 been waitin since August that 8th haven’t been able to get my hands on one you have to watch some of these dealers I’ve been watching some and it looks like they jump the prices up well anyway that’s my thought. Have a nice Christmas. Ed

  3. Man, this thing has really got me excited. Saving my pennies… and watching as you guys wring this one out.

  4. I am very excited for this review! Please test the two calibers back to back and do all the shooting you can to really show us what it can do and how the accuracy holds up as the barrel gets hot.

    • Suka shot 2 in. groups at 10 yards off a bench stand . Seriously , They always have good barrels , HF . The barrels are always the starting point in accuracy .

    • American Rifleman, one of the NRA membership magazines, did a review in the latest issue. They were able to get groups of about 0.8″ to 0.9″ at 100y from a bench rest. A good precision rifle barrel with cut rifling, like a Krieger, will get 0.2″ to 0.3″ inches off a bipod, rear bag, and shoulder.

      But then the Krieger barrel and a proper reaming, threading, and fitting will cost you half of what the entire RPR costs, and that’s just for a barrel.

      • Besides, how much can you trust a gun review in a magazine (besides recoil) these days?

        BTW, agree with you on how a super accurate gun cannot be had for sub $1000.

        • Just the action for most high-accuracy rifles will be $800 to $1200. That’s the bolt, the receiver… and that’s it. No trigger group, no magazine or trigger guard. Just the bolt and the receiver.

          if you want sub-0.5″ groups, you have to pay for them.

        • Agreed 100%. A lot of gun manufactures advertise their precision rifles are capable of 1/2″ groups at 100 yds.
          But “capable” is the operative word here. Half inch groups are hard to come by with factory ammo. What works in one rifle, may not work in another.
          If you want to spend a small fortune, and a lot of time, on factory ammo, eventually you MAY get 1/2″ groups. SOME of the time.

      • I wonder how long it will be before Krieger has drop-in barrels available for this platform. How about something in an 18″ fluted medium contour, to cut the weight down a bit?

  7. I’ve already read a barn full of stuff on this one . It seems to be everywhere . Ballistics and statistics . It looks like it may be a dandy . I know Ruger won’t under produce this so the cost should stay below MSRP . I like some of the calibers this is sold in right now but not enough to bite . All the other features seem to be well thought out . It’s what I like to refer to as a shooters design . I’ll wait for other caliber choices though . For under $ 1,500.00 it will end up on my shooters bench eventually .

  8. Noob question: what are the benefits of 6.5 Creedmor vs. .308 Winchester? Would the 6.5 still be supersonic at longer ranges than the .308?

    • My .308 precision load (175gr. SMK & 43gr. Varget) will go transsonic at about 1km out of a 20″ Krieger barrel. A 6.5 Creedmoor can stay supersonic at 1500m or more.

      I thought the main point of the 6.5 Creedmoor was to be able to feed better in semi-autos than the .260 Remington, but that the 260 was preferable for bolt actions, due to slightly better ballistics.

    • I’d imagine so due to the lighter bullet, though I’d take the .308 for larger ammo selection and availability.

      • Most people don’t hunt beyond 700-800 yards, where the benefits of the 6.5 start to become apparent, so for people who use the gun on 4 legged critters, 308 is probably the better choice due to better bullet selection.

  9. Just did a half hour on Ruger inside and out on Sportsman channel last night.They shot in Creedmor and loved it.

  10. Do you need my address for the 6.5 CM?
    I can wring that out past 1,000 yards. Just to double check things…
    😉

  11. I have no plans to buy one, because I already have a custom Remington 700, but I think this rifle is great. One of the biggest entry hurdles to precision rifle shooting has always been the $3000+ rifle. More people in the sport means more of a market for long range shooting ranges and more events.

    • I can understand spending $3000 for a high-end scope. It’s like looking at another world with your eyeball and other senses and stuff. But to spend that much on a rifle just to move your POI like 1/8″ or 1/4″ closer to the X is beyond my common sense reasoning.

      • Its not a bargain, like bowling buy one get one free night at the local bowling lane.

        But lots of people spend in the high hundreds or low thousands every year on things they use up in their hobby. They play on 3-4 softball teams, go to the bar everynight. They spend thousands on gas or tires alone for a hobby car. Thousands on caring for a horse or dog.

        I do not have any gun or scope over 1400, much less 3000, but you could use it for years, and still get a good part of your money back.

        The money does not burn up or go to outer space.

    • Just because it LOOKS like a normal AR safety lever, doesn’t mean it FUNCTIONS exactly like a normal AR safety lever. The American Rifleman review also points out the safety has a 45-degree throw, and they show it in their photos, as well.

