I was not expected Ruger to announce the new Ruger Precision Rifle. They have jumped from strengthening their bolt-action line up on the low-end, with the Ruger American, all the way to the high-end tactical / long range market with this new rifle.

The first word that sprung to mind when I saw this rifle was “SEXY”. I love the angular design of the upper receiver, the lower receiver and the magazine well. Beyond the good looks, it is packed full of genuinely innovative features.

It is built on the Ruger American action. I was never a fan of the old Ruger Hawkeye action, so I am pleased they did not build it on that action. The barrel is a medium contoured Cold Hammer Forged 4140 Chrome-Moly barrel with 5R rifling. The barrel comes threaded. The upper receiver is CNC machined from steel and the lower from aluminium. Like an AR-15, the upper transmits all the recoil force direct to the stock and does not put any strain on the lower.

The business end.

The new Ruger stock is adjustable in length of pull and comb height. It is foldable for transport and disassembly. If you don’t like the stock, the upper receiver is compatible with any AR-15 stock. Continuing the AR-compatibility theme, the barrel can be changed using AR-15 wrenches and the rifle is supplied with a Samson Evolution Keymod Rail. The pistol grip is also AR-15 compatible.

Along the top of the receiver is a 20 MOA rail.

The trigger is adjustable externally and the adjustment tool is stored in the bolt shroud, which I think it pretty nifty. The trigger can be adjusted from  2.25 to 5.0 lbs. My only criticism of this rifle is that the lower end of the adjustment range could be a little lower.

Removing the trigger adjustment tool

One of the most innovative new features is the magazine well. It accepts both AI magazines (which latch on the side) and M110/DPMS/SR25/Magpul magazines which latch behind. I have criticized Ruger before for inventing magazines and making us pay far too much for them but in this rifle they give us more magazine choice than any bolt action rifle that has come before it. The rifle is supplied with two 10-round Magpul PMAG magazines.

The rifle is available in .308 Win. (20″ barrel), 6.5mm Creedmoor (24″ barrel) and .243 Winchester (26″ barrel). This means the tactical shooters, the practical rifle competitors and the varminters are all covered. The weight ranges from 9.6 lbs for the .308 Win. version to 11 lbs for the long barreled .243 Win.

The price for all three models is $1,399. The only question is … when can I get it in FDE?