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Thread: Ruger SR556

  1. #11
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    Thanks for the great review. I first found out about this site after I purchased the Ruger SR556C that I have now. Since purchasing it I have made some changes to the rifle. I replaced the trigger with a Geisselle SSA trigger switched out the stock for a UBR stock, add a Troy Stubby verticle grip and then put in a Eotech 553 site. I totally agree that the weapon is heavy. Too heavy!

    I guess I'm one of those shooters, as markm states, "I run into more shooters who don't know dick". I'm not using this quote to point a finger or start anything but as far as this weapon is concerned right now I like what I have. Maybe once I learn more and shoot this particular weapon more and run it through some classes I may better learn it's limitations and or good qualities. So far I already know it is way too heavy. I have put close to a thousand rounds through it and it shoots well and even just as accurate with Hornady 75gr Tap ammo as anything else I have shot.

    If I do anything it may be to purchase a complete upper from another manufacuterer and swap that out with the Ruger upper. Or as I learn more I may just build a weapon from the ground up. For now though I guess not knowing dick(ignorance) is bliss.

  2. #12
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    for the 14.5" version they fluted the barrel under the rails to lower the weight by half a pound. It was a heavy barrel before. Not sure if they applied this to the 16" models recently.

  3. #13
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    Where do you find the "c" version.

    ...and with the various flaws mentioned, does the piston system make the rifle more reliable than the typical AR?

    The BCG might be flawed, but does the cleaner running system make up for this? Said another way, does a well used, and uncleaned Ruger perform more reliably than an AR?

    BF

  4. #14
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    Where do you find the "c" version.
    Here is Ruger's Official Data sheet.

    ...and with the various flaws mentioned, does the piston system make the rifle more reliable than the typical AR?

    The BCG might be flawed, but does the cleaner running system make up for this? Said another way, does a well used, and uncleaned Ruger perform more reliably than an AR?
    I'll make this brief because it's been done to death on this forum and if you want explanations to the whys of the situation you can use the search function to look up past threads on the subject.

    Except for VERY specific circumstances (i.e. a lot of full auto fire in a less than 14" barrel rifle WITH a supressor attached) piston systems do NOT demonstrably improve AR reliability. ARs being properly built improve AR reliability: this means proper chambers, bolts, carriers, gas tubes and ports, receivers, feedramps, springs and so on are the key to success, not sticking unnecessary crap in the frontend of your gun. Therefore, a Colt, FN, DD, BCM, Noveske, Spikes, etc direct impingement gun with a non-garbage bolt carrier and other details paid attention will be a damn sight better in the reliability department than this monstrosity. Moreover, Rugers in particular have developed a reputation for chronic "carrier tilt", or the proclivity of the bolt carrier to grind against the receiver under recoil. So not only is a Ruger piston gun less reliable than a proper DI gun, it's also literally tearing itself apart.

    Finally. Pistons are NOT cleaner, they just dump their gasses at the front (ahead of the piston and... oh by the way, where your sights, lights, and hands are) instead of out the ejection port. Either way those gasses don't go away and piston users have to deal with the special problem that enough soot can build up to jam the piston, ceasing operation of the gun (better piston designs take measures to reduce this problem significantly, Ruger isn't one of them).

    I'd take a Ruger over crap DI ARs from Bushmaster, DPMS, CMMG, Doublestar, etc but if you look around this site, you'll see a lot of folks who put 10,000-20,000 rounds per year on their ARs, many of whom have had to use their weapons in real life combat operations, and you would do well to notice that 98%+ of them aren't running any kind of piston AR in 5.56*, much less a Ruger.

    *and the ones that are are running LMT MRPs because they can quick-change barrels, not because they believe pistons give them a reliability boost

  5. #15
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    We had a Ruger SR556 in a recent class. It seemed to run very well once lubed properly.
    Last edited by VA_Dinger; 08-03-10 at 08:39.
    Paul A. Hotaling
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  6. #16
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    the SR556C is .5lb lighter according to the website, they need to apply the fluting they did to the heavy barrel to lower the weight on the 16" version. Its front heavy

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by 87GN View Post

    While swapping out the stocks, I checked the receiver extension tube to see if it was straight. Like every other SR556 I've examined, it was not. This is easily avoided during assembly - the tube needs to be held straight while the castle nut is being tightened, or the tube will turn with the nut. This really will have no effect on the function of the weapon, but it provides some insight on assembly and QC practices.

    This comes from not using a milspec (Colt) nut, backplate, and buffer tube.

    Too much slop in the parts and then they bind up causing the buffer tube to rotate during assembly.
    Last edited by scottryan; 08-03-10 at 11:03.
    "Not every thing on Earth requires an aftermarket upgrade." demigod/markm

  8. #18
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  9. #19
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    Thanks for the video, it really highlights how much the SR-556 deviates from other ARs under recoil.

  10. #20
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    OK I just had a deal breaker with my Ruger 556c. I'm taking a class in a couple of months and tried to order a complete BCG. Ruger said no. The only thing I could do is send the rifle back in and they would replace whatever happened to break. I could not order any spare parts for myself. No BCG or piston parts period.

    My only complaint with the rifle before this was the weight. However, not being able to order spare parts, when every other manufacturer will allow this, or even being able to drop in aftermarket BCG's etc is not something I want to contend with. Rifle is on the way out the door.

    Any suggestions? $1500 is my budget. Would like it to come pretty much complete, not basic, so that all I need to do is transfer optics.
    Last edited by Watrdawg; 08-04-10 at 14:35.

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