Ruger AR556 Info

Overview

UPDATE:

I have 8000+ rounds through this carbine now and finally had a malfunction - extractor. To be exact, I didn't clean the extractor for 5000+ rounds and it got so gunked up that I got a couple of Failure To Extract (FTE). Very easy to push out the pin and clean - oil and carbon. I went ahead and installed a new spring and o-ring.

(Tap on pictures for larger version)

I'm a long-time shooter, but new AR owner. Honestly never had much interest in ARs because they were expensive. But the prices dropped.

I don't want to do a review of an AR15. The Ruger AR556 guns are well-known and super popular entry-level ARs. But I will give some info on what I've learned.

I really wanted a truck/RV gun. The Kel-Tec SU-16C was my first choice, but I grew tired of waiting - the darned things are popular. The AR556 sells for under $500 and is available everywhere.

I will say that the AR556 is a fun carbine that has been dead reliable and easy to shoot. My wife likes it and handles it well. The grandkids don't want to shoot 22LR anymore - they just want a 30rnd mag and the rifle.

This gun is getting shot so much that I might wear out a barrel.

Ammo

16" barrel velocities.  Crony Alpha-Master.

• Federal XM193 - 3050fps, 100fps ES - Probably why the "X".

• Tula 55gr FMJ - 2800fps, 20fps ES

• Tula 62gr HP - 2597fps, 75fps ES - raining, so wide ES might be Chrony reading raindrops.

• Tula 75gr HP - 2360fps, 20fps ES

• Hornady Frontier 55gr - 3078fps, 52fps ES

• 64gr Win Power Point, 24.0gr TAC, LC once-fired brass, CCI41 primers, COL=2.26" - 2750fps.

• 77gr TMK, 24.0gr TAC,new starline, cci41 primers,col=2.26", - 2650fps

• 77gr TMK, 23.2gr 8208xbr,new starline, cci41 primers,col=2.26", - 2622fps

• 77gr TMK, 23.4gr 8208xbr,new starline, cci41 primers,col=2.26", - 2644fps

• 55gr Hornady fmjbt, 27.5gr CFE223, CCI450, COL=2.2", LC brass range pickup - 2824fps

• 55gr Hornady fmjbt, 21.8gr H4198, CCI450, COL=2.2", LC brass range pickup - 2910fps

I've used Federal American Eagle, and Independence but I haven't chrono'd them yet. I'm pretty sure that all Federal  55gr is simply their M193 reject  packaged in different color boxes.

People bad mouth Tula but the stuff goes BANG just fine and gives minute-of-8"-plate accuracy at typical 50yd goof-off distances. Easy on the wallet and makes the grandkids happy.

Tula is zinc plated steel jacketed lead core. The 1-8" twist rate stabilizes the 75gr fodder just fine.

I could imagine that a dirty enough gun might short-stroke with the Tula 55gr as it does seem to be a little weak on the gas. I don't shoot more than 300 rounds between cleanings, and of course I dont have problems. I'm sure I could go a lot longer between cleanings, but I won't.  All weights of Tula fodder lock the bolt back just fine, so my AR556 seems to like the stuff.

I've burned through over 1000 rounds of Tula and I think I had one dud.  Never a failure to eject or feed. IMHO unless you are handicapped, it is pretty easy to clear a dud and get back to shooting. And a person can always keep a couple mags of "good stuff" to mollify the mall ninjas.

I ran about 150 rounds of Hornady Frontier 55gr FMJ through the rifle and then cleaned the bore. Very heavy carbon fouling. Much more than I've seen with the other ammo. Can't say that the accuracy dropped off cause I was ringing 8" plates at 200yds as usual. Anyways, Frontier is more consistent than Federal's XM193, but fouls more. BTW, the bolt, carrier and chamber didn't seem dirtier than usual - just the bore.

If you buy online, pay attention to shipping costs. Also, retailers like AmmoLiquidator should be approached with caution - they're on my naughty list. UPDATE: I sent two emails a couple days apart, after hearing nothing for two weeks, and seeing their charge on my credit card. They responded to the 2nd email and shipped the ammo. From my initial order till the ammo arrived was just under a month. Lesson: They get busy and they lose orders - so you need to stay after them.

One more thing: the velocity difference between XM193 and Tula 55gr is enough to make a noticeable POI shift at 50yds. The slower Tula will print about 2 inches higher than XM193. My suspicion is simple barrel harmonics, but I could be wrong. Since I don't shoot beyond 100yds very often, the shift doesnt really matter. But it does matter at 200yds - enough to miss an 8" plate if I don't compensate. So a fellow has to understand their ammo - nothing new.

