View Full Version : Ruger SR556 enhancements
Hey guys, I have been reading this forum for a long time, and I know there is generally no love for the piston system in ARs, however, I recently acquired a SR556. I have a few DI rifles now, (DD V5, V9, 6920) and I have been thinking about keeping the Ruger around just to mess with. I know almost nothing about piston AR rifles, but my total investment into this rifle is so low, I am tempted to put a little more into it and see how well i can get it to run.
So my question is, what are some recommended part upgrades for piston rifles? I know there are some things you can do to the DI system to make it more reliable, is there anything I need to do for this type of rifle?
Any input is appreciated, I have thought about selling the rifle, but the piston system kind of interesting to me right now, and I have almost no investment into this rifle so if I decide to sell it down the road I won't lose much if anything.
I should probably mention, that my intended use would be as a general purpose scoped varmint rifle for around the house.
Thanks in advance.
BuzzinSATX
05-15-14, 22:22
Put a decent scope on it, buy some quality ammo,,and see how she runs. If you get good groups, then you met your objective...if not, figure it out or cut your loss.
Regardless, I believe you will find that carbine very reliable...not sure what you'd add to improve that issue...just keep it clean and well lubed and it'll run fine
Put a decent scope on it, buy some quality ammo,,and see how she runs. If you get good groups, then you met your objective...if not, figure it out or cut your loss.
Regardless, I believe you will find that carbine very reliable...not sure what you'd add to improve that issue...just keep it clean and well lubed and it'll run fine
I have shoot it since, and it does run well! I think you are right, the more I research about this rifle, the more i think all it needs is good glass.
Thanks for the tip, as I said I know nothing about piston ARs. I loaded up some 53 grain Hornady match that I'm exited to test out! The twist on the Ruger is 1/9, and I'm used to 1/7. Should be fun playing with some lighter bullets!
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Don't sell it short. It will hold it's own easy.
Tzintzuntzan
05-16-14, 09:21
There are better piston ARs out there but most of them are more expensive than the Ruger. You can't really swap out parts on the gun anyways since it was designed to be aftermarket incompatible at the factory. If it were my gun, I'd throw FireClean on the BCG and start trying to run some ammo through it. If it doesn't work then get rid of it and buy a better piston gun like an LWRC as noted here
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?107613-DI-vs-Piston-AR-s
I've shot my buddy's SR556, and it's not that bad of a gun. The trigger in his was very heavy. The one Quick and easy upgrade that made a big difference on his gun was a heavier buffer.
His gun recoiled pretty hard. I gave him an H2 or something (I can't remember off the top of my head) and it made the gun much nicer to shoot.
I haven't had any issues with it yet, I just wanted to know if there was anything I should do out of the box that would help. Thanks for the replies. I bought a Vortex PST 4-16x50 EBR1 moa to try out on it. Going to zero this weekend!
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Don't feel that you're locked in on shooting light bullets. See if it'll run 77s.
Cool, I'll pull one of the H2s I have and try it out. I'm going to try the 77s, my buddy had a S&W that was 1/9, and it hated the heavy stuff, so I thought I would start light and work up.
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I tried some 77s in a 1/12 last month. The hit the paper at 100 yards at about a 45 degree crab. We get a bolt gun that's 1/9 to shoot them great.
BuzzinSATX
05-16-14, 11:31
The heavy bullets would be good for deer or hogs, but if it's a varmint gun, as in coyotes and smaller, I'd probably stick to the smaller bullets, especially if they shot the best.
I had an SR-556 and it shot very well. I only got rid of it because it was hard on my joints, and I replaced it with a DDM4 LW.
In hindsight, I wish I'd have kept the Ruger for exactly what you've got yours for...varmints.
T
I had an SR-556 and it shot very well. I only got rid of it because it was hard on my joints, and I replaced it with a DDM4 LW.
Yeah... it has too much recoil with the stock buffer. Buffering up really made an immediate improvement.
BuzzinSATX
05-16-14, 15:44
Yeah... it has too much recoil with the stock buffer. Buffering up really made an immediate improvement.
My issue was weight...that gun is a solid rifle, but it isn't any lightweight. I've got arthritis bad in my shoulders and elbows, and heavy rifles are tough on me.
I didn't find the recoil a problem (or didn't seem to), just the weight to carry and hoist repeatedly.
But if I had it now, it would be a coyote rig with a scope and bipod. My Ruger was very accurate and shot better groups from a bench than my DD.
Does anybody have experience with the Magpul fixed carbine stocks? They look really interesting to me. Not sure if i would go that route or change to a rifle buffer and fixed A2 stock. I like fixed stocks better with scoped rifles.
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I haven't had any issues with it yet, I just wanted to know if there was anything I should do out of the box that would help. Thanks for the replies. I bought a Vortex PST 4-16x50 EBR1 moa to try out on it. Going to zero this weekend!
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I didn't care for stock and swapped it out for a Mako GL-Shock (for some reason they fit me nice). I ALWAYS lightly pollish/buff the trigger on about everything I buy stock and see where it goes from there (I don't get crazy,just smooth the fresh factory a bit). I didn't think the recoil was all that bad. They are a bit pricey,but there are some hydralic buffers out there that work quite well at taking the "slam" out of the recoil and help smooth it out. I also slapped an EOTech on mine with a magnifier. It was a great shooter right out of the box.
Yeah... it has too much recoil with the stock buffer. Buffering up really made an immediate improvement.
You should try it's big brother. :happy: SR-7.62.
Just got another 7.62 in at work, it's been tempting to say the least! Any advice on offset irons? I like the kac set, but i think fixed may be a better option...any input would be appreciated, this will be my first scoped rifle setup so any advice you guys have is helpful!
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