6 minute read
Big-Gun Feel, Little-Cartridge Fun: Ruger’s Precision Rimf re Rif e
Although the receiver is CNCmachined from steel, the fore-end is aluminum and the stock is made from glass-flled nylon. The bolt release (inset) is on the receiver’s rear left.
On the Precision Rimfre, a throwlever controls the height and fore-aft position of the comb. Although the pistol grip is of Ruger’s own design, the gun accepts most AR-style units.
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It was interesting to learn in the course of an interview with Matt Willson—the project manager for the Precision Rimfre rife—that the work leading to this line extension started with a completely different goal in mind. With the popularity of rife chassis systems on the rise, some manufacturers began offering chassis upgrades for existing rimfre rifes, and enterprising individuals at Ruger’s Mayodan, N.C., manufacturing plant suggested the same for the Ruger American Rimfre.
Looking over the available aftermarket chassis systems, the Mayodan staff decided it could develop a system of its own that would be of a higher quality with a more useful feature set. A prototype was in the works when the development team over at the Newport, N.H., facility caught wind of the project. That team recognized that the work of the Mayodan engineers was an ideal starting point for the rimfre-size Precision rife it had in mind. The two projects were merged, and a properly scaled chassis rife was produced to suit the needs of rimfre competitors as well as longrange center-fre rife fans looking for a less expensive means of practicing for center-fre rife competitions such as the Precision Rife Series.
Like the center-fre version, the Precision Rimfre rife is built around a CNC-machined, pre-hardened 4140 chrome-moly steel receiver topped with a removable 30-m.o.a. Picatinny optics rail. Some customers have questioned the installation of a rail with such a steep cant rather than one of 25, 20 or even 0 m.o.a.— all of which are better-suited to smaller or older scopes intended for shooting at distances of 50 yds. or less. The rail is one of the key features, however, that was specifed as a direct result of Ruger’s customer testing.
About six months before the rife was released, a team of company engineers gathered with a local league of precision rimfre competitors in North Carolina. They spent the day at a range shooting the Precision Rimfre prototype sideby-side with the rifes the league brought to
Surrounding the free-f oated barrel is an aluminum fore-end with
M-Lok slots along its length. The barrel, while not as easy to change as a 10/22, can be swapped out using a standard AR armorer’s wrench. 54
inexpensive to implement. The installation of a removable bolt stop spring clip (similar to the cartridge positioner spring) stops the bolt when it moves back far enough to eject a spent .22 Long Rif e cartridge case. Removing the clip from the bolt assembly allows the bolt to move all the way back to a distance that mimics that of the center-f re bolt’s travel. Removing or replacing the clip is a simple process that takes only a few seconds to accomplish.
One of the challenges in scaling down the Precision platform for rimf re ammunition was working out how to f t it with a removable barrel. The development team knew some competitors were going to shoot out the rif ing faster than others, while some customers would want to immediately trade out the factory option for an aftermarket barrel. The American model rimf res are manufactured with f xed barrels, and the 10/22-type V-block system was not compatible with the Precision chassis.
The company opted to use a barrel nut arrangement similar to that of the AR-15 that can be removed using an AR-style armorer’s wrench. The 18" target-grade bull barrel is cold-hammerforged from 4140 alloy steel. The muzzle is threaded at 1/2x28 TPI to accept muzzle devices and sound suppressors. A knurled thread protector is provided. The barrel’s diameter has been reduced from 0.920"—the bull barrel size common to the 10/22, to 0.860" because it is a better f t for the receiver and it reduces the weight of the barrel for improved balance. The vented, 15"-long, AR-type free-f oat handguard, which is supported by the barrel nut, is constructed of hard anodized aluminum with Magpul M-Lok slots along its length on the sides.
The Ruger American Rimf re bolt-action design paved the way for the Precision models to use the exceptionally popular 10/22 rotary magazine. This makes the rif e inf nitely more appealing than if it required a new, proprietary magazine. It will accept all factory and most aftermarket magazines ranging from 10- to 25-round capacities. The rif e ships with the company’s 15-round BX-15 magazine because it’s often preferred for competition. It offers a balance of ammunition capacity for 10-target stages, it’s easy to grasp and insert for quick reloads, and it’s short enough not to bump into the bench top like the 25-round magazines sometimes do. An extended 10/22style release lever is located at the back of the magazine well.
The bolt handle, which is f tted with an oversized smooth knob, is on the right side of the receiver. The left-side, 45-degree safety selector and pistol grip are both AR-15 compatible. The bolt can be cycled, to clear the chamber, or removed from the receiver, with the selector set in the “safe” position. The safety selector is reversible, or it can be replaced with a bilateral lever. Ruger’s in-house polymer AR grip is supported by a single screw, allowing it to be traded out for a variety of AR-compatible grips.
One of the most important aspects of scaling down this platform for rimf re ammunition was the preservation of the feel and function of the adjustable Marksman trigger group, without sacrif cing any of the safety features. Despite the changes to the internal geometry of the assembly—and a bit of extra milling to f t the modif ed receiver—the production rimf re trigger group uses the same housing as the center-f re version. It also has the exact same reach.
The trigger’s pull weight can be adjusted from 2 lbs., 4 ozs., up to 5 lbs. depending on the user’s preferences. An adjustment tool is stored in the stock under a removable panel behind the bolt assembly, which is easily accessed in the f eld. Some adjustable triggers can only be tuned after the action is removed from the stock. The Precision Rimf re’s screw is accessible via a small port in the trigger guard, so no disassembly is required. The rif e tested for this review arrived with the trigger pull set to a crisp, clean 2 lbs., 6 ozs., and I saw no reason to modify it.
The single most expensive component of the center-f re Precision is the machined aluminum chassis. It happens to be the heaviest component as well. Because the strength and inline recoil mitigation of an aluminum chassis are not required for use with a .22 rimf re, a onepiece, glass-f lled nylon chassis is used instead. The reduced scale of the rimf re bolt assembly eliminates the need for a hinged shoulder stock, which trims down the weight and production costs even more. This polymer stock contributes to an unloaded weight that is 3 lbs. less than that of the center-f re models.
While the center-f re Precision has a more complex stock adjustment system with metallic components incorporated into it and multiple knobs and levers, the rimf re’s adjustable stock is all