AR500 Steel Target Plates

Disclaimer : This not a treatise on safe target shooting. I am not an expert, and I admit that I may have overlooked something and only luck has kept me safe in using plate targets in this manner. IE, I may be wrong.  There are many facets of safe target shooting I am not addressing and I may be doing things that I "assume" are common knowledge. "Spall", ie "ricochet" is dangerous and it is your responsibility to think this through. I am not responsible for your screwups.

I've been using 8" diameter x 1/2" thick AR500 steel hanging plates from shootingtargets7.com - ~$100 for 4. The fun factor is high because a "hit" rings. And the plates are convenient.

I use this type of hanging plate as close as 25yds. Ideally I should draw a picture to convey the basic ideas - maybe one of these days.

It can be done safely with the following pointers:

• • AR500 hanging plates only. Never try this with lesser steel and dont attach the plates to a stand - let them hang.

  • Suspend the plate between two concrete form steel stakes (Home Depot) - they'll handle the spall and the plates will be lower than the shooter. 

  • Attach your chain/strap using 2" long x 3/8" bolts. Leave distance between the plate and the chain/strap so that the plate will hang with a downward cant.

  • Be carefull shooting swinging plates as the deflection angle is random while swinging.

  • Be smart. If the plate is lower than the shooter, the deflection, (ricochet), angle is downward into the ground. If the plates are at eye-level,  you better be hanging them with a downward cant. And dont set the plates above the shooters bore axis as the spall will be launched into the sky and endanger others.

  • Be aware. The spall line extends to the sides of the plate - make sure you've got at a safety zone past the sides of your plates. And remember that shooting plates from the side is going to send spall to the side - aka "ricochet".

The following video is the very best demonstration of the spall pattern I've seen:

If setup correctly, the spall line will be directly under the plate. Rubber straps will handle getting hit better than chain. Any strap material that will allow a bullet to pass through will work. 

Wooden frames will be chewed apart by the spall.  Light steel fence posts will last longer, but the spall will get them too unless they are pounded in on a backward angle (spall line not inline with the posts). Concrete form stakes survive spall.

Here is my current setup using a very thick old chain (a single 5.56 cant cut it) and some piano wire clips. I use nylock nuts on the 2" long, 7/16" bolts.

XM193 and Tula won't dimple the plates much at 25yds and even less at 100yds. The 1/2" AR500 should handle thousands of rounds easily.

I don't shoot M855 because the steel penetrator craters the plates noticeably. Not a matter of safety, but of target life. 500 hits and the plates are looking pretty ugly.  I've shot these plates alot with various rifles, but never enough to crack them. If I ever destroy one I'll post about it.

Fire Safety

I need to point out something that will happen when shooting steel targets - sparks. 

Sparks will happen with all ammo except cast lead. Basically the jacket material (and any penetrators) will get hot enough on impact to ignite stuff.  Steel jacketed Tula will spark a lot. Solid copper will spark the most.  Whats my point?  Fire. Really the main point is that bullet fragments cause fires every year - so THINK. 

The solution is pretty simple really: don't have flammable material under the spall line. Some quick work with a shovel can make a target site safe. And dont go shooting in the dry grass in fire danger weather.

Carry a shovel, water, fire-extinguisher,  etc. Check your target area for smolders after you are done shooting.

Magazines

Magpul pmags are very good. But if you want to reload and increase the COL to take advantage of the longer throat in the 5.6 chamber - you'll need a different magazine. There are some stainless types that give you a little more room - I use ASC and load to 2.26" with room to spare.  I especially like the their 5 rounders for hunting and target work. I also have some D&H 20 rounders as they are much nicer when shooting prone or off a rest.

Plan on getting a 10 pack of mags - you'll be glad you did. BTW, the Gen 3 pmags have a cool little snap on cap, which I like.

UPDATE: I've used 4 or 5 different magazines and I don't see a difference in reliability. I think I have close to 30 mags (30rnd) that I keep loaded all the time - thats how I store my reloads. I buy Magpul M2 when I find a great deal. I haven't had a magazine fail yet.

Sling

I got a simple 1.25" thumb-adjustable one for $20. I bought the front quick release for $5 as well.

I'm old school, so I like to "sling up" for stability. I'm not into "tactical".

Mag pouch

Being naive, I thought a mag pouch was a good idea. So I spent $9 and installed it. Looked "Tactical".

Charging handle clears with stock fully extended.

But when the stock is collapsed,  the charging handle is blocked.

