NRA Gun of the Week: Ruger AR-556 Rifle

American Rifleman Staff

posted on April 9, 2016

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So, you don’t have $2,000 to spend on a switch-barrel, piston-driven Ruger SR-556? No problem, as Ruger’s AR-556 is a direct-gas impingement carbine that offers most of the features AR buyers are looking for at a little more than a third of the price. Ruger’s engineers looked at the basic AR and came up with their own method of attaching the handguard. The AR-556 comes with a 16” chrome-lined barrel and carbine length gas-system, and although it has a fixed post front sight, it comes standard with a flip-up rear on its optics-ready flat-top upper receiver. There’s a lot of gun for the money here, and the Ruger AR-556 is our NRA Gun of the Week. Watch the video above for more.

Specifications

Manufacturer: Sturm, Ruger & Co.
Caliber: 5.56x45 mm NATO
Action: direct-impingement, semi-automatic, center-fire rifle
Barrel: 16.1”, 1:8” RH twist rifling
Sights: elevation-adjustable post front; windage-adjustable, flip-up rear
Trigger: 8-lb., 2-oz. pull
Stock: black synthetic; adjustable
Magazine: detachable box; 30-round capacity, Magpul PMAG
Overall Length: 32.25” to 35.50”
Weight: 6.5 lbs.
MSRP: $800

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