Ruger Introduces the New 308 Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle (SFAR)

[Ron3]

The Ruger 556 may be the worst AR-15 variant still sold. My retirement job is working at a gun store again. We had one on the wall and I looked at it. I showed the owner all of the shit that was substandard with it, he agreed to not order them any more.

Like what? Just curious.

[Keith E.]

Dupe.

[Keith E.]

The Ruger 556 may be the worst AR-15 variant still sold. My retirement job is working at a gun store again. We had one on the wall and I looked at it. I showed the owner all of the shit that was substandard with it, he agreed to not order them any more.

So yeah count me uninterested in this rifle that is likely a piece of junk.

Sooo, with your employee discount, what are you into it for?

Keith

[sandsunsurf]

Like what? Just curious.

The standard stuff- not a FA BCG, poor staking on the gas key, no staking on the castle nut, junk stock, tool marks on BC. I didn’t look closely at the barrel extension or barrel, but after seeing all the other corners cut, I didn’t bother pulling out my flashlight.

@Keith- not into it all! I run two PWS MK111 uppers with SSA-E triggers in form 1 lowers, a superlative arms conversion with BCM lower BA barrel, a complete BCM 16”, and one frankengun on a Spikes lower. They are all better built and spec’d than that Ruger trash!

[Tokarev]

So I picked one of these up recently as sort of a DPMS G2 Recon replacement. I always thought DPMS was on to something with the G2. It just never seemed to reach its full potential.

So how is the Ruger different? I'd say the biggest and best difference is in more commonality. DPMS did a good job of making things smaller but stopped there. Ruger has gone the extra step and included more AR parts compatibility.

Aside from trigger parts, we also now have a common charging handle, buffer, barrel nut and forend. Caveat here is that a new gas block may be needed. The Ruger adjustable seems a little tall and probably won't fit under something like a BCM. That's just a guess. I haven't actually tried it.

Overall, I find this to be one of the coolest things Ruger has done in awhile. Hopefully it will catch on and we'll see Ruger making this rifle in some other calibers.



Here it is out of the box. Mag is one of the steel retro mags Brownell's was selling for a time.

I'm not sure yet just what to do with this rifle. Probably one of the first changes will be to ditch the brake and add a 51T so I can run my can on it. For optics I'm kind of thinking a midrange variable backed up by an offset red dot.

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[Tokarev]

Bolt and carrier pics. Note only one screw in gas key.

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[Tokarev]

The buffer appears to be a standard Non-H carbine buffer but the spring is different. It seems longer to me than even a rifle spring. The buffer tube is six positions but also longer than the normal carbine. Curious to see if a VLTOR A5 will work.

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[JediGuy]

Tokarev, can you get a picture of the bolt carrier as whole end to end? And a measurement of the buffer springs and receiver extension lengths?

[Tokarev]

Tokarev, can you get a picture of the bolt carrier as whole end to end? And a measurement of the buffer springs and receiver extension lengths?

Buffer tube, from front of receiver bridge to end of tube, is approximately 7 ⅞" long.

The buffer spring is 40 coils and is 13 ¾" long.





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[JediGuy]

Thanks