Ruger Precision Tactical Style

Everywhere you look these days, its Tactical this, Tactical that; stick a Tactical label to it and it seems to have instant appeal. If my teenagers are anything to go by, they would buy nothing else! Some are better than others and Ruger have to be praised as being one of the first and producing a hybrid target /tactical rifle that has the appeal of a Tactical design but all the accuracy of a target rifle. Sensibly, they dubbed this rifle the Precision and as such I cannot argue with that.

The Precision is your typical Tactical format with skeletonised stock and forend attachments and Ruger have an in-line firing stance. You have a choice of only .308 Win or 6.5 Creedmoor both with folding adjustable stock and 20- and 24-inch barrels respectively, although I had a 24-inch .308 Win. Both have 5R rifling within a cold hammer forged barrel to minimum specs and encapsulated bolt operation. At first glance, the Ruger Precision may look like any generic Tactical rifle but delve a little deeper and you have some really nice unique features with patents applied for.

That stock!

It has features I like and some I don’t. Firstly, it is a true inline design, where the barrel/ chambering and bolt operation are in-line with the stock fitment. This gives the recoil direction a linear path to the shoulder with less stress on the action bedding that can torque the stock screws and thus hamper accuracy. In this way, there is a continuous smooth natural flow/ recoil back through the back of the receiver to the stock.

The rear stock is a folding type, MSR, fashioned from aluminium with tubular hollow form to allow the bolt to pass inside and is an AR style buffer tube, so will accept any AR style stock if desired. From this is a steel tube that a plastic cheekpiece to be adjusted back and forth, as well as for elevation. You adjust by unusual quick-release levers that allow a speedy movement but tension but I found a bit fiddly.

You have 1.5-inches of vertical adjustment and 2.5-inches of horizontal adjustment. At the rear of the buffer tube is an alloy block that drops to hold the adjustable recoil pad on a grooved central spigot. On the bottom is a further steady bar that has a Picatinny rail for bipod attachment and the recoil pad is nice and soft and grippy. You have a length of pull difference of 12- to 15.50-inches, which is really good and handles any sighting needs and eyepiece, additional NV kit too, nice.

This whole unit folds to the left of the action by a single button sited at the hinge point but does not lock closed when folded.

The pistol grip, again, is AR format and thus changeable with a huge selection but the Ruger version is large enough to accommodate my hands but soft touch panels would be nice.

The forend is called a ‘short actioned handguard’ as it sits low enough over the barrel to facilitate the use of high mag and objective lens sized scopes for long range use, which the Precision will invariably use.

It is 15-inches long and 2-inches in diameter. It has a multi-faceted exterior surface made from aluminium with eight vents in four rows with additional 15 lugs attachment points either sides for Picatinny rail attachments for laser, lights etc. This is also duplicated on the bottom, where a separate Picatinny rail has to be fitted, although supplied to fit a bipod. It’s a bit of a faff to be honest but the 15-point attachment allows any position, so good.

Action stations

I like this Precision action, not only for its straight in-line profile but solid steel construction with two piece ali shell to house the magazine and trigger/safety mechanism.

Up top, you have a 20 MOA Picatinny base 8-inches long but does not extend on to the forend like other TAC rifles I have used. It does however have large No. 8-40 screws for security.

The upper receiver, as is the one-piece bolt, is engineered from hardened 4140 chrome moly steel with a matt blued finish. By contrast, the lower receiver section is in two halves, secured together by two Allen keys and made from aerospace grade 7075-T6 aluminium. This has a super hard, Type 3 hard coat anodising that complements the upper well.

The front edge of that lower shell has a nice scallop from finger or rest steadying whilst shooting. This lower also has another surprise in the guise of the magazine well that is designed to accept multiple magazines such as AICS, M110/ SR-25/DPMS and Magpul style magazines and some M14 mags as well; a truly diverse and useful feature to have, especially out in the field. The mag release is suitably large and easily pushed forward to pop the mag from its housing.

