Ruger SR556C at 5,000 rounds. A Photo Essay

[usbp379]

Here's something I posted over on M4carbine.net and I thought it might be of interest to some of the members here.

I've been shooting my SR556C rather regularly in the year or so I've owned it and just reached the 5,000 round mark. Most of this has been on semi- but I have fired several hundred rounds of this on a select fire lower. In all this time, the gun has been accurate and reliable with the only exceptions being some failures to extract with some Silver Bear and WOLF steel cased ammo. I do note that the gun runs properly with Hornady steel cased ammo and WOLF 75gr ammo but doesn't seem to like the lighter WOLF or Silver Bear stuff. The gun runs fine on setting #2 with brass cased ammo.

The gun has been used in a couple of carbine classes and has also been used to shoot jackrabbits and for general plinking and range practice. While I do see some internal wear, I note nothing alarming or unusual and I've not had any broken parts, etc. Some speculated that the Ruger piston was of improper design and would break bolts in the few thousand rounds but mine seems to be going strong.

Next report at 10,000!:)

The carbine in its current form:


Carbon fouling under the gas block. This is a hard spot to get to for cleaning but I believe Ruger's decision to vent under the gas block is a good one. This keeps the hot gasses away from hands, slings, flashlights, etc.


No carrier tilt:


Some slight wear on the face of the buffer:


An overall shot of the bolt carrier assembly and BCM charging handle:


Bolt carrier and bolt:




A view of the upper:


Some wear from cam pin drag. The POF roller cam pin has been in the gun pretty much since it was new:


Barrel extension:


Gas piston, regulator and spring. My usual regimen for cleaning is to soak these parts in Bore Tech C4 and wipe with a rag.



Inside bottom edge of upper:

[Paulo_Santos]

Very nice.

[Striker071]

Gives a good review of how clean a piston gun runs ....

[usbp379]

I think Ruger's really got a good thing going with the SR556. They seem to have figured out the causes of carrier tilt that showed in some of the earlier guns and they've got some nice models recently introduced. The new SR556E shows promise and should be a great product for the $1,000 or so it'll hopefully sell for.

[Striker071]

Noticed the enlarged end of the bolt carrier.... is this a simple fix for the carrier tilt?

[nobodyspecial]

Isn't the Adams Arms carrier slightly enlarged there, as well?

[Paulo_Santos]

Most Piston Companies use the enlarged carriers to help with the carrier tilt. On some it helps and on some it doesn't help too much. My LMT had carrier tilt and what helped was the PWS and POF enhanced buffer tubes.

[Larrys1911]

I guess Im the only one in the gun culture that holds a grudge.......

Im still pissed at Ruger for endorsing the Mag ban

Nice review though.

Larry

[tac40]

thanks for sharing, good info.

[usbp379]

I guess Im the only one in the gun culture that holds a grudge.......

Im still pissed at Ruger for endorsing the Mag ban

Nice review though.

Larry

Plenty of people still hold that same grudge. Thank goodness Ruger isn't the same company anymore...

[usbp379]

Here's the rifle in its current format. I used this in a 2day CQB class out in Phoenix last weekend. The gun continues to run fine and hasn't been cleaned in 1,500 rounds, give or take a couple hundred.

I'm sitting at 6,500 rounds fired.

[markm]

Not too bad. I'd never buy a Ruger AR or a piston AR from any company... but that looks like it's running pretty good.

[Vec]

thanks for sharing, good info.

x2

[usbp379]

Not too bad. I'd never buy a Ruger AR or a piston AR from any company... but that looks like it's running pretty good.

I have to admit that I'm liking the rifle much more than I ever thought I would. I had initially purcashed the Ruger as sort of a way to test the piston idea without spending $2k on some of the other available designs. I've since gone on to purchase and/or shoot piston guns from other makers and really don't think that Ruger's piston design gives any ground to the other guys.

I would like to see Ruger come out with a lighter barrel profile and a faster twist. I'd also like to see the basic design changed slightly to allow for easy access to the piston transfer rod. With that said, the rod is really nothing more than a steel dowel that rides inside the forend. I've run the gun enough now to be fairly certain I'll never have a need to access and remove the transfer rod and imagine any abuse that will render the rod inoperative will likely damage the rifle.

[markm]

I don't mind a meaty barrel. But a fast twist would be good.