By R.K. Campbell | Contributing Editor
Ruger’s MPR may be the best buy in AR rifles considering its 18 inch barrel with free floating handguard and 452 custom grade trigger.
I have been a fan of the AR 15 rifle for many years. There are quite a number of such rifles available. They range from recreational to professional grade. All can be enjoyable.
A rifle I trust and recommend as reliable, accurate and well-made of good material is the Ruger AR 15 rifle, 556. This is a good rifle for all around use and while affordable it is service grade. It is among the best buys in a quality rifle. When I learned Ruger planned to introduce an upgrade on their successful gas impingement rifle I was interested.
The new Ruger Multi-Purpose Rifle (MPR) is designed for sporting use, including hunting and 3-Gun competitions. It is well suited to home or area defense and would be a good rifle for agency use. You don’t need many accessories for tactical use, but you need a reliable rifle. This is that rifle and it is affordable.
Ruger’s Multi-Purpose Rifle (MPR) exhibited excellent bench rest accuracy on the range.
The MPR is supplied with a MAGPUL MOE grip and MOE SL collapsible butt stock. I see no reason to replace these parts. They are proven accessories. A few months ago Ruger introduced their two stage 452 trigger. I have enjoyed excellent results with this trigger in several rifles. It fits most AR type rifles. The MPR is supplied with this trigger from the factory. Specified at 4.5 lbs. mine broke at 4.7 lbs. and crisp.
The Ruger MPR rifle proved accurate when fitted with Tru Glo’s 3 x 9 x 40mm scope, a formidable combination.
The barrel is an 18-inch version with a removable compensator. The chromed bolt carrier is properly staked at the gas keys. The rifle shows attention to detail and good quality control.
The Ruger MPR features a full length gas system. The MPR is chambered in 5.56mm NATO, allowing use of the full range of 5.56mm NATO and .223 Remington ammunition. Ruger’s relatively slim (1.5 inch diameter) free floating handguard features accessory attachments on the forend and near the muzzle There is plenty of real estate to mount a laser, light or other combination in the most advantageous location.
The Eminus scope is simple enough to adjust and zero.
The rifle is supplied with a single 30 round PMAG. I added my own Brownells brand magazines, proven units I trust, and a few older GI type magazines. I evaluated the rifle in multiple range sessions with two optics and fixed sights as well. The optics included a Tru Glo 30mm red dot and 3 x 9 x 40mm Eminus scope. Neither are expensive but I have used each on multiple rifles with good results. They have served well.
Accuracy results at 100 yards
Load Velocity 3 shot group
Black Hills Ammunition 55 grain FMJ 3120 fps 1.6 inch
Black Hills Ammunition 60 gr. JSP 3050 fps .9 inch
Black Hills Ammunition 77 grain BTHP 2780 fps 1.0 inch
Hornady 55 grain FMJ training 3011 fps 1.4 inch
Hornady 68 gr. BTHP 2901 fps .9 inch
Hornady 75 gr. BTHP 2830 1.5 inch
Handloads Varget Powder
40 grain V Max 3200 fps 2.0 inch
60 gr. A Max 3013 fps 1.0 inch
I have fired the rifle in more than a dozen range outings, and used several types of ammunition. I have used fixed sights but moved to the red dot and finally settled on the TruGlo scope for most uses. Magnification is ideal and I really like the reticle design. A small lever allows rapid change of the power setting and the illuminated reticle is a good feature. For personal defense and home defense the red dot would do the trick, and for 3-Gun type contests as well, but for my needs and personal use the dedicated scope works well. The 18-inch barrel handles well and really gets on the target well at 10 to 25 yards. The barrel doesn’t have a heavy contour and is well balanced for fast work at moderate range.
There is no shortage of quality ammunition for the AR 15 rifle. This is a versatile caliber with much to recommend.
The rifle has been fired primarily with 55-grain FMJ loads in practice. At present the magazines are loaded with the Black Hills Ammunition 55-grain FMJ. These loads are a good resource for training and practice. The rifle has been cleaned and properly lubricated. The only malfunction has been a single failure of the bolt to lock to the rear early on that may have been due to a well-worn GI magazine. When firing off of the bench rest I have used quality ammunition and enjoyed good results.
Tru Glo’s illuminated reticle is a considerable advantage.
The TruGlo scope and Ruger 452 trigger certainly add to the rifle’s accuracy potential. The results are credible. While a better shooter or better optics may have provided more impressive results, an off the shelf AR that produces 1 MOA with quality ammunition is a good rifle to have. Some of the groups were larger, but none drifted over two inches for a three-shot group. One group went under an inch at .85. In one instance two of the three shots were touching with the third opening the group to 1.2 inches. The rifle is consistently accurate.
The Ruger MPR is reliable and offers quality at a moderate price. The extra two inches of barrel provide a small but noticeable velocity edge over the 16-inch carbine. The rifle handles well and has a better natural point than some. It is accurate, reliable, handles well and you do not have to purchase furniture for the rifle as it comes well equipped. This is a rifle well worth its price.