Bolt, trigger and safety

The bolt has a three lug locking system and is large at 9-inches long with a lug mounted extractor claw and sprung operated plunger type ejector.

The three lug bolt allows a short bolt throw of 70-degrees and has a short but slightly curved rearward bolt handle and of course a ‘Tactical’ knob. That is also exchangeable if you desire. There is a bolt stop on the last round of the magazine, so a useful indication that you are out of ammo and need to reload.

The trigger unit is very good and your now typical American type trigger in trigger construction, which Savage started with their Accu-trigger. Ruger’s version is the ‘Marksman Adjustable Trigger’ that has a pull weight range of 2.25 to 5.0lbs, test rifle broke at 3.15lbs and was very crisp after the first safety trigger take up and single stage.

The safety catch is very AR, with a 45-degree reversible fire or safe lever, just above the pistol grip, so easily operated with the firing hand’s thumb.

Barrel roll

Now you are talking! Ruger have put a lot of effort into producing a barrel with an eye on maximising accuracy, whilst allowing an AR type quick barrel change if necessary. In .308 Win, it is 24-inches long with a varmint profile and 1 in 10 rifling twist with a 0.75- inch muzzle diameter, a blend of weight and practicality for portability and barrel dampening harmonics and heat build-up.

They are built from a cold hammer forged 4140 chrome moly steel and internally the rifling is also special, being a 5R rifling format, which means less fouling with greater bullet stability. All bore specs are minimum, as are the chamberings, so just that extra bit of precision built in.

The muzzle is threaded, so a sound moderator can be fitted. Mind you, the Ruger Hybrid brake is actually good with a blend of recoil reduction, without too much noise being directed to the shooter.

In the Field

The Precision feels very solid but at the same time well-balanced, although it is doubtful if you would use this free-hand and not off the bipod. The degree of flexibility in the stock design is really good and you can soon find a stature that suits your style, length of pull and eye relief with the Precision. The cheekpiece, as with all ‘Tacs’, is a bit short and quite plastic but with the in-line bolt system there is definitely a lack of felt recoil from the humble .308 Win rounds on test. This is also helped by the muzzle brake, that you still need ear defenders to use, but it was very efficient on test.

That magazine release is brilliant, thumb forward and the mag instantly popped for a fresh one, I like it. I had no foul ups from the feeding either and the bolt operation is both smooth and positively locks down.

I fitted my long rig of Recknagel 70 MOA mount and old Swarovski 6-24x50mm target scope, as well as my all-time favourite scope the Kahles K624i Tactical, perfect for this type of rifle.

I had recently tested the Schultz and Larsen Tactical with a 22-inch barrel length, so it would be nice to see the comparison between the two rifles in terms of velocities with the same ammo, as I had these loads left over. I had about a 60-80 fps increase with the 2-inches extra barrel length on the Precision.

I also set up a 6-inch steel gong at 500-yards and off the bipod and with the dwindling stock of Rem Match ammo, that gong was singing out nearly every shot, only gusty wind caused a problem.

Conclusion

You know what, I am not ‘Tactical’ but I am seriously ‘Precision’ and this Ruger has made me take a longer look at the Tactical form as a viable platform for all manner of shooting opportunities. Features I like are the steady hold, bolt configuration and inherent accuracy, with less felt recoil. Things I am not keen on are, adjustment levers to the stock and lack of stock lock when folded.

The 6.5 Creedmoor would be a superb long-range performer, as this cartridge is in vogue at present but the .308 Win will always sell well, due to its diverse nature.

Overall a really nice, well thought out and great performing rifle. Ruger Precision, can’t argue with that!

Contacts:

Ruger rifles: Viking Arms Ltd. www.vikingarms.com
Recknagel mounts: Alan Rhone. www.alanrhone.com
Reloading supplies: Norman Clark. www.normanclarkgunsmith.co.uk. Hannam’s Reloading Ltd. www.hannamsreloading.com
Kahles scopes: RUAG. www.ruag.co.uk
Sierra Bullets: Henry Krank Ltd. www.henrykrank.com