Ruger precision rimfire 5 second impression

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greyling22

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This is not a comprehensive review, just my quick impression on a rifle that may it be in your store yet.

So there was a Ruger precision rimfire sitting on the gun counter yesterday. I have a cz455, love rimfires, and the Ruger looked interesting. I walked over, picked it up and said, "nope" and put it back down. It weighed a ton, mostly in the barrel. I compared specs, and it weighs 1.1lbs more than my cz, but it is all out in the muzzle.

It may shoot lights out, but the feel of it was not good for me. I know it's a bench gun, but the stock looked a little cheesy, and that combined with the balance.....I'm out. Now the new till still looks interesting.....
 
I may end up with one eventually. But right now I have other projects that are more important. It is a bench gun, not a hunting rifle, but that is what I'd use it for.

I have a CZ 452, but the Ruger 10-22 LVT that I own with a target barrel and trigger will match the CZ for accuracy. If the Ruger Precision Rimfire will beat those, then it is just what I'm looking for. For the last year or so I've been playing around with 200+ yard shooting with my 22's and want to go to 300+. I need a little more accuracy, and that stock may make enough difference to matter.

I still have the other rifles for carrying around and at 50-100 yards they are accurate enough.
 
Seems like the majority opinion suggests the RPRR is impractical for field use and is only good for bench shooting... Really seems if folks don’t have anything nice to say, they don’t spend much time looking for a real excuse for why... Haters gonna hate, I guess...

I’ve done ZERO bench shooting with mine, predominantly have been practicing positional shooting with it. Two clubs near us are putting on monthly NRL-22 matches, so my wife and I have the RPRR and a restocked Savage Mark II for these field matches. It sits on barricades fantastically, and is very stable on a bipod. It’s lighter than my Savage Mark II, and more adjustable, for about 2/3 of the price - and shoots smaller groups. It’s lighter than my 10/22T’s too.

The adjustable stock is adaptable to fit my 4yr old son, 9yr old nephew, 5’3” wife, and 6’2” grandpa, all in the same session (aka, last wknd). Something I can’t say for my conventional 22LR rifles. I’ve had thousands of dollars in inventory cost to have multiple rifles for young shooters to use in beginners classes over the years, having more adaptability in the stock is a big advantage for me.

It ain’t your grandpa’s 10/22, so many luddites are going to throw a lot of hate at it. But it’s really good at what it’s made to do... it’s relativey inexpensive, accurate, and adaptable.
 
......and if they had put a 16" tensioned barrel or even a lightweight profile I'd be all over it. I'd love to find an affordable chassis to drop my cz in.
 
The forward balance helps when stuffs being supported by anything besides a hand (tho honestly for offhand shooting I find some forward weight make shake seem smoother).
I've noticed this more and more recently. I've really noticed it with my 7mm RAM which is very barrel heavy (not bench gun heavy, but heavy). It's much easier to shoot that gun accurately than my 1/4lb lighter 06,off bags or a bipod.
I've always liked long barrels tho, so most of my guns have been forward balanced. It might just be my personal preference.

Adding a tentioned barrel would increase the cost of the rifle by at least another 100 bucks, which would take it out of the price range I'd be interested in.
Honestly I think it's a well executed rifle at it's cost point. Getting that kinda function or options would usually be much more expensive.

Heck I have 375 into my little Mossberg and it dosent have an adjustable stock lol.
 
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I know it's a bench gun, but the stock looked a little cheesy

I agree... But, If it shoots good enough I'm always interested in a moderately price bench rest rimfire... I found a review on line that mentioned group sizes but I couldn't find at what ranges those groups were fired at....??? I'll have to sit on the side lines for a while on this one until I hear some consistently good accuracy reports....
 
Folks calling it a bench gun haven't heard of PRS either... It IS intended as a field gun, but not a walking around and shooting offhand type of field gun. I wonder how the balance would change once an appropriate scope and bipod were installed?
 
Folks calling this thing a bench gun, haven’t ever seen a bench gun...

