The Ruger AR-556
When
it comes to rifles in the U.S., none has ever been more popular than
the AR-15. I personally think that one of the reasons for the
mind-numbing popularity of the AR-15 is because the platform has a
military-proven pedigree, can be had at a reasonable price, and is
ear-to-ear-smile fun all day long. It makes perfect sense then, that
Ruger would make it a point to market an AR rifle for everyday Americans
– because providing quality affordable guns to mainstream America is
what Ruger does. And it did it with the
AR-556.
The Ruger AR-556 brings a quality black rifle to the “every home” market at a sweet price. Photo: Ruger.
That
said; one concern I had when I heard that Ruger was going to produce an
AR-15 was that they might Ruger-ize it mechanically, by adding extra
safeties or creating some sort of proprietary aspect. They have been
known to be a bit overzealous in those areas in the past. Either of
those would have rendered the rifle good for propping open doors, but
little else in my opinion. Thankfully, the engineers at Ruger seem to
have agreed. This rifle is essentially a mil-spec basic kit in a box.
Don’t worry, if you are a Ruger fanatic there is nothing to fear – Ruger
stamped their name and logo in just about every spot they could think
of on the AR-556, but tastefully. What Ruger has given us is as close to
a generic direct gas impingement black rifle as anyone, but with just
the right amount of Ruger “flavor.” And, when I say ‘generic’ I mean it
in a positive way. There is literally no shortage of AR builders in the
marketplace that each try to separate from the pack by customizing the
rifle, or adding more bling, or both. What they do, in reality is the
opposite, especially when it comes to the new buyer. Buying a firearm
can be intimidating for the unseasoned, and the AR platform is likely
the most so. Ruger did what very few others have done by making the
purchase of an AR-15 easy and comforting. They make it easy by building a
“just what you need” rifle that doesn’t intimidate your skillset or
wallet (with an MSRP of $799), and they make it comforting because –
well, simply because the box says “Ruger”.
The
gas block, milled from billet, has a serrated ramp leading up to the
front sight post, and below includes a bayonet lug and QD socket.
WHAT MATTERS MOST
I
said before that Ruger didn’t “Ruger-ize” this rifle. What they didn’t
do was negatively change the specifications of the rifle in such a way
that would either detract from its usefulness, or create a proprietary
parts list. One thing Ruger did do that impressed this writer, was
created a Delta ring that one person who has only two hands can remove –
without tools or a vise. The Delta ring was designed so that one person
could easily remove the handguard. Traditional AR Delta ring removal
requires pulling rearward against some significant resistance, while
simultaneously turning the ring, which can be tight. Unless you have a
vise handy this can sometimes require the help of another person. With
the Ruger AR-556, all you need to do is simply twist to loosen, and
twist to tighten. It works wonderfully, and unless Ruger has a patent on
it, we might start seeing this copied a lot.
The barrel of the AR-556 is topped with a Ruger-style flash suppressor and has a 1:8-inch rate of twist. Photo: Ruger.
A
cold hammer-forged 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel with 1:8″ twist rate
should handle bullets from 35 to 77 grains nicely, and the chamber is
5.56 NATO. The barrel is finished off with matte black oxide which
reduces glare and provides corrosion resistance. The barrel is not
lined, nor is it coated. No chrome, no Melonite. In part, this keeps
costs down. You can’t build a frills gun and sell it at a no-frills
price. It is very likely too that the people at Ruger understand the
reality that very few rifle owners are going to shoot out the barrel.
It’s fun to put on tactical pants and skip a shave and talk about
whether chrome lining or Melonite coating is better for accuracy and
long barrel life – but in the real world, very few people will use their
sporting rifle to the extent that it matters. And frankly, those who
will are not looking at this rifle – except as a gift idea for a family
member.
The pistol grip and other furniture bear the Ruger logo and are good quality.
Ruger
did put money into the rifle in several places – just the right places,
I think. The gas block that is milled from billet was one of the first
things that caught my eye. The ramp up to the front sight post (which is
adjustable for elevation) is nicely serrated to eliminate glare. It
also has a quick-disconnect (QD) socket and the always necessary bayonet
lug. Just rear of that is the most lackluster piece of furniture on the
rifle in my opinion, the plastic handguard. It is the epitome of “no
frills”, but it serves its purpose. Again, money saved here lets you
take the rifle home cheap and upgrade later. The gas tube runs inside
that, taking us back to the upper receiver. This is where Ruger cut no
corners. The fit and finish is nice, and the parts are high quality
materials and well made. The bolt carrier’s inside diameter and the gas
key’s inside diameter are both chrome-plated, which should provide very
good resistance to hot gases. The gas key is staked so that it will not
loosen after extensive firing. Once again, a matte black oxide finish
on the exterior of the bolt carrier provides corrosion resistance. The
bolt itself is machined from 9310 alloy steel and is shot peened and
pressure tested to ensure strength, structural integrity and durability.
The six-position telescoping stock includes a sling mounting ring, and of course – the Ruger logo.
The
upper receiver is a flattop, made from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum
forging, and includes a forward assist, dust cover and brass
deflector, and is Type III hard coat anodized for maximum durability.
