At the National Rifle Association’s annual convention last week, Ruger announced their new SR556 rifle. It’s an AR15 clone, chambered for the 5.56mm NATO/.223 Remington. The “SR,” of course, stands for Sturm, Ruger.
The buzz on the Internet gun boards is one of disappointment. Ho, hum, another drop in the great sea of cloned AR15 semiautomatic rifles. And, of outrage: “$1995 manufacturer’s suggested retail price?!? They’re out of their minds!!”
I have to respectfully disagree with both assessments.
The founder of the company, the late William B. Ruger, Sr., was a friend of mine. He positioned his namesake company as a leading manufacturer of robust, high quality, high value firearms that were, for the most part, “sporting arms.” Bill garnered the lasting enmity of hard core gun rights activists many years ago when he supported a ten-round magazine capacity cap, long before the Bill Clinton Assault Weapons Ban, which thankfully sunsetted in 2004. I discussed it with him, and disagreed to his face. He told me he did it because he dealt face-to-face with the elected officials on Capitol Hill, and they told him that the anti-gunners were presenting themselves as the voice of reason and compromise, while the pro-gun people were seen in Congress as intractable and not giving an inch.
The introduction of this rifle by Sturm, Ruger strikes me as a positive turnaround in a number of ways that go beyond the hardware. It follows the introduction of their tiny, pocket size LCP .380 concealed carry pistol and the reinstatement last year of sales to the general public of 20-round magazines for their popular Mini-14 .223 rifles. I see that as a tacit admission that, yes, defensive firearms and not just hunting or target guns are OK for ordinary people to own and use, dammit.
A few years ago another major player in the hunting/target rifle field, Remington, introduced their own AR15 clone, the R15, which they sell as a hunting rifle. (Remington is owned by Cerberus, which also encompasses two major AR15 manufacturers, Bushmaster and DPMS.) In a time when our new President has blatantly announced that he would like to ban such “assault rifles,” the Remington and now the Ruger introduction of AR15s signals a growing public acceptance of a paradigm shift that says even more convincingly, “It’s OK to have these rifles.”
“The Second Amendment isn’t about duck hunting or target shooting.” I personally believe every law-abiding citizen has a right to have these guns. But it helps our argument when it is realized that the AR15 is the gun that for years has been winning the National rifle championships at Camp Perry, Ohio, and has been accepted as an ideal tool for eradicating large fields of disease-bearing prairie dogs, and for humanely destroying marauding coyotes. And for that alone I say, “Good for Ruger!”
As to the price, careful analysis shows that it’s not really unreasonable. First, this is a piston-action AR, which historically has cost significantly more than the original gas-operated Stoner design. Second, it comes with pricey, top-quality components such as MagPul magazines (high capacity, thank you very much, and three per rifle) and premier grade BUIS (back-up iron sights) from Troy Industries. Couple that with the fact that even in today’s sellers’ market, Rugers generally go out the gun shop door for less than MSRP. May not be the bargain of the century, but you’ll get good value received.
I hope to have my hands on one of these rifles next month. If that works out, I’ll let all y’all know how it performs.
I have to say I’m a little hesitant. For the same price a buyer can get a Wilson, LB or any number of other very reputable ARs. While I love my 10/22 and M77 as well as Rugers revolvers, they have been putting out poor quality auto pistols for as long as I can remember. I’ll stick with something proven
Assuming that the Ruger streets for roughly 1,895, it does sound like it has enough extra value to warrant the price. I guess the Sig 556 isn’t priced much less and probably doesn’t come with 3 mags.
I imagine that Ruger will actually ship these and they won’t be an urban myth like the FN SCAR.
Well Said !
Jon
WooHoo Ruger! I can’t say enough about them. The LCP recently returned was out of my hands only 5 days and recieved extra accessories for free. I’ve had Ruger’s for years, but now am even a bigger fan. Doubt that I can afford that 556SR though. Thanks Mas!
I understand MSRP is seldom what a firearm sells for. Still, the 1995.00 is a shocker. The sad reality is that any quality item made in america is costing more. I do love the piston operating system and that it can be adjusted like an FN. Why reinvent the wheel. It seems, although I don’t have the materials at hand to check, is that 1995 for a gas-piston AR-15 type platform is quite a bit cheaper than others on the market. If it operates as reliable, accurate and cleaner than the gas-impingement design, it is a winner.
Looks like the S&W M&P 15T that I have…same sights, same rails…but will run cooler and cleaner. PLUS 2 extra mags, and is only $111 more than the M&P. That’s a darn good price.
Looking forward to your review Mas. Kudos to Ruger.
Well said, Mas. I think people are missing the point on the “platform redefined”. It doesn’t need to be made of polymer, or cleaned with pixie dust. Remington might sell an AR, but you can’t have it in black. I think Ruger just officially “mainstreamed” it. And that’s not insignificant.