So I stepped back and realized that there were other ways to have a magazine with the rifle, without having a magazine in the rifle

And a big fat rubber band did the job. Once the mag is in use, the rubber band is out of the way. It may not be "tacti-cool", but it does what I want. 

Suppose I could double up magazines with another fat rubber band.

Holosun HS503GU  Red Dot Sight

The stock sights work well. New shooters seem to figure them out pretty fast. I set them up for a 6'oclock hold using the 25 yard sight in. As long as the AR500 plates ring everybody seems happy.

I settled on  a Holosun HS503GU for my only optic on this carbine.  I can't see using this past 200yds. Holosun products have some nifty features.

Mounted well forward - seems to work best with both eyes open.

UPDATE: 8 years and 8000+ rounds later this carbine wears this RDS 95% of the time. No complaints and I almost always use the circle dot reticle. Easy and fast hits out to 100yds. I also have a lightweight scope and Aero mount I use for 300-500 yard playing.

I chose the 1/3 co-witness mount.

When the weather is better I am  going to zero it at 50yds - seems like a good compromise.

Holosun Mount Quality Problem

I got halfway through one magazine when the loc-tite secured mount bolt broke. Classic Chinese quality - no heat treatment.  And this is a well-known problem for Holosun who chose to let the buyer handle QC for them.

We'll see how Holosun customer service handles this. Update: I emailed customer service Sunday PM. They called me Monday and mailed out replacement parts. No hassle. Pretty decent. They sent two bolts and clamps.

Meanwhile, I borrowed the bolt and clamp from the low mount shipped with the sight. Since it is the same soft bolt, I used Loc-Tite Blue again but snugged it down less than what felt right. We'll see if it lasts longer.

Well the mount has held up for over 1500 rounds now. So a person definitely has to go easy on tightening that cheesy bolt. And there's no way this will work without some thread locker.

Parallax Error

I know that Holosun  (and other manufacturers ) claim "parallax free", but the truth is that all red dot sights and rifle scopes have some parallax error. Scope manufacturers happen to be more knowledgeable, and tell you how they adjusted it or give you an adjustment.  I can make the HS503GU POI shift about 1/2" in any direction at 25yds simply by not centering the dot.  So the HS503GU has about 4MOA of parallax error, based on me eyeballing it at a target at 120yds. About 2X as much vertically as horizontally. 

Is the parallax error a big deal? Not if you understand it and not if you have a consistent cheek weld.   Don't know yet if I should send it back to Holosun for repair, as the parallax error may be an unavoidable outcome of the design.

At close range I focus more on hold-over to compensate for the sight's height above the bore centerline.

Shooters from 6 to 60 years old like the sight. And I think the 1/3 co-witness,  zeroed at 50yds, is the best setup for my needs.

Cleaning

Folks have proven that the AR design can run a long time without cleaning if kept lubricated. But I am not one of those folks who takes pride in seeing how long their rifle can go without cleaning. I doubt I let this AR go more than 300 rounds without sprucing up the BCG (bolt carrier group) and swabbing out the bore.

Bore snake is great, but I  think the barrel needs a good cleaning every once in a while as it gets a lot of rounds through it. Invest in a one-piece coated cleaning rod,  nylon brushes, jags, patches, vile chemicals, etc.

Speaking of vile chemicals,  I use Barnes CR-10, which has a strong ammonia odor. But evidently there are better copper/carbon removers. Buy what you want, but use it once in a while. There's no way a .223-cal rifle that gets 200 - 300 rounds a session won't benefit from clearing out some of the carbon, copper and zinc. 

Get a chamber brush. Figure out a solution for an 18" rod with fixed T-handle. The chambers get cruddy. I suspect that folks who have trouble with steel case ammo also have trouble with cleaning their chambers. By the way, a light coat of oil in the chamber is not a bad thing.

I use ATF, odorless mineral spirits (naptha), and Acetone,  (Ed's Red without the kerosene and lanolin), in a 2 gallon chemical bucket (Home Depot) to wash down the upper and lower periodically. I also brush out the barrel with the muzzle submerged. I do this when it starts getting me dirty. I like this better than hosing it out with brake cleaner because it lubricates (and it is cheap).

There are a lot of lubes out there. The best is a hot topic. I use Weapon Shield  FP-10, and I admit that it isn't the best. But it is plenty good enough for me. I also use Tetra grease on the BCG contact points, but I wouldn't if I was running the carbine in sub-zero weather. The key to lubing is to be generous - this design doesn't do so good dry. Weapon Shield is an improvement over the "new" FP-10 - it stays in place longer.  (What happened is that I finally ran out of "old" FP-10, and the new stuff kindof sucked).