The flattop includes an adequate portion of 1913 Picatinny rail, some of
which is occupied by the flip-up rear sight. Mounting a short
electronic optic can be done without removing the rear sight, but if you
want a full-length scope on it, that rear sight has to come off. It’s
easy if you have the right sized hex wrench, but the nut is not captured
and easy to lose if you’re not careful. A scope mounted with just
medium height rings easily clears the front post for a clear look down
range.
Moving back along the mil-spec buffer tube, Ruger has
equipped the AR-556 with a six-position adjustable stock. It proudly
bears the Ruger logo, so the question of who supplies it remains a
mystery for the moment. It is the essential stock we’ve come to expect
on our sporting rifle, and though the cheek weld is a wee bit sparse,
it’s a nice stock and it locks firmly into each position. It also
includes a sling mount ring, an appreciated touch.
The lower
receiver is also well built from top material and the fit between upper
and lower on our test rifle was nice and snug. The pistol grip is a
polymer material with some stippling for grip. I found it comfortable
and practical, and as it does not have that annoying A2 protrusion for
giant-sized fingers, I was pleased! The trigger is a single stage
mil-spec type, and nothing to write home about. It is heavy and gritty,
just like single-stage-mil-spec triggers are – but I found it to be
consistent and it did not really prevent me from shooting respectable
groups. If the buyer wants to sink $100+ into a new trigger, I have no
doubt it will improve the rifle – but the average new buyer doesn’t need
to pay for a trigger they can’t appreciate right off the bat. Once
again, Ruger made smart choices with respect to which elements to spend
the money on.
Ruger
didn’t skimp on the important parts. The AR-556 has quality components
throughout. And yes, the gas key is staked… do we really have to say so?
SHOOTING THE RUGER AR-556
The
AR-556 is a shooter. During extensive evaluation and testing with this
rifle, I put somewhere around five-hundred rounds through it. And the
ammo ran the whole spectrum – from bargain bulk buy stuff, to the “
holy crap, they want how much… for how many!?” exotic
brands. I shot everything from 40 grains to 77 grains, and at varying
distances and with different sighting systems. The rifle performed well
through all of it, proving beyond any doubt that it can perform better
than I can.
Starting
with the open sights, it’s an easy rifle to get acquainted with. The
front post is adjustable for elevation, and the rear flip-up sight is
adjustable for windage. I didn’t make any adjustments to them because
they were “close enough” out of the box for the ranges I’d be using
them. Putting on a quality electronic optic like the Aimpoint PRO,
allowed me to stretch the distance a little and increase the precision
of my aim. But where I really started to learn that this Ruger rifle is
serious was when I mounted a good quality scope. I was fortunate to have
Burris provide their excellent
AR-5.56 4.5-14x 42mm scope,
which paired beautifully with the rifle. With the adjustable
telescoping stock set to the ‘just right’ position for my hold, the
cheek weld and eye relief of the Burris was perfect. Now, with a tack
sharp view of my target, I could do some 100 yard tests and see how she
groups. Of course, whenever I make such elaborate plans, the forces of
the Universe get together in a huddle, point at me and giggle, and then
unite against me. The first time I did my 100 yard tests, the wind was
gusting and swirling at speeds up to 35 mph. That’s part of it – as they
say, but I’m not skilled enough to do the hardware justice in those
conditions. Those groups were understandably larger, but surprisingly
impressive.
The AR-556 showed a preference for heavier bullets, like this Norma Match 77-grain ammo.
The rifle really liked the 69-grain Australian Outback load.
The
next outing provided only ‘breezy’ conditions and yielded more
consistent results. What I learned during both sessions was that I could
trust the AR-556 to perform consistently. It likes the heavier bullets a
little better, but across the range of ammo the results were good. The
trigger is fairly pedestrian – basic mil spec single stage. I measured
the break at about 8 ½ lbs. and it does have some grit. But it remained
consistent, which was the important thing.
Testing
the accuracy of the AR-556 was made much easier with the Burris AR-5.56
scope, which fits nicely on the Picatinny rail provided.
Ruger didn’t eliminate expected components like a forward assist, included sights or dust cover in order to keep the price down.
JUST MY OPINION
Trying
to sift through the AR-15 marketplace is like trying to find a blind
date in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. That confusion is only amplified
for new gun buyers, who often fall victim to the sales pitch at the
counter and wind up either over spending for gear they don’t need or
being fed some bargain junk the store owner stocked up on during the
pre-election panic. For decades, Americans have come to rely on the name
Ruger for good quality firearms that won’t break the budget. Not having
America’s favorite modern sporting rifle in their catalog was curiously
conspicuous. Perhaps realizing that the next logical step from the
iconic Ruger 10/22 is the AR-15, there was a lot of money being left on
the table. If Johnny or Susie cut their teeth on the 10/22, why not let
their next Ruger rifle be the most popular style – the AR? Whatever
their motives, I think it was a good move to put the AR-556 SKU into the
catalog. I also think the team at Ruger did a fine job of outfitting
this rifle to be just what the entry-level user truly needs. I think if
there was a Norman Rockwell painting that showed a black sporting rifle
leaning in the corner, a closer look with a magnifying glass would
probably reveal the Ruger logo. I can count on one hand the number of
ARs I would recommend to a new shooter. Rugged and affordable; accurate
and reliable – the Ruger AR-556 is one of them.
For more information, visit
http://ruger.com/products/ar556/models.html.
The AR-556 comes standard with a flip-up rear sight mated up to a fixed front sight assembly. Photo: Ruger.
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