Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles 24HC Black Rifle Challenge Thread

Here's an example of a truly "basic" AR, straight out of the box, with inexpensive ammo and a shooter more accustomed to 3lb triggers than the 8lb "staple gun" feel of a factory AR trigger.

I only shot one group for record, these were shots 11-21 out of the rifle; I didn't alter the gun except to remove the packing oil, re-lube with break-free and adjust the sight several inches to the left.

Rifle: Ruger AR-556
Sights: Factory flip-up rear, post-front.
Rest: Caldwell bags
Ammo: Federal American Eagle 223 Rem, 55gr FMJ BT







I went with a 6 o'clock hold on the bottom of the black. The vertical dispersion shows how poorly I held that sight picture.

The horizontal dispersion is likely a my poor sight pictures and my struggle against the trigger. The ammunition likely didn't help, but I doubt I would have done any better with better ammunition given the trigger, the sights and my inexperience with the rifle.

The center 8 shots are in a not-too-terrible group:





I wasn't plotting my shots so I don't know whether those center 8 were from the beginning, the middle or the end.

10-shot groups are interesting to shoot, I found my sight picture deteriorating significantly as the string progressed. I think next time out I will take along my range timer and give myself a set time in which to fire, so I can rest my eyes periodically. I fired this group in less than a minute. Not rapid fire, but also not paced slow fire.

So here's what a $600 AR-15, straight out of the box, with basic inexpensive ammo can do when shot my someone (me) who doesn't regularly shoot AR's, and also doesn't regularly shoot with poor triggers (the only triggers I have that are heavier than this AR are the DA pull on my revolvers).

I like this little Ruger, it's no target rifle as currently configured but, then again, I didn't pay for a target rifle. I look at it like a Winchester 94 in 30-30: a basic "house" rifle, accurate enough with a practiced shooter to handle everyday rifle chores and inexpensive enough that there's no good reason not to have one.

That said, if I ever get bit by the AR bug I'm going to buy a Noveske Rogue Hunter upper and a Giessele trigger and really get this Ruger rockin'