Ruger's AR 556

Status
Not open for further replies.
Something that erks me is the misconception that ruger does nothing innovative. How about making some of the absolute strongest revolvers and rifles on the market for a working man's price during an era when other american companies were slimming and trimming their revolvers to the point true 357 loads were pushing the limits? Also whoever it was that posted about Rugers not being know for accuracy, I've certainly never met an m77 I couldn't make shoot exceptionally well with handloads...and I'm certainly not an exceptional rifle shot. Helluva rifle there and I'm willing to bet with some tinkering and a change of handguard that ar-556 will shoot great as well.
 
The only innovative firearm companies right now are KelTec and HiPoint, and we all know how much love there is for them on these snobby gun forums. They do business and manufacturing their way, and they get alot of flak. It seems everyone wants their cake and to eat it too...
Click to expand...

What do you feel is innovative about a Hi Point? Not being cynical; I'm genuinely curious. As far as I can tell, they aren't using designs, manufacturing techniques or materials that hadn't been used for decades prior.

KT has definitely had a lot of firsts, and still produces a few onlys. They definitely lay claim to unique designs and very light weight.

Something that erks me is the misconception that ruger does nothing innovative. How about making some of the absolute strongest revolvers and rifles on the market for a working man's price during an era when other american companies were slimming and trimming their revolvers to the point true 357 loads were pushing the limits? Also whoever it was that posted about Rugers not being know for accuracy, I've certainly never met an m77 I couldn't make shoot exceptionally well with handloads...and I'm certainly not an exceptional rifle shot. Helluva rifle there and I'm willing to bet with some tinkering and a change of handguard that ar-556 will shoot great as well.
Click to expand...

Except for the MKI, Ruger's innovations have been in manufacturing, not design. They focused their efforts on casting, and the result was a reduced cost as compared to the competition for a product that was just as strong, at the cost of increased weight. But the cost cutting can be seen in the more utilitarian fit & finish and rougher actions as well. A GP100 is as strong as a 686 (not stronger, BTW), and comes in a good bit cheaper. It is also, however, a tad heavier on account of even their excellent castings not being quite as strong as forged, and I don't think you'll find any honest person who feels that the GP100 action is near as smooth or the gun as generally refined as the 686.

You see the same thing in their autoloading handguns. They're well made and functional, but compared to their contemporaries in the TDA market, such as the S&W 3rd gen autos and Sigs, they are downright rough.

Now, their rifles don't really take advantage of the investment casting technology. Of course, the M77 doesn't really undercut the competition much, either. When we bought my sister her .280, the choice was between a stainless/synthetic M77 MK II and a stainless Synthetic M700 BDL. The price difference was a mere $40. She went with the Ruger for one reason: a 22" barrel carries a lot easier in the woods than a 26".

I still own a few Ruger firearms, and have owned many more. They are what they are: Decent, durable guns that are (mostly) wallet friendly for the working man. But as I've grown older, I've become more selective about my collection, and I learned that much of the Ruger durability reputation was hyperbole. I decided that I was willing to pay a little more for a nicer product, so began replacing Rugers with S&W, Beretta, Browning, Remington and others. The few I have left remain because their is not a better alternative:

In a .454 Casull double action, Taurus is the only competition. Easy choice.

There is no real competitor for the 3" SP-101 .32 mag with adjustable sights.

There is also no competitor for the Single-Six .32 mag

My KM77VT .220 Swift proved to be a damn good rifle, don't feel that I'd gain anything without spending a tremendous amount on a custom.


The SR556 will no doubt be a good entry level AR, having a couple of definite value points over much of its competition. As such, it's a great option for those who, for whatever reason, don't wish to build one. However, it is my not-so-humble opinion that the same amount of money gets one more gun from PSA, whether building or buying complete:

http://palmettostatearmory.com/inde...stainless-mid-length-1-7-freedom-carbine.html

It also surprises me that they opted for a carbine length instead of middy, having to compete with the cheaper DPMS and bushmaster offerings, and leaving PSA and Armalite the only fish in the budget priced factory middy market.
 
Why in heavens name would an American company want to make an AK knockoff? AKs are crudely designed and made bullet hoses (yeah I have 5 of them but they are what they are). Want an AK, just go buy one.

As for innovation, the Ruger LCR (polymer framed revolver) was pretty innovative. The Mini 14 was pretty innovative for it's time. The 10/22 was innovative (rotary mag, etc). I could probably think up a bunch more innovative things Ruger has come out with.

Let's face it, nearly all guns made by anyone are just variations of just a few designs.

And yes, Ruger's old semi auto pistols were pretty clunky but their new SR pistols are actually pretty good and in the same class as S&W and similar guns. Ruger will likely never be thought of as a high end maker no matter what they do. They are working man guns.

BTW, I think you will see something innovative come out of Ruger by the end of the year.

Oh, and even though Iv'e built a couple PSA ARs pretty cheap, I would still rather have one that said "Ruger" on it.
 
Last edited:
I'd like to clarify that I don't dislike Ruger at all. In fact, most of the guns on my "must buy" list are Rugers. I think one would be hard pressed to find another manufacturer that makes guns as rugged and durable as Ruger within that price point.

My issue was more with the recent marketing campaign that built excitement and anticipation for new guns that just turned out to be rechamberings of existing designs and yet another entry level AR. While highly anti-climactic, it was a sound business decision on the part of Ruger who are just catering to the banal tastes of the consumer base.

This is not a great time to be a firearms enthusiast whose tastes and interests are counter to the current popular firearms trends. I only see it getting worse over the next decade.
 