Rugers are great! Reliable, rugged, and for the most part very accurate. Good points about the AR15s winning matches and really serving a purpose in being a very accurate .223 varmint caliber. This is the kind of information the public, [and the president] need to hear more of! Hats off to you for the recognition, and distinction!
I just listened to Michael Bane’s most recent podcast, and I feel that the option to crank up or down the gas system to make sure you can run any ammo, sounds like a feature worth the extra dollars alone.
I’m certain that I’m not the only reader of this blog that has Ammo that wouldn’t run one of his guns, Heck- I even bought a S&W 617 because I had boxes of .22lr that wouldn’t run anywhere else. 😉
Wow! Your endorsement of this gun carries alot of weight with me. A lot of the history of Ruger and the politics involved I did not know. Keep up the good work!
I noticed that also. To be honest I am still not entirely sold on the whole piston driven design at least for my civilian purposes; though we do need it for the military. I am already vested and trained in the direct gas design. Love the idea of a cleaner and cooler running AR but want to wait until the kinks get taken out first in terms of reliability and long term life, preferably with wide military servicing.
Got to fondle and shoot a gas piston AR last week. I liked it. I forget who the MFG was. Shot nice, price tag was @ $1500 off the shelve.
I can build 2 AR’s for that.
I liked it, but the price tag…. ouch
Mas I agree that it is not a horrible deal. I agree that it is a good step for Ruger to redeem itself. But it doesnt fit into my budget or needs unfortunately.
Another point is that from a business standpoint, Ruger needs to make a slightly high end AR. If it goes low end it might as well discontinue the Mini-14/30 line. So while I am disappointed by the price tag, it makes sense.
If I have an issue with Ruger it is that they are making statements more than making innovative guns. Great, they came up with the LCP and show commitment to CCW…it looks like a bloody Kel-Tec (I admit it is better in a few respects). They came up with the SR556, great they are trying to bury the ghosts of the AWB, there are a million ARs types out there. About the only truly intriguing thing I have seen from them recently is the LCR. That is the Ruger I know and love.
has there been a recall on this rifle yet?
I think to be fair on the price of this new rifle we need to make sure we’re comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges. The use of the piston gas system is the major advantage to this system. To be fair that needs to be kept in mind, at least from my point of view.
Mas:
I thought “SR” stood for “Sig Replica,” as the two rifles share many features.
Second, did you forget about the original piston AR, the -180? The new-gen B models produced (until recently, it seems) by Armalite could regularly be had for much less than their gas-impingement cousins. I own two; I purchased my second just a few months ago for $800. Try doing that with an Adams kit and an M4-gery!
Mike in Montana
good looking rifle. considering the features (mags,rails, rail guards, flip up sights, multi-pos stock, piston action)
the price seem justified.
however not all of us have the resources to pick up every new rifle that comes along.
I’ve got an m&p and have invested a lot in it.
the rifle is outstanding. great groups out to 250 yds, which suits my needs perfectly
if your just entering the market it might make sense to pick one up
but if you already own another platform that you’ve built up and grown accustomed to why would you bother.
picking up a new platform should always be done while being mindful of the family budget. (at least for me)
Actually, the price is comparable to other gas-piston AR platforms currently on the market. Bushmaster has one with a MSRP of $1795.00, they also make piston kits to convert your existing AR into a gas-piston action for around $400. With all the extras that come standard with the SR556 it would be hard to decide IMHO. I don’t think this rifle would necessarily make the mini 14/30 rifles any less desireable. They are solid reliable rifles that still have a place in any gun cabinet.
This price isn’t the bad point. That is, unless it comes with Ruger’s hit or miss barrel history.
If indeed, Ruger puts a quality barrel on it, then it has great potential. The next question will be the piston’s harmonic vibration, and any resultant effect on accuracy.
The final question will be reliability, and especially that of the piston section of the mechanism. If that’s “Ruger-reliable”, then I think they’ll have a winner.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Mas,
I’m a little late to the party, but I wanted to drop in on this, given Ruger’s recent history. I will admit though that they have been first-rate in fixing problems though.
Since it’s a Ruger, better give them a year or two to get the “kinks” worked out and have their recall first.
Look at Ruger’s history. It seems that just about everything they have put out recently has needed a recall and retro-fit. I think they are using the customer as a Beta-Tester.
My momma didn’t raise me to be a Beta-Tester for anybody.
Biker
I was at Discount Firearms in Las Vegas and they had this rifle for sale (NIB, with the 3 pmags, etc.) for $1499.
I love my sub MOA mini14 NRA and won’t be wasteing my money on a SR556 as they had a bad first batch that blew up. My mini’s never break and the nra is as accurate as a SR556. Besides I used a M1 in basic and m14’s after that and like the simple trustworthy design.
Oldarmy