Ruger (or Sturm, Ruger, & Co) is a firearms manufacturer based out of Southpork, CT. They have production facilities in NH, NC, and AZ. They offer a fully customizable line of revolvers, semi-auto pistols, rifles. Today’s article will overview their AR 556 rifle lineup.
A Rifle for All the People
Ruger has three primary versions of their Ruger AR 556 rifle. These are the Standard, MPR (Multi-Purpose Rifle), and Free-Float Handguard.
Standard
The Standard version of the Ruger AR 556 comes prepared, right out of the box for a great day at your local range. It features rear flip up sights with windage and elevation and adjustments and an adjustment front sight.
This carbine length gas system is optimized for stability and control. Its furniture is optimized for multiple attachment points for a QD sling and other QD accessories.
The trigger is single stage and offers a crisp trigger pull and reset. The trigger itself is larger than comparable models for the gloved shooter. It features a 9310 steel bolt and 8620 steel bolt carrier group. The crisp sound of that 5.56 mm round flying past the dust cover hits the ears a bit differently.
Upgrade to an Aero Precision BCG – see our review and recommendations.
The barrel is 1:8″ twist, which is comparable to similar brands. It has a 16″ barrel length. The rifle has M4 feed ramps which allows the shooter to use both 5.56 mm and .223 Remington ammunition. The rifle comes with one 30-round PMAG magazine.
Read: The Best Beginner AR-15 Rifle
The Standard MSRP’s at $1,059.
Other Variants of the Standard
Other variants of this rifle include the MAGPUL MOE Furniture (8515), State Compliant (8502 and 8511), and the distributor exclusives (8503, 8504, 8507, 8517, 8519). These variations range from $1,059 to $1,229. Ask your dealer about distributor exclusive model pricing.
Multi-Purpose Rifle (MPR)
The Ruger AR 556 Multi-Purpose Rifle is a straight up custom build rifle. While the standard has options like MAGPUL hand guards, MAGPUL pistol grip and other MAGPUL gear Ruger has in it’s available accessories, the Multi-Purpose Rifle distills the most common adjustments and accessories into a few easily customizable builds.
The handguard is free floated for greater accuracy and has a slim ergonomic profile at around 15″ in length.
The trigger is a two stage trigger, allowing for a clean 4.5 lb trigger pull.
This barrel is also 1:8″ twist rate 18″ barrel with M4 feed ramps to accommodate 5.56 and .223 Remington rounds.
The Ruger AR 556 MPR features a rifle length gas system and also includes one 30 round PMAG magazine.
The MRP MSRP’s at $1,059.
Other Variants of the MPR
Other variants of this rifle include the 16.10″ barrel (8542), a 450 Bushmaster caliber (8522), a 350 Legend (8532), 18″ State Compliant (8535), a Cerakote Flag model (8538), and distributor exclusives (8526, 8540, and 8539). These variants range from MSRP $1,059 to $1,229. Contact your dealer for pricing on the distributor exclusive models.
Free-Float Handguard
The Free-Float Handguard series looks very similar to the MPR and Standard series rifles. It’s a 16″ barreled rifle available in 5.56 mm/.223 Remington and .300 Blackout.
Will you need .300 Blackout BCG? Read our summary of 300 blackout BCG options.
Its free floating handguard are 11″ long and feature MAGPUL M-LOK attachment capability. The barrel is also 1:8″ twist rate and the rifle features M4 feed ramps which accommodate 5.56 mm and .223 Remington ammunition (except for .300 Blackout models).
The trigger is a single stage trigger. You’re getting a collapsible stock but not your MAGPUL brand.
This rifle comes with one 30 round MAGPUL PMAG magazine.
The Free-Float Handguard MSRP’s at $959.
Other Variants of the Free-Float Handguard
Other variants of the Ruger AR 556 Free-Float Handguard are the .300 BLK (8530) and the State Compliant (8537) in 5.56/.223 Remington. The variants MSRP at $959.
Conclusion
Depending on what type of shooting you plan to do – you might choose any one of these. I personally like the options on the MPR – it has the MAGPUL furniture, is a longer barrel, and has free-floating handguards.
If I’m a new shooter, I’d be fine with the Standard. It’s a shorter barrel, has the option to make some small upgrades like the handguards, comes with a front and rear sight. You could also spend a similar amount of money on the 16.10″ barreled MPR though – I think the difference really comes in experience. How experienced are you as a gun person, and how often will you shoot it?
Again – what will you be doing with this rifle matters most – the .300 blackout fanboys will certainly go for the Free-Float Handguard version. To each their own though.
We have multiple distributers on standby for your next Ruger AR 556 rifle. Send us an e-mail and we’ll find exactly what you want!
