Ruger Precision Rifle .308 Review

Last updated on March 5th, 2024

In the last few years the precision rifle market has exploded. Companies are releasing rifles aimed at precision rifle shooters, such as the Sig Cross Rifle, Mossberg MVP Precision and Christiensen Arms Modern Precision Rifle, but the Ruger Precision Rifle stands out from the crowd.

Ruger Precision Rifle

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Precision Rifle Matches

Its no wonder why when precision rifle matches have become one of the fastest growing shooting matches in the world. If you aren’t familiar with precision rifle matches, here is a bit of a background.

The competition balances speed with precision shooting and has shooters engaging targets between 10 and 1200 meters. This brings with it the need for a capable rifle and a shooter who knows where their firearms ballistics.

The focus of precision rifle match’s is on long range shooting. Competitors are awarded points for the number of correct hits on targets during the allocated time. Targets for precision rifle matches are usually small steel gongs, between 1 and 3 MOA at various distances. However, precision rifles are not solely for made for competition shooting. They are a popular choice for the average shooter wanting to get the best grouping at the range. Precision rifles are also popular with some hunters, as they provide a lot of customisation and accuracy.

Ruger Precision Rifle

The Ruger Precision Rifle was first launched in 2015 packed full of features not seen at an affordable price for a rifle straight out of the box. The chassis system the Ruger brings to the table made it easy for shooters to enter precision rifle matches without any major modifications to the rifle. Traditionally shooters would upgrade and outfit stock rifles to get them up to scratch for competitions.

The main competitor for the Ruger Precision Rifle has been the Tikka Tact A1. Tikka released the Tac A1 in 2017 and brought with it the brand name and its reputation for quality and accuracy. Both the Ruger and Tikka offer similar features with Tikka coming in at a higher price point.

Calibers

Ruger offer the Precision Rifle in a variety of calibers to cater for different applications and shooters preferences. These calibers includ 6.5mm, 6mm Creedmoor, .308 and .223. In 2019 Ruger released the Precision Rifle in magnum calibers including .300 WinMag and .338 Lapua. The Ruger is a great platform for magnum calibers due to its weight. The rifles weight helps mitigate recoil from the bigger calibers compared to a lot of other rifles.

After a few years with the Ruger Precision Rifle in .308, its time to look at how it has stood up. Over that time, it’s mostly been used with a Vortex Viper HST whilst I have owned it. The reason it was paired with the HST is that the rifle was being used as a range rifle and for hunting.

The VMR-1 reticle in the HST is a great choice for a dual hunting and range rifle due to its simple hashmarks for long range shooting. Eventually when the firearm became a purely long-range target rifle, I mounted the Vortex Viper PST Gen II. As for other accessories, the battle tested Harris bipod has stayed on since day one and a TAB Gear rear bag comes out when at the range.

Muzzle Break

The Ruger comes with a threaded muzzle and muzzle break. The rifle already handles recoil well due to its weight, but the added muzzle break reduces it even further. Every time a friend is behind the rifle, they are always surprised at how minimal the recoil is.

Bolt

The bolt is a three-lug style and has a 70-degree throw. The rear of the bolt holds a take-down Allan key which is used to adjust the trigger weight. With three lugs the bolt feels solid when engaged and it smooth when cycling rounds.

Trigger

The trigger on the Ruger Precision Rifle is awesome! This must be the most important feature of the rifle which doesn’t disappoint. The trigger comes with a safety blade to ensure it isn’t accidentally set off. Some people arnt huge fans of the blade. However, aftermarket triggers are available and can be swapped out in the Ruger. The trigger weight is adjustable to between 2 to 5 pounds. Changing the pull is easy and the Allan key in the bolt shroud is used to make those adjustments.

Safety Switch

The safely is similar to an AR platform and when engaged doesn’t lock up the bolt. So, you can work the action etc when the safety is engaged.

Chassis

The rear section of the chassis can be replaced with any buffer tube compatible stock, which opens up plenty of options to replace it. The handguard comes with entire length M-LOK. The rifle also comes with a folding stock which is ideal for transport and storage. The rear of the chassis on the Ruger Precision Rifle also come with a rail to mount a monopod.

The only complaint about the Ruger Precision Rifle is the rear adjustable cheek and butt pad. The locking mechanism for each is clunky and I have found the cheek rest to move in height. It is common for owners to replace the rear stock entirely with a Magpul PRS stock.

Accuracy

The rifle is incredibly accurate for the price point. It can easily achieve sub MOA accuracy with quality factory ammunition or with hand loads. My Ruger Precision Rifle is regularly used in 500 meter shoots where it has no problems repeatedly scoring hits on 5” gongs.

This rifle is used by a lot of new shooters where I teach fundamentals of long-range shooting. It doesn’t take many shots until everyone is ringing steel at 500 and 600 meters.

Conclusion

All of these features make the Ruger a much more customisable firearm than others in traditional stocks. Overall the Ruger Precision Rifle is an impressive choice for an entry into the precision rifle world. It is a complete package out of the box that is affordable and well designed.

Pros