  13. Me: I want!
    Wallet: Please no. Just because it is reasonably priced for what it is does not mean you should.
    Me: Walks away feeling defeated.

    • Wallet: You can always apply for another credit card… Your wife will never find out…

      *snicker*

  15. Can the buttstock be switched out for a regular variety? I’m interested in using this rifle as a brush gun.

  16. Are my eyes playing tricks on me or could a motivated inividual screw on an A2 receiver extension and mount a PRS or similar rifle buttstock to this contraption?

  17. Shut up and take my money.

    Will get the .308 for magazine compatibility. If it really does reliably take M1A magazines…awesome!

  20. My guess is the 6.5cm will out shoot the 308…now, if they offered the 308 with a 22″ bbl, 1:11.25 twist for 175 gr pills, I will buy 1 of those, otherwise, I think the 6.5cm will be the way to go on this little honey

  22. This gun still has my interest, but I’ve got three shots to about 1/2 MOA with my Rem 700 LTR using Eagle Eye Ammo. If they made a 7mm Mag version they’d have my money. The 6.5 Creedmoor is a very cool round, though.

    • Here’s a new way to look at those three shot groups.
      You know that the first shot will give you a 000 MOA group, so the first shot doesn’t even count.
      If you are going to shoot two more shots to get your three shot group, then you will have to double that number to get a five shot group, greatly increasing your odds of expanding your group.
      Point is, three shot groups are almost worthless to check accuracy.
      I will bet some folks intend to shoot a five shot group, but when they see how great that first three shots are, They just decide to call it a day, and conveniently forget the last two shots.

      • I suspect the RPR in .243win will give me one hole, one shot groups at minimum all day long…you dare argue with that kind of out-of-box accuracy?!?

        😉

  23. Nice teaser Tyler.
    (No luck finding the presser two days ago- must be on the FakeBook side…which I will never use, spit spit).

    Hmm. Looks very interesting. After reading way too much stuff and suffering analysis paralysis,
    plus having had the benefit of a kind sanity check or two, laid upside my head, here, thanks to Dyspeptic and a couple others,

    I gave up on my idea for One AR To Rule Them All- a. DMR for the ZombieApocalyse, b. semi for pig hunting so I can miss often enough to hit one or more of those fast sumb1tches, plus little bitty deer if they stand still for a couple tries. c. accurate enough to shoot long enough at the range to actually get good enough on my end to shoot sub 1 MOA.

    Its not that I can actually hit the pie plate at 300 yards, 8 out of 10 with the old reliable .270 Win 70, using WWW cheapos but with good Black Hills factory ammo and enough practice I can, and the theory is I could do same with a semi, right?

    See, the poodle shooter 5.56 just isnt working in the wind past 300 and thats my excuse and I am sticking to it. Nobody makes a .270 AR yet, so 6.8 is about as close as you can get, right?

    I read the 6.8 has the weight to stop the average 200-300# hog which is big enough out to make the long hike worth it, out this aways, and not too tough or stinky to eat on the big boars, grown out this aways,

    Assuming good shot placement on the first try, in the 4″ kill zone, and that boolit is more than enough for the German Sheperd sized muleys we grow here in SoCal during the drought years.
    Am I right on that?

    I know I am gonna have to alter my tactics- already tried the bash thru the bushes and slip thru the river willows and crawl down pig tunnels thru the poison oak that is everywhere where there is water, in SoCal, and have the pig poo and rash all over my fat body to prove it, more than once to ge closer.

    So, sneaking in late to find where they bed down up high in the sage to stay cool, and sleeping high or coming in early is the key, to catch em when they move out to feed early, before they go back to hide in the poison oak mud wallers, appears to be the gentlemanly way to roll. Having a nice adjustable comb and bipod makes it that much easier, if you can get set up so you dont need buffler-sticks to see over the bushes, down hill, right?

    So, Dys- as I recall this 6.8 was something you would wait on in a semi, vs a .308. Or was it a .260 or a .243 or that Pederson whatchamacallit-

    I like the idea of buying a factory gun that works, so I can use that factory made good stuff like Black Hills, if the combo is reliable enough- for subMOA. That at 400 even 500 yards is still in the sweet spot on a deer or pig out these ways.