Folks calling it a bench gun haven't heard of PRS either... It IS intended as a field gun,

You know, when you two guys first posted these comments I at first thought you were wrong. Now, after taking a closer look at the rear of the stock I see you were probably right, about it not really being a bench gun anyway..... The toe of the stock isn't suited very well for shooting off a benches rear bag.... By the way, I have seen a bench rest gun before... Might even own one or two....
 
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Got a new 10/22 that's been a bit disappointing with its malfunctions.... wondered if Ruger might have been able to lick that problem with a bolt action.... perhaps not.

....The only mechanical issue I ran into was the occasional failure to properly eject a spent shell casing when using the BX-15 magazine provided with the rifle. Instead of popping out of the action as they were supposed to, the casings would simply spin around in the ejection port waiting to be manually brushed or dumped out...

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2018/3/8/tested-ruger-precision-rimfire-rifle/
 
10/22's Are always a pain at first, eventually they work fine.

Hope you are right that it is a simple break-in thing, after 1200 rounds the malfunction frequency is indeed reducing. Guess it's just that I've never experienced a malfunction from any of my other firearms, all purchased new and in stock form (half are semis)... except for one, and it's my only other Ruger :scrutiny:.
 
By the way, I have seen a bench rest gun before... Might even own one or two....

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There's nothing about the Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle which fits a benchrest application. It's heavier than a 10/22 carbine or Marlin 60... Being heavy doesn't make a rifle a bench gun...

  • Round handguard with no bag-riding flat
  • M-lok slots on adaptive handguard, suitable for accessories NOT suitable for bench use
  • Mid-weight barrel, threaded, and relatively short
  • Relatively thin AR grip without thumbrest, not great for bench use as it leaves a shooter prone to inducing torque
  • Detachable magazine, not typically used in bench competition (no magazine at all is most common)
  • No real rear stock, and lacking a rear bag rider
 
There's nothing about the Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle which fits a benchrest application. It's heavier than a 10/22 carbine or Marlin 60... Being heavy doesn't make a rifle a bench gun...

First of all Varminterror, did I say something to apparently raise your ire? If I did it wasn't my intention..

Second, I said you were right in the first place, that after looking it over a little closer it wasn't very suitable as a BR rifle after all because of the stock shape.

Third, it's not like I was trashing your rifle, I even said if there were enough good accuracy reports I would consider buying one to shoot at our club Bench Rest matches.

Now I know full well that this isn't a rifle intended for Benchrest, let alone a real Benchrest rifle. It's really an ordinary Ruger American .22 rimfire action set in a modular "tactical" looking stock. We hold regular, rimfire BR matches at our club. People shoot all different types of stuff. Since we usual don't shoot for money unless we host a match, and frankly, most of us regulars have shot enough 250 and 25X scores with our actual 22 BR rifles (usually just 50 ft indoor), that we like to mix it up with other rifles to keep things interesting. I've shot many BR matches with my Marlin 39 lever action, CZ 452 and Rem 541 just to name a few...none of which are BR rifles. We also welcome new comers that bring what ever they have to compete with. Like I said, I already knew that this wouldn't actually be competitive against the real BR rifles because I know that the Ruger American, although not a bad little rifle, isn't usually competitive against the Savage and CZ sporters, but I thought the Ruger Precision Rimfire with the heavier, free floated barrel might do better than the regular Ruger American and be fun to play with as an added bonus. But as far as being a real BR rifle I know perfectly well that it is not. This is far from being my first rodeo...
 
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@Bushpilot - no scraped paint here, and your change of opinion is EXACTLY why I challenged these statements above. Five of the first 8 respondents tagged it as a bench gun (or 4.5, since panzer's isn't specifically "bench):

I know it's a bench gun
It is a bench gun
A bench or stationary light varmint only for sure.
It's not an offhand gun
I'm always interested in a moderately price bench rest rimfire...

What "raises my ire" is this kind of silliness in forums where the same ridiculous - YET DEFINITIVE - statements get kicked around as if they were remotely true. When someone doesn't care for a rifle design, then dismisses it out of hand with some incorrect, common cliche' it's a disservice to passersby who will read these DEFINITIVE assertions, not knowing any better, and pass on a rifle which may well suit their needs.

