Offering accuracy, dependability, modularity and value, the Ruger Precision Rifle has been steadily flying off shelves since its summer 2015 introduction, and recent news coming from the manufacturer may well make the platform more popular than ever. Ruger has announced a new enhanced version of the Precision Rifle, sporting a few tweaks to the design that could potentially make it even more appealing to long-range-shooting aficionados (watch video above).
“It has been very gratifying to see the interest our customers have taken in the Ruger Precision Rifle,” said Ruger CEO Mike Fifer. “But as great as the gun is, we recognize there is always room for improvement. The enhancements we’ve made will improve the gun’s utility and aesthetics, and the Ruger Precision Rifle will perform out-of-the-box better than ever.”
First among these upgrades is a new handguard. Still free-floating and KeyMod-compatible, the new design omits the original’s top-mounted Picatinny rail in order to increase scope clearance. Given the larger objective lenses utilized by long-range optics, this enhancement makes a lot of sense. The bottom surface of the new handguard is also contoured with a flatter surface, providing for a more stable foundation for the mounting of bipods than the original model.
Another upgrade over the original Precision, which featured a muzzle that was simply threaded and capped with a thread protector, is that the new model ships from the factory with muzzle brake installed. According to Ruger, the new brake can reduce recoil by as much as 58 percent. Providing one final improvement, the new Precision Rifle’s bolt shroud is now made of hard anodized billet aluminum, instead of the plastic of the original. It’s a small, but nice, change.
The rest of the Precision remains unchanged; the enhanced rifles are still available in the same chamberings and barrel lengths, and at the same MSRP ($1,399), as last year’s model. Both the original and enhanced configurations will be available from Ruger for a time, with the initial pattern being phased out as supplies are depleted. For more information on the new, enhanced Ruger Precision Rifle, visit ruger.com. You can read our review of the original gun here.
