Ruger Ranch 556 - If you haven't already read the title of this post, you might think I'm talking about the AR-15. This combination of features is very unique in a bolt action rifle and is what makes the Ruger American Rifle Ranch so great. Of course, the sub-$400 price tag helps a lot too.
This will not be an in-depth review. I will just briefly praise a gun that I bought a year ago mainly because of the price tag and the above features. I didn't expect much from it, but the more I shoot it, the more I appreciate it and I think many AR-15 shooters will probably make room for a rifle like this in their safe. .
Ruger Ranch 556
The sub-$400 price tag of these guns makes them a bargain, but their features are what make them unique. There are several .223 Remington chambered bolt action rifles on the market. They typically have twist rates on the slow end, so they can effectively stabilize straight bullets while hunting light varmints. This rifle stands out because it bucks those tendencies. Instead of the .223 chambered, it sports a 5.56 chamber. Instead of a slow twist, it has a 1 in 8″ twist that will easily stabilize projectiles up to 77 grains in weight, while handling the lightest bullets on the market. That's a lot of words that really come down to one thing for an AR shooter like me...it will shoot the same ammo as my AR-15s.
Ruger Ar 556 With M Lok Handguard 5.56mm · Dk Firearms
If you have a suppressor, you should probably stop reading now and head straight to your local gun store. These guns are a blast with a can. The barrel is threaded to a pitch that will accept all common suppressor mounts and the medium contour barrel is optimized to minimize the weight deflection of a typical sporter weight, bolt action barrel can. This rifle is obviously designed for suppression.
I have my own setup with cheap but good accessories. I picked up a Vortex Diamondback 2-7×35 during the Black Friday sale. It was just sitting in a box on top of my safe, waiting for a project like this. The optic is mounted to the rifle with Talley 1-Piece 93X725 Rings (the rifle comes with a very nice 1913 rail so you can set the optic however you want to add a red dot if you are so inclined. are). I replaced the included muzzle nut with a Smith Enterprise Vertex flash suppressor because I've always had luck with those that have no effect on accuracy.
To steady the rifle, I have a Harris bipod mounted on it pretty much full time and I use Andy's leather Rhodesian sling. I can stabilize in any position between bipod and sling. So far I haven't noticed too many ill effects on accuracy when using a stiff sling, but I think I might open the stock barrel channel a bit to be safe.
Speaking of accuracy...I don't have any pictures to prove it, so you'll just have to take my word for it (and the word of several other reviews), but this rifle is extremely accurate. My collection of Black Hills 75g. Bluebox ammo typically groups in less than an inch at 1oo yards. The same applies to Prvi Partisan 75gr. It even shoots Wolf Gold 55gr well and this ammo matches the BDC wire feed very well in the Vortex Diamondback 2-7×35 with a 50 yard zero. Those of you who reload can probably finish a real load for this rifle.
Battle Of 5.56 Mini Scout Rifles
It's not perfect. The stock is a bit flimsy (not as bad as some bargain rifles) and, like a rifle without iron sights, it should have a mandatory comb riser. Magazines are proprietary and expensive for small plastic things. The bottom line is: this rifle is light, shoots well, costs very little, works with all your AR-15 ammo, suppresses well, and is a lot of fun. . The Ruger American Ranch Rifle (RARR) is a simple, affordable 16" barrel bolt action that can be chambered in any number of cases. Weight ranges from 5.5-6lbs, depending on caliber, and although the standard color scheme is a tan file. A matte black receiver and barrel, multiple colors available for distributor.
The Ruger "Ranch" nickname has some history, first being used in the early 1980s in connection with versions of the Ruger Mini-14 that had their receivers cut off for scope rings. It was one of those models, in fact, it was my first gun.
Current chamberings are 5.56, 6.5 Grendel, .300BLK, 7.62×39, .350 Legend and .450 Bushmaster. Like all Ruger American rifles, they come with a Ruger Marksman 3-5lb adjustable trigger, and have a 3-lug, dual-locking cam 70-degree centerfire bolt. They also have a Picatinny rail scope base and have a block-bedded receiver and free-floating barrel. On paper, they represent a very good value for a bolt-action rifle. This price is one of the reasons I picked up the .300 blackout chambered, flush fit magazine for below RARR MSRP. MSRP for all RARR rooms is $549.
The Ruger American Ranch Rifle comes in a cardboard box, and is decorated with easily removable Ruger stickers meant to make the rifle stand out on the gun store rack. After removing the stickers and inserting the bolt, I noticed that this particular rifle did not seem to have any rough spots in the receiver during bolt movement. There were definitely machine marks on the bolt and inside the receiver, but they are not detectable when moving the bolt. It's not a Sauer 404, but it's pretty smooth.
Top 3 Ruger American Rifle Upgrades To Consider
The matte black finish was even and well applied, and the thread protector integrated well with the rest of the barrel. The Ruger Marksman trigger came set from the factory at 3.5lbs. It's an excellent trigger, and represents a huge improvement over the triggers that most factory guns in this price range had back when I started shooting guns. Tang mounted safety moved securely in both positions and with adequate surface pressure. Overall, there were no immediate issues with the gun on first impression. If I had to nitpick, I'd say that the polymer stock is a little slick with sticking, and a little snappy to handle.
The Picatinny rail of the Ruger American Ranch Rifle appears to be well made and is substantial. I had no problem fitting any of the rings or one-piece mounts I had for test/review ranges on this rifle. I settled on a Vortex Razor HD LH 1.5-8x scope on a bobber mount for test purposes. The wire protectors have flats on the side, but I didn't need them, and the wire comes off easily with proper hand pressure.
A .300BLK chambered firearm without a box is just sad, so I threw on my old 1st gen Gemtech Sandstorm. A Harris bipod was thrown over the front sling stud and a Bradley adjustable cheek riser completed the range preparation of this little rifle. Of course, the minimalist can just throw in a red dot or Nodak Spud's iron sights and be good to go.
I first took the Ruger American Ranch rifle out for boresight and tested it in the woods first. Carried in one of my frame packs, the RARR was convenient and easy to pack. Using S&B Subsonic 200gr, I fired some early groups at 50y braced from the suit. Very quiet (think gently snapping fingers) all the rounds touching the 1/2 size USPSA silhouette between 5 shot groups, that was a good start.
Sold Sold Sold... Ruger American Ranch In 5.56, Takes Ar Mags, In Pace.
The soft rubber buttpad does an excellent job of cushioning. I have had shooters of all ages shoot this gun, and all enjoyed the gun's minimal recoil. The excellent trigger was also enjoyed by all.
Later I took the RARR to a longer range. The offset between supersonic and subsonic rounds was easy enough to find in the scope, and the RARR printed very accurate groups with all three ammunition loads at 100y. Supersonic ammo averages about 3/4 MOA. Moving to longer range, I was able to get repeatable hits out to 400y on steel, although the maximum range I would shoot medium game with the .300 BLK round would be about 300y.
Bottom groups, average of 5 shot groups measured at 100y in MOA center center. The groups were fired seated with support in front of the bipod and behind the sandbag.
While at the range, I noticed that the subsonic ammo report was extremely quiet, not cycling the bolt on this gun. It is one of the highest bolts in its function. I would recommend that you are already in the room if possible before making your final approach.
Ruger American Ranch .223 / 5.56 Nato
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