I got a chance to cycle a few hundred rounds through Ruger's new AR clone. First, it is expensive: $2000. Weighs in at about 7-8ish lbs. Comes with three 30 round magazines. Fires 5.56 NATO and .223 Rem. It is a piston driven design, and the action seems more rugged than the conversion kits for ARs. I like that because it is not gas-driven like the AR, the bolt stays cleaner and less prone to jams. It has a four position gas regulator to allow compensation for different rounds, or set it to 0 and it will operate like a bolt action rifle! Really well balanced, the stock adjusts to I think 5 or 6 positions. Pistol grip is comfortable, trigger guard fits my thick fingers. Its got a quad rail handguard for sights and lasers and lights and stuff, so for you accessory nuts this would be perfect. The one I shot had a folding bipod, so it may feel a little stock-heavy without it. Recoil is really manageable, almost soft, and no noticeable muzzle climb. This weapon is almost accurate enough to be a sniper rifle. I got a 2" group at 100 yards. This one had a Leupold Mark 4 1X-3X red dot riflescope, enough magnification to easily see 100+ yards and versatile enough for CQB. It stripped well, no ridiculously tiny parts to get lost or anything. Nice and simple. Only complaints were it felt a little heavier than comparable AR-15 and I just didn't like the safe selector switch.

This review was written by: StrykerPez