I have been looking at piston AR's for a year or so. I keep seeing articles on the gas guns that say "the direct gas impingement system can be very reliable". Can be? What's wrong with that sentence? Progressives can be pro-gun. Jerry Jones can be humble and considerate. Those all seem to be analogous thoughts to me. So... I work with an FFL _AND_ I have budget authority! I am getting a Gunsite Scout for Christmas so I'm good with .308 and decided my Evil Black Rifle would be a 5.56. My guy could get a Ruger SR556 for a good price... done deal. I got it before I went home for Thanksgiving.
Here's what I think:
The standard SR556 comes nicely equipped with a Magpul magazines, a Hogue pistol grip, a telescoping stock, Troy quad rails with covers, Troy folding sights and a nice rifle case. I put a short barrel UTG scope on it for the interim.
I took it out bright and early on Friday after Thanksgiving for sighting and testing. It performed flawlessly. I had an ammo box of American Eagle 5.56 for the initial range day. The adjustable piston proved to be a good thing. The ejection pattern of the spent brass is an indicator of the piston setting. The adjustment is easily accomplished. The knob is stiff but a spent casing fits perfectly into the holes to easily turn the knob. I turned the piston to setting 1. Ruger recommends running the gun on the lowest setting that gives reliable operation. On setting one, it ran like a sewing machine.
I was zeroing the scope for 25 yards since it was a fun day and I had nephews that wanted to be involved. We were on the Tac Range at Elm Fork so I haven't grouped it at 100 yards. We didn't have a solid setting for our shots so I'm hoping to get better than the 'minute of milk jug' accuracy of a Mini-14. After 200 rounds, the bolt face was still shiny and clean. The gun does seem front heavy but very manageable. The trigger is heavy and does not have a silky feel. It is not intended to be a match trigger. It meets that intent. The first serious upgrade will be a new trigger or a trip to a gunsmith for a trigger job.
The Magpul PMAGS are great. Feeding them is easy and flawless. The included covers are handy and relieve the pressure on the lips at the top of the magazine. All of the controls are handy and solid. Like every Ruger I've ever held, the SR556 just feels.... solid. By solid, I don't mean heavy, although my wife thinks it's a brick.... Not so much a brick that she didn't run through two magazines like corn through a goose.
I didn't get to accessorize my first EBR because Ruger did it for me. I'll add some toys over time. I couldn't be happier with the Ruger or a wife that nags about buying assault weapons
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