Ruger's Latest: SR-556CLA

[usbp379]

Just arrived is Ruger's latest piston offering dubbed the SR-556CLA. The "C" is for carbine and the "LA" is for light adaptive rail.

This one's very similar to the SR-556C with the differences being the forend itself and the way the forend is attached to the barrel. The CLA uses two large Allen screws rather than the roll pin used on the Troy rail. The gun ships with two sections of rail that can be placed anywhere along the sides and bottom of the handguard. Ruger also enclosed three plastic covers that can be used as insulation or for a better gripping surface. Otherwise, the CLA is set-up like most other rifles in the SR-556 line. It comes with three Magpul mags, the zippered carrying case, the Troy sights and the chrome lined bore.

The rifle balances well––it might actually be a little butt heavy––with the center of gravity being right at the pivot pin. The new smooth handguard is thin and ergonomic. My bathroom scale says the weight, unloaded, is right at seven pounds. This just might be my favorite SR-556 yet...

The gun right out of the box:


Gas parts remain unchanged:


The semi-auto bolt carrier. Note the radiused tail end to help with carrier tilt:



Railed on top yet smooth on the sides:


Note the fluted barrel:


The mountable plastic rail panels:

[Paulo_Santos]

That looks real nice.

[hikeeba]

So, the carrier tail is rounded to 'help with carrier tilt.'. Does that mean it will help carrier tilt occur more?

Yes, I'm kidding...


It does look like a nice package. Barrel fluting is a nice touch. Who manufactures the handguard? Is it a new/soon-to-be-new offering from Troy?

[usbp379]

So, the carrier tail is rounded to 'help with carrier tilt.'. Does that mean it will help carrier tilt occur more?

Yes, I'm kidding...


It does look like a nice package. Barrel fluting is a nice touch. Who manufactures the handguard? Is it a new/soon-to-be-new offering from Troy?

The rounded tail bolt carrier is something that's been shipping for awhile now and should probably be in all the rifles currently leaving the factory. I don't know if this is supposed to eliminate carrier tilt completely since this gun is showing just the slightest hint of scuffing right at the buffer's tube's leading edge. But I see nothing alarming in the gun and am really not too worried about it. I've got 180 rounds fired at this point.

As far as the handguard goes, it is my understanding that this is something that Ruger came up with in-house. Wether that means they designed it in-house or make it in-house, I cannot say...

[TripleBravo]

That handguard looks like Troy's work to me.

[hikeeba]

^^^ I agree. Maybe it is a VTAC version of the Alpha with the folding front sight removed. Hmmm... Might we see a Troy or Troy/VTAC TRX Extreme or Alpha rifle-length battlerail with a cutout for an FSB sometime down the road? Mmmmmm.... I'd go for a couple of those.

But if the handguard is Ruger, it's probably going to somehow be proprietary to the SR-556 somehow. Bummer.


And correct me if I'm wrong, but radius on the end of the bolt carrier doesn't prevent carrier tilt, but minimizes the damage caused to the receiver extension due to carrier tilt, right?

[BravoHotel]

I'm hoping it's Troy's and is made available to the public sometime soon. I'd definitely like to add one to my rifle.

[usbp379]

Here are some accuracy results from today's outing. The day was overcast and generally calm with an occasional gust. I used an old metal sign to help stabilize my target stand. All groups were fired off a sandbagged rest from 100 yards. All groups were fired using the Leupold 1.25-4x scope.

Ten rounds of 75gr Hornady BTHP loaded with H335:



Eight rounds of 56gr Golden Tiger FMJ:



Ten rounds of 52gr BTHP loaded with AA2230C:



Eight rounds of Speer 45gr spitzer loaded with a max load of H335: