Ruger Precision Rifle Gen 2 Unboxing
Getting into precision rifle shooting can seem a little daunting at first. If you go to a local match, or look on the internet, many of the shooters are using custom rifles, or high-end factory guns like the Accuracy International rifles. On top of that, add a high quality scope that could cost $2,000-$4,000. Up until the last couple years, there weren't a lot of lower cost factory actions that would work well, without at least some modification. While a new shooter could buy a gun at a big box store, most of the available rifles would need to add a detachable magazine system, a better stock and most likely a threaded barrel. Additionally, most of the major manufacturers would only make the "tactical" rifles in 308 Winchester or 223 Remington, meaning that the new rifle would need a new barrel to compete with the 6.5mm and 6mm rifles frequently used in competition.
Enter The Ruger Precision Rifle
I own several Ruger firearms, a 10/22, a model 77 Mark II, 22/45 Lite pistol and a Mini-14. While I think of them as decent quality rifles, I have never really thought of them as cutting edge tactical. Back when I bought the Mini-14, it was nearly impossible to find high capacity magazines. That was partly because of the '93 Assault Weapons Ban, but even after the ban sunsetted, it seemed that Ruger was really only interested in selling magazines with more than a 10 round capacity to Law Enforcement.
Then came the Ruger Precision Rifle. While I certainly understand the arguments about how "precision" this rifle is, I do believe that they helped to light a fire in the gun industry to start paying attention to what the consumers are looking for.
The Ruger Precision Rifle offered the average shooter a rifle that came with a fully adjustable stock, 60 degree bolt throw, built in 20 MOA scope rail, interchangeable box magazines (compatible with more than one type of magazine), a free float handguard compatible with AR-15 rifles, a threaded barrel that can be replaced by a user familiar with replacing an AR-15 barrel and a grip/safety design very familiar to AR shooters. The rifle, which is more expensive than a basic hunting style rifle, needs very little to no modification to allow a shooter to go out and compete in a long range match, or just get in to long distance shooting. Even those RPR owners that weren't entirely satisfied with the rifle as it came from the factory were able to add a different butt-stock, grip, handguard and barrel and still spend less total money than another shooter buying a custom rifle.
Generation 2:
Despite the Ruger Precision Rifle selling well enough that few gun stores seem to be able to keep them in stock, Ruger still introduced an updated version of the rifle, most notably replacing the original handguard and plastic bolt extension and adding a muzzle brake.
They also dropped the 243 Winchester offering to take advantage of the fact that Hornady announced they would be producing 6mm Creedmoor loaded ammunition. With the rifle available in 308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor, a newer shooter can buy a rifle in a caliber that will immediately allow them to be on a similar ballistic playing field to the professional shooters. (Obviously learning to shoot like a pro will still take time, effort and rounds down range.)
Magazine Options:
One of the things that I really like about the RPR is the option to use multiple types of magazines. As I mentioned about the lack of quality of off-the-rack rifles above, many of the manufacturers used to offer, or still offer, rifles that use a proprietary magazine system that may be expensive, hard to find and limited in capacity.
The reigning king of the precision rifle magazine in the competition world seems to be the Accuracy International AICS pattern magazines. While they are not inexpensive, they are known for being durable and reliable. Magpul recently released a polymer version of the AICS magazine that costs around $40, about half of a metal AI magazine. The RPR will accept the AICS magazines, but also accept DPMS pattern AR-308 magazines, which if we look at the Magpul options again, cost around $20-$25 and come in sizes from 5 rounds for hunting to 25 rounds. The RPR will even reportedly take some M-14 magazines, giving the shooter multiple options for feeding the rifle.
A Gun To Learn With:
One of the main reasons that I was drawn to this gun was as a training platform for my wife and kids. My wife and 14 year old daughter have gone with me to several of the local matches. They have both expressed interest in shooting the matches, but my current Remington 700 set-up doesn't fit either one of them well. They can get behind the gun and shoot okay from a prone position, but any other movement becomes difficult and they have difficulty getting behind the scope.
With the adjustability of the RPR stock, it will be easy to adjust the rifle for my wife and/or daughter and I can switch back and forth between the two of them. We will see if there is an affective way to place witness marks to make repeat adjustments easier.
Ideally they will be able to put in some practice and eventually be comfortable using the Ruger Precision Rifle to try out some of the local matches.
A Changing Gun Industry:
Whether or not you are a fan of the Ruger Precision Rifle, I think it is important to note what the rifle has done in the gun industry. Ruger was one of the first major companies to offer a rifle that was designed for the current long range precision rifle market. They created a gun that could be used as-is, but still had a lot of upgrade options.