Burnishing The Trigger

A simple method of forcing the engagement surfaces together under pressure and pulling the trigger.  Cleans up a gritty trigger.

There's a YouTube video on this called "paracord AR15 trigger", but the process is simply a matter of pulling up on the hammer while pulling the trigger. The pressure on the engagement surfaces smoothes out the minor imperfections that cause the "gritty" feeling. Oil the surfaces first. A tiny bit of a good grease afterwards. A simple improvement to a GI trigger for 15 minutes work and no disassembly/stones/Dremels.

Reloading

The grandkids love shooting the rifle so I'm working up some handloads for deer. I'm using 64gr Winchester power points, Sierra 77gr TMK, IMR8208XBR and Ramshot TAC powder at present. I collected a couple hundred pieces of Lake City brass and I bought some Starline 5.56.

I'm removing primer crimps by chucking up my chamfer tool in a drill - works fine. But if I was doing some serious volume I would buy the Dillon swager. By the way, the Hornady primer pocket tool sucks - save your money. I trim to length using the WCT (worlds cheapest trimmer).

And as of August 2020 there is an ammo shortage. Ridiculous prices if you can find any. Small rifle primers difficult to find. I wasn't going to reload this cartridge, but I'm glad I can now. Hunting ammo is impossible to find.

Small Pistol in place of Small Rifle primers

(No, I don't advocate this)

Left to right above: New Starline 5.56 brass with CCI500, once-fired Lake City with CCI500, New Starline with Winchester Small Pistol. All of of them dropped into chamber and then bolt dropped from bolt release 3 times. Appears that Winchester Small Pistol is softer than CCI500. My point here was to examine the issue of slam fires and I don't think it is a big concern.

In this time of shortages, it is tempting to use small Pistol primers in place of Small Rifle. Dimensionally they are the same same. But the Small Pistol primers use a thinner cup material (0.020") and are more likely to pierce. A pierced primer will gas cut your firing pin and bolt face. So unless you can't trade for CCI450/CCI41,etc. , you need to load your ammo on the very light - side to make spp work safely.

Personally I've found folks much more hungry for app than srp, so trading for CCI450 was not a problem.

Rust

I'm not likely to baby this carbine anymore than I do my duck shotgun. I want a truck/RV gun - not a fantasy/military-wannabe toy.

The barrel is parkerized, which means it will hold oil. I treated it with FP-10, (thoroughly degreased, coated and let dry). And I've recoated it a couple times after smoking the oil off from range sessions. The innards have been treated as well. Not sure what else can rust.

I recently went shooting in pouring rain - good duck hunting weather. Rifle works fine with water running through it. I sat the rifle action open in a room to let it dry out. I'll update this later on whether or not there is any rust. 

Well I just inspected the rifle two days after it was soaked, air-dried and put back in the cabinet. No rust anywhere.

If rust/corrosion becomes an issue, I'll likely paint it - either a bake-on finish (I have some GunKote left over), or a red-neck rattlecan camo finish with rubber bands .

I'm using Weapon Shield now. I coated the barrel before a 300rnd session. The barrel smoked (grandkids),  but there was still a visible film afterwards.  So I'm liking Weapon Shield now - but I dont shoot in the rain much anyways.

Update: I soaked it again - freezing cold and pouring sleaze (sleet & rain combo). Dried it out over the heat register.  No rust.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the cheap phosphate coating on the barrel will hold enough quality oil to keep from rusting in the soggy PNW.

 Upgrades

<sigh> I don't want to be one of those pudgy acne covered mall ninjas who show up on forums to educate us lesser beings on the "best". But I've got some thoughts after about a case of ammo.

First of all, the carbine runs fine. I dont think it needs a melonite-treated barrel or Magpul "furniture". Nor do I need a bayonet. The operating guts work just fine, and I don't care if the BCG cracks after "only" 20,000 rounds (I'll be on my 3rd barrel anyways).

But.....

Ruger 452 Elite Trigger

I could live with a GI trigger - , (millions do), but at my stage in life I dont like to fight with a mechanism to launch a bullet accurately. I have good triggers on my other rifles - I'm growing tired of wrestling with a 7lb trigger pull. As with all things AR, there are many choices for trigger improvement, and I've got to start the selection process.

Well I decided to go with the Ruger Elite 452 two-stage. $99 ($108 with shipping). UPS says it's on the way. It was between the LaRue MBT and the 452 - I just missed the LaRue $99 sale. I know you can certainly spend more on a 2-stage trigger, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to understand what you get.