    So, knowing I am gonna need to buy a boat load of ammo, and a scope-

    And according to a wise man former Navy Seal Sniper who boiled it down- spend on your scope what you spent on your Rifle…

    then what works, guys, glass-wise for this Ruger, assuming the numbers come in good for Tyler on next review, and as I start obsessively reviewing others reviews while considering how to pay for it…

    Total of $3000, figure another $1000 in ammo to get good enough to hit something….
    hmmm…I could sell one of the kids…

    no wait, I meant could sell one of the kids spendy things- daughters horse, or sons pickup…
    no wait…uh, what can I talk my wife into saving on- hair style, yoga, meditation, shrink…
    no, that wont go either.

    ok, what do I have to sell for $3000…or start giving up on, to save $3000?
    Ok, that is something I can work on…:)

    • I can see coming in well under $3000. I got mine in .243 for $929. Add an SWFA 3-15x FFP for $700 and another $50 on SWFA rings. The rifle already has a 20MOA rail. Add a Harris bipod with rotapod for another $150, accushot monopod for another $100. Workable sling for $30ish with QD swivels.

  24. I can’t wait to get my hands on this rifle. A .308 caliber 20 inch precisoin bolt gun that runs the same mags as my .308 caliber 20 inch semi auto.

    If they ever make a 20 inch .223 with a 7 twist and wylde chamber I’ll buy both of them.

    In the mean time I’m making space on my credit card for the 308. My current .308 caliber Howa 1500 varmint supreme is going up for sale to help fund this purchase.

  25. I just picked up my RPR in .243 today. 1 in 7.7″ twist. This should be fun…especially after the one I ordered in 6.5 Creedmoor shows up. 🙂

  26. The stock adjustments are a little awkward but once it is locked it place it feels good. I like the flush cup hidden in the folding mechanism. You can fold the stock and still have a sling point on the “end” of the rifle when carrying it folded. That may not be a huge point with the .308 or 6.5CM versions but my .243 has the 26″ barrel and, since I am 6’4″, I have the length of pull adjusted out as far as possible. So, when the stock is not folded I can shoot it or use it for pole vaulting. If I added a WW2 era bayonet onto the end of it, I could almost use the bayonet to poke holes in the target at the local 100 yard sight-in range without leaving the shooting line. Yeah, it is that long.

    Has anyone else tried adjusting the trigger? I tuned mine down as low as it would go and after a short round of overzealous dry firing and then relubing it with my preferred gun grease as per the method advised in the manual, my trigger pull gauge says the trigger is consistently breaking a few ounces under the 2.25lb minimum that Ruger claims in the lightest possible with the adjustable trigger. That is not a complaint.

  27. Its kinda hard to determine from some of the takedown pictures Ive seen but I would be interested in obtaining the RPR in 243 and then having it rechambered for the 6mmSLR or 6mm Creedmoor, basically a 243 with a 30deg shoulder and longer neck. Ive seen that the barrel has a collar for the barrel nut to tighten against, I wonder if that would drastically hinder a rechamber job like the one I have in mind? A 26″ barrel pushing a 105-115gr high BC pill at ~3000fps could really reach out there!

    And before anyone wonders why I don’t just slap a Bartlein on there instead, I think the barrel is plenty ok from the factory, Ive not heard anyone dispute the claim of .5-.75 MOA potential with hand loads, which is what the 6mmSLR/Creedmoor would require anyway.

    • While I think rechambering would be possible, I am not sure it would be worth the effort. If you want 115gr @ 3000fps and a 26″ barrel, you should be able to get there (or incredibly close) with the RPR in .243win using DTACs.
      For example…George Gardner’s .243win Tac Match Load
      2.860″ COAL
      47.5gr Reloader 25, Fed 210m primer, 115gr DTAC moly, 3150 fps

      • Oops…I failed to add this…
        115gr DTAC: Estimated BC = .585 above 2850 fps
        While David Tubbs originally used the 115gr DTAC with a 1 in 7.5″ twist, IIRC, several others verified that the 115gr DTAC would stabilize nicely out of a 1 in 8″ twist over 3,000fps. The Ruger RPR in .243 has a 1 in 7.7″ twist and the idea of that load in this rifle is what left me swiping my debit card to buy it.
        The monopod finally showed up today and I also managed to track down some Varget and IMR4350…tomorrow I will begin my search for Reloader 25.

  29. I would love to see Ruger whip out the RPR in .300 win mag or .338LM. Companies making similar .300 win mags or .338LMs at two and a half to three times the price would have a stroke…or a cerebrovascular accident if you want to sound snooty.

    • The RPRs are still kind of hard to find…after tracking down my .243 RPR right near the first of August, I searched for one in 6.5CM until last week when I finally managed to get the 6.5 at a reasonable price ($1080 with tax).

  31. RPR’s are still almost impossible to find at a reasonable price in Illinois. I have not seen one at a gun store yet, and Bud’s gun shop hasn’t even listed them yet. I am disappointed after all the hype.

    • That’s odd. I have managed to find two of them – one in 6.5 and one in .243. I bought both about a month and a half apart and paid less than $1000 for each.

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