I don't mind in the least when a rifle doesn't match someone's application - so if a guy is looking for a lightweight, woods walking, bunny rifle, the RPRR need not apply. Nor the 10/22T, the CZ455 Tacticool, Savage Mark II Thumbhole Stainless... Horses for courses... The RPRR isn't a lightweight, woods walking bunny gun. It might not be a traditionally styled field rifle, but it's a long dang ways from a bench gun.

And of course, your straw man of "if I shoot a levergun from a bench, it's a bench gun" doesn't deserve the time...

And as @LoonWulf pointed out - forward balance and a little extra rifle weight has proven, for generations, to produce a more stable off-hand rifle. And of course, the adjustable stock makes it that much easier to fit to the shooter to let them get "locked in" for offhand and sling supported shooting...

I'd rather guys were just honest - they want blued steel and walnut on their bunny gun... The RPRR isn't that. Don't label it something it isn't, just to pretend it can't do what you need.
 
What "raises my ire" is this kind of silliness in forums where the same ridiculous - YET DEFINITIVE - statements get kicked around as if they were remotely true. When someone doesn't care for a rifle design, then dismisses it out of hand with some incorrect, common cliche' it's a disservice to passersby who will read these DEFINITIVE assertions, not knowing any better, and pass on a rifle which may well suit their needs.

I don't recall anybody really slamming this rifle, other then the "cheesy" bit. IMO, most of the people who buy this rife are going to do so or not based on whether they like the way it looks or not. Not, because of what you and I call it...

Typically these types of rifles (modulars) are usually made to be used with a bipod. Do we really need to split hairs between a bipod, and off a rest? And by the way, my opinion hasn't really changed that much other then I didn't think the butt of the stock, being so thin, would rest on a bag well (although I understand Ruger makes a "shoe" for it). Why do you really care whether someone calls it a "benchgun"? Because it's heavier then a standard rifle many people would simply choose to shoot it off a bench. It's not like the word benchgun invokes a negative connotation, far from it..

but it's a long dang ways from a bench gun.

A heavier then normal rifle with a floated, heavier then standard barrel, usually shot off a bipod as modulars typically are, with an adjustable comb and LOP and an adjustable trigger is NOT a "long dang ways from a bench gun" for a lot of people.


forward balance and a little extra rifle weight has proven, for generations, to produce a more stable

is also typical of a benchgun.... but I will agree that it does make make for a steady offhand rifle as well, provided the shooter can comfortably hold the weight. So what does that prove...??

I'd rather guys were just honest - they want blued steel and walnut on their bunny gun... The RPRR isn't that. Don't label it something it isn't, just to pretend it can't do what you need.

I don't think anyone is being dishonest, I just think that they would honestly use it in a different application. Just like me, If I had it I would use it as a "just for fun" rifle to take to the club BR matches... If you want to hunt with it or do whatever that's fine to... to each his own... I have used my Anschutz and my S&L BR rifles to hunt squirrels with and I know others who have too and for some it's their main squirrel rifle, for them it is a "squirrel rifle".... why does the label really matter..???? For some people a knife is a weapon, for others it's a tool and for others it's an eating utensil... They can all be the exact same knife, it just depends how you use it....

Five of the first 8 respondents tagged it as a bench gun

This gun's purpose apparently isn't as obvious or clear as most. If it's not a target rifle or a hunting rifle then what is it? A rifle you hunt or "plink" with that looks tacticool? Something to just have fun with? A training rifle, maybe, although I think a training rifle should be able to be comfortably fired sitting and standing as well as prone or from a, dare I say it, a bench? It certainly isn't a serious "tactical" rifle, not a bolt action in .22LR. Or, is it all just a bunch of semantics.
 
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I looked at one through the glass the other day. The adjustable stock looks like a nice setup for a factory rifle. The whole package looks kind of cheesy to me. I'm sure its very good at what it was intended for, which as mentioned is neither small game hunting or bench rest shooting. Pretty expensive for a 22 but it also offers features that no other factory 22 that I'm aware of does. Not for me, but I appreciate it for what it is.
 
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