Wow! What a difference a good 2-stage makes. I like this trigger. The way Ruger ships it is a bit novel - and it does help educate a noob on how to replace a trigger. 

The trigger install is pretty easy if you've got a bit of mechanical acumen.  Head to Harbor Freight and pick up some pin punches - you'll need 1/8" x 1" long. Wouldn't hurt to get a small brass hammer too.

Put the old trigger group back in the Ruger dry-fire frame and snap it once in awhile to be reminded of a GI trigger.

Update: I like the Ruger Elite 452 - makes this carbine so much easier to shoot accurately. Since this trigger comes stock on the Ruger MPR, a person should really consider the MPR over the 556 Carbine.

8000+ round UPDATE: the last time I measured the pull weight it came in a little over 3lbs. Very happy with this purchase.

Sights

I'm  getting old, but I don't really care for a scope when shooting 100yds.  I played around with a Red Dot and really liked it. I'm thinking the 1/3 co-witness mount is best. Holosun's products seem to have the best features and the HS503GU intrigues me. I have one on order and I'll likely comment on it at some point.

UPS delivered. Seems like a well-built optic. Great glass. Great features. I mounted it well forward because it felt more comfortable to my old eyes. Blue locktite is my friend. I'll update this blog as I learn what does and doesn't work for me. Note: The Holosun 1/3 co-witness mount broke after about 15 rounds. Off the rifle and into the mud.

Update: I can consistently hit an 8" plate at 200yds with the HS503GU. I can hit bigger things further. The dot covers the 8" plate completely at 200yds. Btw, I went with a 50yd zero.

I know the "dot" is 2 MOA. So the dot should cover a little more than half of an 8" plate at 200 yards. But my eye cannot resolve the contrasting white plate and red dot at that distance, so the dot appears to completely cover the plate. I can get somewhat better results by turning the brightness way down, but lets face it, a red dot isn't designed for long range without magnification.

I like to "drop down" onto the plate at 200,  instead of "slide in from the side" or "crawl up" from below. Just my preference for aligning dot to target when my eye is at it's limit. Young eyes probably do better (I can't remember ).

BTW, I have a lot of experience with green for a dot, and I find it better. Green is more in the sweet spot for my eye receptivity. But the world seems to like red - who am I to argue.

I'm done.

Really, I cant see any reason to tinker with this carbine anymore. I'm not into fantasies about going to war, and I'm not going to compete. I guess I'll just have to have fun shooting it for a couple thousand rounds.

The True Cost of This Entry-Level Rifle

I was pondering how much this entry-level carbine really cost:

• • Rifle - $499

  • 12 Magpul magazines - $160

  • Sling Quick Release - $8

  • 1.25" thumb-adjustable sling - $20

  • Ruger 452 trigger - $108

  • Holosun HS503GU RDS - $205

  • 1500 rounds of ammo(different brands) - $400.

Assuming I haven't forgotten anything, the total is $1400. Funny how the carbine itself is only 36% of the true cost.

Yea I suppose its not fair to count the cost of ammo, but it was part of the initial expenditures to have fun.

20/20 Hindsight

I should've bought the Ruger MPR. The MPR comes with the 452 2-stage installed. And the MPR goes for $569 on sale. Yes the MPR has a 2" longer barrel, but I'm not into fantasy make-believe "it's gotta be an M4". 

The MPR floats the barrel,  but testing by Joe@RealGuns showed it not significant. And furniture differences are fluff to me.

My recent Holosun mount failure showed me the importance of BUIS (forum-speak for Back Up Iron Sights), as I could keep plinking after putting the Holosun in my pocket.  But I would've picked up a set of flip-up sights eventually.

The only downside to the MPR is reduction in "handiness". The shorter & lighter AR556 carbine is closer to the ideal "truck gun" than the MPR. 

Summary 

You can't go wrong with this entry-level AR. Mine runs great and is a lot of fun. I can see thousands of rounds being launched by happy family and friends. I can see why the AR15 is the most popular rifle in the US - they're a lot of fun.

8 years later: I've no regrets with my purchase of this entry-level AR556. I shoot the thing 1-2k rounds a year and it always goes Bang and puts bullets where I want them. It weighs 7lbs with RDS and sling. I clean it every 300+ rounds and that is just the bolt carrier assembly and barrel extension (don't usually clean the barrel). It is doing 2 moa now, which is good enough for me.

Prices have come down and Palmetto State Armory would be my choice now for an entry-level 16" carbine ( preferably nitrided barrel and their EPT trigger).