Torture Testing The New Ruger AR-556 (it shoots like my $400 AR)

[U201491]

Well there are very few of the same model guns available in both piston and DI. It seems like a relevant discussion. And I would hardly call it a slug fest. I think properly designed piston guns are at the very least interesting and quite possibly superior, at least equal to there DI counterparts. My issue is dismissing the DI guns as dirty, POS unreliable guns as its simply not true..

The Ruger SR556 retails for $1995. The AR556 for $749

The SR piston gun weighs 7.9 pounds, the AR DI gun 6.5.

My view is why would you spend over twice as much for a gun that weighs 15% more and takes non standard parts? Because all the cool kids are?

The DI M-16 is the most accurate and reliable duty rifle ever issued by the US military. I read that on the internet so it must be true.

SWAT magazine has a project rifle they call "Filthy 14" It is a AR that currently has over 40,000 rounds though it, Its been cleaned once at 26K rounds. In that time they have replaced less than $100 worth of wear parts (springs mostly but they did break a bolt) That is not an anomaly, That is what a little bit of oil does to the rifle. The AR DI platform is solid, The piston hype is a solution in search of a problem. There is nothing wrong with a piston gun, Its just not necessary to have a reliable rifle and thinking that it is somehow required to turn the AR platform into a reliable platform is asinine


I think Ruger coming out with a DI gun that is less than half the cost of the SR556 is a great move. It puts a Ruger logo on a rifle more folks can afford and I suspect that it will outsell the SR series over time.

All pretty much right on. The SR556 E model is a bit over 1K in the right place.
I like the DI and would not disparage any of them. THe biggest point I like is the quiet smoothness and the coolness of the bolt and receiver with the Piston. A BIG difference there.
I don't think the DI will ever go away, and I don't think the Piston will ever become as prolific as the DI.
It is a proven action and it performs.

 

[chemist]

Excellent insights, 3MTA3 and everybody. Now I'm more confused and unsure than ever.

 

[3MTA3]

Excellent insights, 3MTA3 and everybody. Now I'm more confused and unsure than ever.

Confusion is part of the fun.

I think that the AR is by far the most over analyzed platform. When I was figuring them out probably 90% of everything I read was a distraction or misinformation. Nutnfancy's videos on youtube gave me the most reliable information as well as the concept of the weapon's Philosophy of Use (POU), and using that to make decisions about the rifle and it's configuration. A really great AR video he did is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJASJhcFQSc

If you go to the AR specific forums like ar15.com and to a lesser extent m4carbine.net and look at the builds you will see very few that are purpose built as opposed to built for cool factor of the latest fashion. Purpose built rifles stand out from the herd once you think in terms of POU.

 

[IronMonster]

Confusion is part of the fun.

I think that the AR is by far the most over analyzed platform. When I was figuring them out probably 90% of everything I read was a distraction or misinformation. Nutnfancy's videos on youtube gave me the most reliable information as well as the concept of the weapon's Philosophy of Use (POU), and using that to make decisions about the rifle and it's configuration. A really great AR video he did is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=OJASJhcFQSc

If you go to the AR specific forums like ar15.com and to a lesser extent m4carbine.net and look at the builds you will see very few that are purpose built as opposed to built for cool factor of the latest fashion. Purpose built rifles stand out from the herd once you think in terms of POU.

Yep, Truth be told 95% of these guns will never be fired enough that any of these issues will ever matter.

 

[3MTA3]

At 40 - 50 cents per bullet if you don't reload you are correct.

 

[nwtech]

Or you could refuse to support Ruger due to their history....
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

 

[IronMonster]

Well.... I dont agree with Bill Ruger, He sold us out. I also try not to hold things against people who have been dead for over a decade

 

[clearconscience]

I really don't pay much attention to gun testing for new AR rifles. Any AR I've had there's always a bunch of things you want to change out or upgrade.
I look for a good base that is cheap, because I know half of it is getting swapped out.
So unless your going with a $1600 and up AR might as well find a $600-700 one and then spend time, research, and money buying good internal upgrades.

 

[IronMonster]

I really don't pay much attention to gun testing for new AR rifles. Any AR I've had there's always a bunch of things you want to change out or upgrade.
I look for a good base that is cheap, because I know half of it is getting swapped out.
So unless your going with a $1600 and up AR might as well find a $600-700 one and then spend time, research, and money buying good internal upgrades.

Really I think the majority of AR's these days are not sold new as rifles. I have a pile of AR's, off the top of my head I dont thing a one of them was bought as a factory rifle. There are factory rifles I would like to own but like you say they are all $1500+ and in reality $1500 will build a heck of an AR if you choose the parts wisely.

To me a $600-$700 new AR is likely the worst thing you could buy if you had something specific you wanted to build. A $600 AR is going to be the most generic thing there is. Unless you want to leave it bone stock you are buying a bunch of stuff that you will simply take off and discard. Much better off to buy the parts you want and screw them on to a receiver yourself

 

[Ironbar]

Build your own, it's pretty simple, and you can slowly purchase the parts as you have the cash. The one I recently built for my gal is a tackdriver at 25 yards

It's pretty hard for any modern rifle NOT to be a "tack driver" (God I hate that phrase nowadays) at 25 yards!

 

[MountainBear]

Or you could refuse to support Ruger due to their history....
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

Quite true. I don't support Bill Ruger's position on magazine capacity. But to be fair, Ruger has come leaps and bounds since the passing of Bill Ruger. I won't disparage Bill's contributions to the gun world, as he gave us some fantastic designs, but lets be honest. Ruger's R&D department has gone fantastically bananas since his passing. On direct point, they now sell standard capacity magazines, which I think helped resurrect the viability of the mini-14 platform, as most aftermarket mags for that platform leave a lot to be desired. And their BX-25 mags are some of the best 25-round mags available for the 10/22. Besides those things, they've introduced several new semi-auto guns and several new pistols, all of which would have been unheard of with Bill at the helm.

So, you are quite right, I will refuse to support Bill Ruger (may he rest in peace) and his archaic positions of civilian ownership of semi-auto guns and standard capacity magazines. I will, however, continue to support Ruger as a company, as they have adapted, make a quality product (even with a few recalls tossed in), and are still made in the USA. Seems like they've come a long way. Perhaps you need to reevaluate?

 

[soberups]

Or you could refuse to support Ruger due to their history....
http://www.thegunzone.com/rkba/papabill.html

There's a reason its called "history" and I see no point in holding today's Ruger responsible for the misguided views of a man who has been dead for over a decade now. Today's Ruger sells high-capacity magazines for my 10/22 and my Mini-30 as well as for any number of quality handguns.