I sure hope I haven't made a huge mistake buying this rifle.

First trip to the range the flash hider unscrewed and almost got shot off the rifle. On my second range trip the new Tactical developed ejection issues. While most of the empties are ejected in typical mini fashion (20 feet away) I'm having quite a few that just "Dribble" out of the port landing beside the rifle on the bench and a few FTE. If I'm trying to remove the magazine and eject a chambered round without the mag inserted it simply won't eject without making a conscious effort to keep the Op rod pushed to the left against the receiver. There is so much slop in the fit of the bolt / Op rod that you can easily pull the bolt to the right enough that the case completely misses the ejector ! I've found numerous threads on several sites with owners experiencing the same issue. And a couple of YouTube videos as well. Several have had to send their rifle in more than once to get the issue resolved. I realize Ruger has good CS but, come on, a brand new rifle that is unreliable ? I've owned Mini's in the past and never had this issue.

Ruger's CS is top notch and very fast.  Call Ruger, get it sent back for warranty repair/replacement.  The WILL take care of you.  (Be sure to send it back in stock condition.  Anything you add likely won't be there when it comes back.)

That's what I've been reading everywhere. I really like this little rifle I just want to get it reliable.

They'll take care of you.

Are you sure the op-rod is properly installed?  There is a little tab on the bottom of the op rod that rides in the groove on the receiver.  Make sure it is in the groove.

Tell them it's a new gun and ask for a shipping label.
They will usually work with you.
In the past, I've had 1-2 week turnaround times.

When did you buy it?  I thought the 582 was a couple of years old now?