Ruger SR-556

[mikeinneworlean]

Anybody got firsthand experience with one?
I've always liked them, but can't seem to get anything but canned reviews.

Thanks,
M

 

[Hardballing]

Here we go...(in on page 1).

For the record, no I don't.

 

[dantheman]

This is the wrong place to ask that question .

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

CARRIER TILT. Immature design. Inadequate testing. Heavy like its made of Pig Iron. For the money there are far better systems available.

 

[mikeinneworlean]

Thanks.
That's what I couldn't seem to get from other places.
M

 

[whbonney26]

This is the wrong place to ask that question .

Why? What did I miss?

 

[biggie1447]

I dont have experience with one but i would think that the solid chunk of steel on the front would seriously unbalance the rifle.

It might be ok in a DMR setup but not a carbine like it is designed for.

 

[whbonney26]

I found mine to be very nice, accurate and well balanced. I only shot about 1,000 rounds through it before I traded it for something else that I could not pass up on. I liked it though.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

What were you comparing it to though?

 

[Spent Brass]

Ive got around 700 rounds through mine and I love it. Its a huge upgrade from the OA I had before. Ive also fired a dpms, a colt, and a few others I cant think of. Big plus's for me is: its fast (round to round and mag changes), moving from target to target is smooth, aquisition is easy, and it comes out of the box with decent accesories. Cons: Its heavy. Unloaded it weighs 7.9 pounds. A little much for a carbine. It wont feed crappy ammo. I know people are gonna say, but you spent 2K on a rifle now you want to put 6$ a box Tula or Privi in it? YES I DO and its the only thing that pisses me off about it. Going to the range is expensive when you have to buy decent ammo. Overall Im happy with the rifle. But like Vanilla said there are probably better systems out there for the money. But if you bring the ammo your welcome to shoot mine and see how you like it.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

If your Piston Gun won't run on cheap ammo you have lost one of the key advantages of having a Piston Rifle. Personally I don't believe there is a recreational shooter in the world who will realize the benefits of a Piston gun over a DI Gun. Unless you shoot 100K rounds a year plus you are better of with a DI gun.

 

[Booseman]

Why dont you tell us how you really feel VG????

 

[Booseman]

I always thought that the main reason normal joes like us would buy a piston gun is to be able to shoot the cheap crap. Just like VG said, if you dont shoot 100k in rounds a year then why waste the money?? There are cheaper piston type guns out there like the SIG556.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

The Piston AR is a self licking lollipop and its dumb. SFOD-D had HK build them the 416 because they were breaking their DI Guns in training. Thats it no other reason. Those guys probably fire close to 150K rounds a year of 5.56. Thats all that Piston Guns do better than DI guns. They last longer, they stay cooler, and they run better dirty. Most people will never see those benefits because they don't shoot enough. I know I don't. If I had one that wouldn't feed crappy ammo, that btw my DI guns all feed fine, I would be outraged and Ruger would be fixing it for me.

 

[whbonney26]

What were you comparing it to though?

Comparing it to the 30 or so other AR style rifles I have owned. It was the second piston AR I have had and it functioned well.


That being said.....I see no real reason to have a piston gun or no real advantage. I just liked the Ruger so I picked one up one day. Do I need a reason to buy a gun other than that I like it and want it?

My gas guns work just fine though.

 

[Vanilla Gorilla]

No you can buy whatever you want. That wasn't my point. A common occurence in the gun world is "....I love my xxxxxx....." what are you comparing it to? "....My Bratislavian SKS....".

 

[lchais2]

I own a 556 and love it. It is alittle on the heavy side but in my opinion its a great gun . I also got a hell of a deal on it so i couldnt pass it up.

 

[thatwhichisnt]

If you want a 5.56 in a piston why not just go with a good AK. Cheaper and it will eat anything you put in it. Plus, dont have to worry about anything that plagues AR pistons.

 

[whbonney26]

No you can buy whatever you want. That wasn't my point. A common occurence in the gun world is "....I love my xxxxxx....." what are you comparing it to? "....My Bratislavian SKS....".

I understood your point. I was just saying that I found no problems with the thousand or so rounds I put through mine. I would have kept it but someone ended up wanting it more than I did at just the right time so I traded it.

I had some piston conversions that didnt work worth a crap. This one seemed to work like it was supposed too. No, I didnt put 150,000 rounds through it so I cant compare like that.

I have plenty of AK guns and love them all.

 

[bsmit35]

Well I normally don't post on here... more of a reader but I have to defend The Ruger 556. Breath in and first off I own both DI and Piston guns and comparing the two is like comparing a pinto and a supercharged mustang..... Do you run 87 octane in your pinto probably but what happens when your run it in your supercharged mustang it runs like crap(because thats not what its designed to run on).... I know I know its a piston gun with different settings so you should be able to find a setting that works well with your cheap ammo. I have had zero issues running any kind of ammo through any of my guns its just a matter of finding the right setting. If you can't find the right setting then change your buffer tube that should fix any problems so you can shoot your cheap ammo.... 2nd off V G who do you know that shoots 100k-150k ROUNDS through a single AR??? The average barrel life ranges between 15,000-20,000 rounds then most guns will lose accuarccy after that. Anyway if you do know someone that is shooting $30,000-$50,000 of ammo a year then I am sure they are not shooting one gun nor are they worried about shooting cheap ammo. Exhale...... The Ruger 556 might be a little heavy so if your doing a carbine class or something like that why don't your take off your eotech, flashlight, laser, tactical vest and fore grip and go out and shoot it like it was meant to shoot. It's a great gun and does what it was designed to do very well.