Another contender from the inaugural event, the Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR) returns in a Custom Shop trim. This includes upgraded bolt feel and handguard, as well as paint scheme featuring red(ish) highlights on the trigger, safety selector and included barricade stop.
I was hard on the RPR the first time around so tensions were high this year. Out of the gate I loved the grey finish, as did other evaluators, but the nearly-red highlights gave me a “low-rent” vibe. It’s like they tried too hard. “Aesthetically, too much is going on,” according to Kendl. “The front end is gorgeous, the back end is less than.”
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With three lugs and 70 degrees of movement, the action feels good. It was easy to run it hard. You could be as undisciplined as you want with the Ruger and it’s always going to run the same way with every perfect or shotty stroke you give it. It reminds me a lot of the Barrett MRAD, which makes running a bolt a breeze. Kevin noted “It’s smoother than a fresh ground skippy, per Bruno Mars.” While this is hard to say, if you’re a southpaw who for whatever reason wants to run a right-handed rife (ewww), this one would be a shoo-in for its simplicity.
Our super user David owns an RPR and he sees the value in the platform. This version has a heavy-contour hammer forged barrel with 5R rifling and an APA muzzle brake, and the lower gets M-Lok slots in the mag well area, which also is flared for easier reloading. Yet another Trigger Tech trigger is found in the RPR.
The Ruger is a good value even with the higher cost of the Custom Shop version. Just $2,400 gets you in the game and should keep you there until you figure out the next steps. That might include upgrades, which are plentiful for the platform.