When Bubba decides he's going to jump on the AR bandwagon, it is likely he won't have heard of most of the budget AR companies out there, and he'll balk at the price for a Remington AR.

But Bubba owns and shoots Rugers, and likes them.

Bubba is also looking for a gun at a price point that won't result in his wife making him sleep on the couch for a week.

I predict Ruger will sell an astonishing number of these rifles based on branding and price alone.

And that's a good thing for all of us.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
mac66 said:
Why in heavens name would an American company want to make an AK knockoff? AKs are crudely designed and made bullet hoses (yeah I have 5 of them but they are what they are). Want an AK, just go buy one......
Click to expand...

Sig Sauer 556R ? Not a PRECISE AK 47 copy but examine the guts and tell me they didn't evolve from the AK.
 
If we are going to huff and puff about American made AKs then let's not talk about how we like mosins, sks, Beretta designs, FN, Sig, Walther, any of the Tokarev or other surplus guns or foreign designs being made better and sold cheaper here than if they "stayed over yonder" yes AK rifles are plentiful for low-end minute of barn door accuracy variants but then there's a huge void and then Arsenal. It would be fantastic to have the AK or any of those others made here and sold sans import costs...and some are now. Glock is a great example...they put a plant on US soil and we have more guns available. Build a plant punching out $700 AKs and maybe we can get some truly nice stuff rather than the crap we currently see and we don't have to worry about how many foreign parts we bolt to it. Ruger might be the company to do it, maybe not but somebody should. If nothing else it will give an option to guys like me who greatly dislike the AR platform ergonomics. While building my AK with an investment cast reciever with a few finishing touches maybe I could get a dragunov and an RPK from the same place. Design work is done, the selling point of a name is out there...build it and they will buy.

back to the show where Ruger jumped into a flooded market with a gun that has no special features to distinguish it from the rest of the pack...
 
Stock AR-15? MSRP $749? So if I can pick one up for $650, I will do so! That is half of what I paid for my BCM and I certainly won't feel as bad if it gets stolen.
 
Ruger needs to bring back the .44 mag carbine. Man, I loved that gun! Maybe the perfect "bush" gun with it's short length and virtually no recoil (don't castigate me but did I mentioned I really liked that gun?).

Keltec is the most innovative company in the business and is constantly bringing out new and different firearms yet you can find 10k threads on THR where people are bashing them for not being able to produce enough of their new guns to meet demand or that they didn't do enough testing to get it right. New designs and innovations take money and TIME which is why it is easier for the big companies to introduce their "new" versions of guns that have been around for a while.
I want a 22HMR pocket semi-auto. I have a PMR(darn that KT) and love it but it doesn't fit in my pocket well.
 
At least now when new AR buyers come to the forums and ask what their first AR should be, we can have an answer other than 'S&W Sport'.
 
There is no such thing as too many ARs. Every company that makes one has their own spin on it, and if you don't like those, you can build your own. It won't be going away anytime soon.

Besides the standard hand-guards and the rear sights, I like the new offering from Ruger. Might buy one myself instead of build one out of laziness.
 
This clearly puts the AR into the "common use" realm making AR variants nearly impossible to ban based on the Supreme Court's past decisions.

Somebody in a ban state needs to test those laws in the courts now. Have a feeling this would be huge win for our side.
 
Somebody in a ban state needs to test those laws in the courts now. Have a feeling this would be huge win for our side.
Click to expand...

Already happened - and this year at that. The federal judge involved ruled at summary judgment that semi-auto rifles, including AR15s, were the type of "dangerous and unusual" weapon that were not protected by the Second Amendment and upheld the ban.
 
Already happened - and this year at that. The federal judge involved ruled at summary judgment that semi-auto rifles, including AR15s, were the type of "dangerous and unusual" weapon that were not protected by the Second Amendment and upheld the ban.
Click to expand...

Very interesting - I'd like to look a little more in to that. What was the name of the case?
 
Bartholomew Roberts said:
Already happened - and this year at that. The federal judge involved ruled at summary judgment that semi-auto rifles, including AR15s, were the type of "dangerous and unusual" weapon that were not protected by the Second Amendment and upheld the ban.
Click to expand...

Obviously letting political bias instead of common sense rule his judgment.

The AR15 being what a modern militia would carry is absolutely protected by the Second Amendment.
 
Well, there are approximately 300,000,000 guns in this country, and of those guns, they claimed that only 5,000,000 of them were AR15s, so as a result, AR15s aren't common.

The claim, of course, is completely politically motivated, and AR15s and other box-magazine-fed semi-autos appear to be rare when compared to the other hundreds of millions of guns that have been in circulation for the better part of a century.

To claim that the nation's most popular modern sporting rifle isn't common is tantamount to claiming that water isn't wet.

FWIW, the Heller decision did explicitly hold that the 2nd Amendment covers a right to own guns for self defense, so we've got that going for us.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

L
  • Locked
New Ruger polymer wheely!
2 3
Replies
53
Views
3K
slzy
S
AR556
  • Locked
Sport II VS Ruger AR-556
2
Replies
26
Views
44K
hdwhit
H
6
  • Locked
No, Ruger, no (SR556 6.8)
Replies
2
Views
728
Tirod
T
K
  • Locked
How far are we from quality $299.99 AR15s?
2 3
Replies
56
Views
3K
Robert
Robert
G
  • Locked
Ruger SSR-556
2
Replies
25
Views
1K
Z-Michigan
Z
Back
Top