Since the RPR was introduced, there has been a lot of manufacturers coming out with rifles that accept AICS magazines, shoot the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, have adjustable chassis systems and come threaded and ready to install a brake or suppressor. It is nice to see more rifles geared towards the Precision Rifle Series type competitions that don't require a lot of alterations before they can be used.
What are your thoughts on the Ruger Precision Rifle? Let me know in the comment section below.
Enter The Ruger Precision Rifle
I own several Ruger firearms, a 10/22, a model 77 Mark II, 22/45 Lite pistol and a Mini-14. While I think of them as decent quality rifles, I have never really thought of them as cutting edge tactical. Back when I bought the Mini-14, it was nearly impossible to find high capacity magazines. That was partly because of the '93 Assault Weapons Ban, but even after the ban sunsetted, it seemed that Ruger was really only interested in selling magazines with more than a 10 round capacity to Law Enforcement.
Then came the Ruger Precision Rifle. While I certainly understand the arguments about how "precision" this rifle is, I do believe that they helped to light a fire in the gun industry to start paying attention to what the consumers are looking for.
The Ruger Precision Rifle offered the average shooter a rifle that came with a fully adjustable stock, 60 degree bolt throw, built in 20 MOA scope rail, interchangeable box magazines (compatible with more than one type of magazine), a free float handguard compatible with AR-15 rifles, a threaded barrel that can be replaced by a user familiar with replacing an AR-15 barrel and a grip/safety design very familiar to AR shooters. The rifle, which is more expensive than a basic hunting style rifle, needs very little to no modification to allow a shooter to go out and compete in a long range match, or just get in to long distance shooting. Even those RPR owners that weren't entirely satisfied with the rifle as it came from the factory were able to add a different butt-stock, grip, handguard and barrel and still spend less total money than another shooter buying a custom rifle.
Generation 2:
Despite the Ruger Precision Rifle selling well enough that few gun stores seem to be able to keep them in stock, Ruger still introduced an updated version of the rifle, most notably replacing the original handguard and plastic bolt extension and adding a muzzle brake.
They also dropped the 243 Winchester offering to take advantage of the fact that Hornady announced they would be producing 6mm Creedmoor loaded ammunition. With the rifle available in 308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor and 6mm Creedmoor, a newer shooter can buy a rifle in a caliber that will immediately allow them to be on a similar ballistic playing field to the professional shooters. (Obviously learning to shoot like a pro will still take time, effort and rounds down range.)
Magazine Options:
One of the things that I really like about the RPR is the option to use multiple types of magazines. As I mentioned about the lack of quality of off-the-rack rifles above, many of the manufacturers used to offer, or still offer, rifles that use a proprietary magazine system that may be expensive, hard to find and limited in capacity.
The reigning king of the precision rifle magazine in the competition world seems to be the Accuracy International AICS pattern magazines. While they are not inexpensive, they are known for being durable and reliable. Magpul recently released a polymer version of the AICS magazine that costs around $40, about half of a metal AI magazine. The RPR will accept the AICS magazines, but also accept DPMS pattern AR-308 magazines, which if we look at the Magpul options again, cost around $20-$25 and come in sizes from 5 rounds for hunting to 25 rounds. The RPR will even reportedly take some M-14 magazines, giving the shooter multiple options for feeding the rifle.
A Gun To Learn With:
One of the main reasons that I was drawn to this gun was as a training platform for my wife and kids. My wife and 14 year old daughter have gone with me to several of the local matches. They have both expressed interest in shooting the matches, but my current Remington 700 set-up doesn't fit either one of them well. They can get behind the gun and shoot okay from a prone position, but any other movement becomes difficult and they have difficulty getting behind the scope.
With the adjustability of the RPR stock, it will be easy to adjust the rifle for my wife and/or daughter and I can switch back and forth between the two of them. We will see if there is an affective way to place witness marks to make repeat adjustments easier.
Ideally they will be able to put in some practice and eventually be comfortable using the Ruger Precision Rifle to try out some of the local matches.
A Changing Gun Industry:
Whether or not you are a fan of the Ruger Precision Rifle, I think it is important to note what the rifle has done in the gun industry. Ruger was one of the first major companies to offer a rifle that was designed for the current long range precision rifle market. They created a gun that could be used as-is, but still had a lot of upgrade options.
Since the RPR was introduced, there has been a lot of manufacturers coming out with rifles that accept AICS magazines, shoot the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge, have adjustable chassis systems and come threaded and ready to install a brake or suppressor. It is nice to see more rifles geared towards the Precision Rifle Series type competitions that don't require a lot of alterations before they can be used.
What are your thoughts on the Ruger Precision Rifle? Let me know in the comment section below.
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