FOG HORN
September 2019 Twobirds Flying Publications
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3
Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3
2019
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3 By: Sal Palma
What would you pay for a rifle that ships with a fully adjustable buttstock for length of pull and comb height? How about, if it was built on a lightweight chassis and fed from a 10 round detachable magazine? Now, what if that same gun was capable of sub minute of angle accuracy right out of the box? This level of performance usually requires the gifted hands of a custom rifle smith, a significant lead time and about $3,500 to $5,000. Yet Sturm, Ruger & Co. was capable of delivering such a rifle at a street price of $1,200 - 1,300. Shazam! In this review, I’ll take you through one of the best values in a precision rifle on the market, the Ruger Precision Rifle Gen 3. Before getting into the nitty gritty details, I’ll answer a question that comes up frequently – what are the differences between the various RPR Generations.
Gen 3 has the 15″ free-float M-LOK(r) handguard made of hard anodized aluminum and features M-LOK(r) slots on all four sides. The 12 o’clock rail was eliminated to provide clearance for long range optics with large objective lenses. The bolt body is nitrided for corrosion resistance, smooth operation and durability, Gen 3 also ships with a hybrid muzzle break. The first thing I noticed when shooting this rifle was its relatively low recoil, even without the muzzle brake installed. Its recoil impulse is markedly lower than most similar caliber rifles I’ve fired. Everything on this rifle is aligned in a straight line so the recoil is dissipated and directed back to the shooter’s shoulder. It literally shoots like a .223 with virtually no muzzle flip.
The Gen 1 did not have the muzzle brake and it had the Samson Evolution handguard. Gen 2 has the re-designed Ruger handguard, aluminum bolt shroud and hybrid muzzle break.
Copyright 2019, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3 Like the Gen 2 version, the Gen 3 RPR ships with a two chamber hybrid muzzle break. Ruger claims a 58% reduction in the recoil impulse. The RPR break is removable exposing 5/8 x 24 threads for attachment of additional muzzle devices or a suppressor. The company’s engineers took all of the pain out of timing the muzzle brake by using an external jam nut that locks the muzzle brake in place once properly aligned. Removal and installation of the muzzle brake could not be easier.
2019
Contributing to its exceptional accuracy is also the Ruger Marksman Adjustable™ trigger; this is an externally adjustable trigger with a pull range of 2.25 to 5 pounds. My review sample came in at approximately 2.5 lbs.
There are a number of factors accounting for the rifle’s organic accuracy but at the very top of that list is its 20 inch hammer forged medium contoured 5R barrel.
5R refers to its rifling. Standard rifling is stepped, meaning that you have sharp corners. 5R rifling does away with the sharp edges using rounded or ramped rifling. The legendary M24 built on the Remington 700 action used 5R rifling as well; its accuracy was legendary.
The RPR’s trigger breaks cleanly and crisply not quite the feel of a tuned rifle but extremely close. Its barrel, chamber and trigger all contribute to exceptional accuracy for an off the shelf rifle. My range session consisted of sending some .308 Win 168 gr. Federal Gold Medal Match and 150 gr. TULA 100 yds. down range with some very satisfactory result. Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3
2019
Ruger was ingenious in its decision to pattern the RPR after the AR. That path opened a superfluity of options for owners.
I fired all rounds off a bipod with no other support. The TULA 150 gr performed satisfactorily with some vertical stringing. The 168 gr. FGM did extremely well, as expected. It will take a couple hundred rounds to break in the RPR barrel at which time I expect to see sub MOA groups especially with some RUAG Ammotec SWISS P.
Any grip that fits on the AR platform can be used on the RPR; the use of an AR receiver extension opens the door to several mil-spec buttstocks, like Magpul Industries PRSŽ GEN3 Precision-Adjustable Stock; the RPR’s safety selector is fully ambidextrous and functions like the AR selector; and the bolt even locks back on an empty magazine, something that took me a couple of magazines to get accustomed to.
The RPR features a left side folding stock adjustable for length of pull and comb height. Although the Ruger buttstock is flexible and comfortable it left something to be desired.
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
RUGER PRECISION RIFLE (RPR) Gen 3 I would give serious consideration to upgrading to a Magpul PRS. The conversion is something that can be readily done without sending the RPR to a gunsmith - replace the receiver extension with a full size rifle variant and install the PRS, done.
The icing on the cake for me was Ruger’s multimagazine interface, which functions interchangeably with AICS and M110/SR25/DPMS/Magpul-style magazines. Ruger ships the rifle with two Magpul 10 round magazines.
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Manufacturer Specifications:
Stock: Folding, Adjustable Length of Pull and Comb Height Finish: Type III Black Hard-Coat Anodized Barrel Length: 20" Barrel: Cold Hammer-Forged, 5R Rifling Thread Pattern: 5/8"-24 Twist: 1:10" RH Grooves: 5 Weight: 9.8 lb. Capacity: 10 Height: 7.30" Overall Length: 39.25"-42.75" Length of Pull: 12" - 15.50" Folded Length: 31.60" Width: 3.30" Suggested Retail: $1599.00
I’ve been behind quite a few precision rifles, Accuracy International, Ashbury Precision, Sako TRS, Remington MSR, CZ 750 and KAC M110, all superb weapons and each have something to love, but if you showed up to the party wearing Ruger’s RPR you shouldn’t feel out of place. Ruger delivered a highly modular rifle of exceptional performance at an M.S.R.P. of $1,599 making it the best value in precision rifles on the market. It is a great entry point into precision shooting worthy of your serious consideration. -SP
Copyright 2019, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved