by R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
The Ruger AR 556 is an affordable but capable rifle featuring excellent fit and finish.
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Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Model: AR-556
Action: Gas Impingement
Caliber: 5.56 x 45 mm NATO/ .223 Rem.
Upper Receiver: Flat Top 7075-T6 aluminum
Lower Receiver: 7075-T6 aluminum forging
Trigger: single-stage
Front Sight: A-2 Style elevation adjustable
Rear Sight: folding polymer aperture
Hand Guard: M4-Style
Pistol Grip: black polymer
Buffer Tube: Mil-Spec
Shoulder Stock: 6-position adjustable
Barrel Length: 16.10”
Overall Length: 32.25” to 35.5”
Length of Pull (LOP): 10.25”to 13.5”
Weight: 6.50 lbs.
Mag. Capacity: 30 rounds.
Twist: 1:8 RH
MSRP: $799
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America’s largest gunmaker has jumped into the AR 15 market in a big way. The original Ruger rifle was a good but expensive rifle based on gas piston operation. The SR 556 is a good rifle but the new AR 556 is based on the original gas impingement system some of us prefer. It is also much more affordable than many AR 15 rifles.
After months of operation I find the Ruger AR 556 as reliable and rugged an AR 15 rifle as you will ever hold. It is easily upgraded with parts, stocks, and optics if necessary, but as issued this is an effective and accurate rifle. The rifle is chambered in 5.56mm and weighs 6.5 pounds. Ruger has kept the price reasonable by intelligent manufacturing process.
The receiver is a flat top design. It is supplied with a folding polymer rear sight and A 2-type fixed front sight. The 16-inch barrel features a 1 in 8 twist. This twist is ideal for most uses and has provided good results with a variety of loads in 40 to 77-grain weight. Ruger’s barrel isn’t chrome lined.
A good touch is that the rear face of the front sight is serrated. Ruger also modified the AR 15 handguard arrangement. In contrast to the usual spring-loaded ring to secure the handguard Ruger uses a polymer ring that makes changing the handguard much easier. The controls are all typical AR 15 layout—don’t mess with success. The rifle retains the dust cover and forward assist. The six-position shoulder stock is a standard AR 15 type. The firing handle is comfortable to hold with serrations for adhesion when firing. The trigger action is good, breaking at 6.5 pounds. The gas key is properly staked and the gas key opening is chromed. The bolt carrier’s interior is also chromed.
Firing and Testing
The Ruger AR 556 took the measure of this Innovative Targets steel reaction target that resets itself. Innovative Targets, Lascassas, TN 37085; Phone: 844-474-6686 offers a full range of resetting steel targets.
The rifle has been fired for testing and evaluation and for pure enjoyment. If there is a more comfortable center fire rifle to fire than the AR 15 I have not held it. Practical accuracy is excellent. I have added the Ruger AR 15 aftermarket trigger group, reducing the original trigger press to a smooth press of 4.5 pounds.
When evaluating the rifle some of the first shots were fired at a range with a tall berm at the 100-yard line. There is usually some form of range bric-a-brac such as soda bottles at the base of the berm. I took aim and connected with the first shot! The rifle arrived out of the box perfectly sighted for 55 grain FMJ loads and providing excellent practical accuracy. I continued to fire the rifle with a wide variety of loads ranging from 40-grain Varmint Grenade loads to the Black Hills Ammunition 77-grain SMK loading. All have exhibited good to excellent practical accuracy but the heavier bullets seem most accurate. I have used the rifle as a test bed to evaluate quality optical sights as well as inexpensive recreational grade red dots, all with credible results. The rifle reached 650 cartridges without a single malfunction and being cleaned every 300 rounds. The rifle was then field stripped and the internals examined for eccentric wear. The rifle appeared as new with minimal wear on the bolt and bolt carrier.
Lucid M 7 Red Dot
The Lucid M 7 Red Dot sight provided good results.
I have turned to the Lucid M7 Red Dot as the optic likely to live on the Ruger for some time. The red dot offers brilliantly fast operation and an unlimited field of view as the red dot may be used with both eyes open. This is possible because there is no magnification involved. When engaged in tactical movement the red dot is much faster to acquire than any other system. The M7 uses standard AAA batteries. It features an automatic shut off that turns the power off at two hours. The red dot sight will run for many hours with this standard battery. The battery is easily changed quickly and the battery cap is tethered to the aluminum body.
The Ruger’s rail will mount optical sights, while the standard adjustable sights— a bold post front and folding aperture rear—are useful for close range work.
The M7 features several layers of brightness. The default setting is an automatic feature that turns the brightness up and down as required by ambient light conditions. This is accomplished by use of a photo sensor mounted on the red dot body. Some of us will prefer to set our own brightness, and this is easily done with controls marked with an arrow, up for brighter and down for dimmer. The red dot itself is 2 MOA, which means it will subtend a two-inch circle at one hundred yards. This allows greater precision than a 4 MOA dot, and greater precision is something I prefer.
The serrated rear of the front sight is a good touch.
The go-to loading is the Black Hills 60-grain JSP, a load I have favored for tactical use for over a decade. A bit heavier than the 55-grain load but still offering dynamic expansion! This is a preferred loading. The balance of expansion and penetration is ideal for critical use. For practice the Black Hills 55-grain FMJ is a good resource, particularly in the remanufactured line. As for absolute accuracy the single best effort with the rifle has been just better than 1.5 MOA when a quality scope was mounted. With the fast handling Red Dot it isn’t difficult to put three Black Hills 60-grain JSP loads into 2 inches at 50 yards. For personal defense, Three-Gun Competition and varmints at moderate range this is a good combination. As a go-anywhere, do-anything rifle, I have not burdened the Ruger with Rooney kit and kept it real. The price is attractive, true, but the performance of this rifle even more so.
