In my search for the next rifle I've decided to look into,among others,Ruger's SR 556 in .223 and now the 6.8.
Has anyone had any experience with this rifle?
I would stick with the .223 in what  ever maker I settle on,unless I decide on a .308.But thats another issue.
Specifically,Ruger hasn't been in the AR market long so I wonder how well they have entered into the fray.

Sorry for the double post,Windows Vista sucks.

Unlike most people who frequent this forum, in addition to being an AR-15 fan, I am also an avid  Mini 14 fan.  I have two Minis as well as several other Rugers, including a Super Blackhawk, a Redhawk, a few Vaqueros, a 77/22 and several 10/22s.  I said all this to let you understand that I am not a Ruger hater, and am actually quite the opposite.  With all that being said, I would stay away from the SR 556.  First it is a piston design which is a solution in search of a problem.  There is nothing wrong with the DI design.  The Ruger is also heavier than a DI AR.  The Ruger also has a lot of "aftermarket" options as standard equipment which significantly hike the price up.  If you like these options, well great. But if you are like me and like to customize your rifle, just like you want it, you are paying a lot for extra features.  I would buy a Colt 6920 or equivalent any day over the Ruger SR 556 and set it up the way I want it.

It's not a bad piston rifle. I've only shot it once, and I thought it was way too front heavy. I prefer DI guns for the weight, and they are reliable enough in my opinion.

I would not buy the Ruger. I agree that a DI rifle is the way to go. There are better piston rifles if you have to go that way. But as already stated I would get a Colt or a BCM, DD or a Spikes and set it up the way you want. I think the Colt 6940 is a great rifle for the money.

me to

Im going to have to disagree with those above. I own this AR and its my favorite. Weight? Pick one up yourself and see hoe you like it. Not an issue for me, but then again im not a week body. Accuracy better than all the others ones ive used within 300 yards. Ive shot about 5000 rounds so far since june and have not had a single issue with any ammunition ive ever used not had any problems with cleaning, carrier tilt, or anything else. As with all my other rugers ive ever used, its built like a tank and can take whatever abuse you can throw at it (atleast what ive done to it so far) You can get them new between 1300-1500, just look around. I would deff buy it again had i had the choice. im looking at buying one in 6.8 shortly. enjoy what YOU find comfortable.

I don't think it is necessarily the overall weight that is an issue, it is the location of the weight.  I just find them to be very much front heavy and therefore very unbalanced.  But you are right, some might not find it to be an issue.  Overall weight is still important though - even if you do not have a "weak body."  Every ounce adds up if you ever end up having to hump the thing for any significant period of time, or if you put a lot of rounds down range in a given day.

I've had one for about a year. I investigated buy vs. build and since I wanted a piston AR and Troy sights and rails, It came out to be pretty cost effective. It is a medium weight barrel and it's probably a bit heavy. I don't think the weight is due to the piston, that's just a thin steel rod. I think the Troy rail/grip may be heavy or it's just a heavy barrel. It shoots well, and is a breeze to clean. I can't compare to other rifles since this is my first AR.

With an EOTech XPS on it and replacing the stock with a Magpul, it's around 10 lbs I think. With my Leupold sight on it, I think it's a few oz lighter.

The one thing I really like is that the gas valve is adjustable. I can set it so brass is tossed back to my side of the wall at the range and pick up my brass.
I don't think DI is adjustable like this.

You might take a look at the SR556C They made some efforts at improving the front heavy feel that bothers some.

Also I'd post this question in the "Piston Rifle" section. You will get a more even balance of objective opinions from folks that have in depth experience with the rifle. In particular read some of Marvins posts.

I owned a Ruger SR 556 for about two years.  It was the third AR I ever owned.  I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and had to have it.  It was an impulse and emotional buy.  One that I regretted within a few months.  The weight was the biggest factor for my dislike.  Also, not at all a "weak body" and that has nothing to do with it.  The weight isnt a factor if all you do is bench or rest shooting.  But if you carry the rifle for extended periods or use it for any type of hunting, the weight gets old quick.  More importantly as someone has already stated, is where the weight is.  Its SUPER front heavy.  I tired several different stocks to try to balance it out and all I was doing was making it heavier.  For me the final straw was the excessive wear (gouging) from the cam pin.  I realize what is normal and this was well past normal.  I thought it would wear a grove then stop...it just kept wearing and everytime I cleaned the rifle there were more shavings.  Even after changing to a POF roller cam pin.  It may not have had any overall impact on function, but it really bothered me.  Other problem I had was that the safety selector would go from "safe" to "fire" and continue to what would be "auto".  Of course it wasnt auto but another version of safe.  I called Ruger and they knew it was a problem and wanted me to send the rifle back.  I just fixed it myself by changing out selectors.  Small thing, but annoying considering what I paid for the rifle.

The troy sights were nice but so what, you can get them anywhere.  The troy rail was heavy.  The hogue grip can be had for $20 bucks or less.  

For the positives...it shot really well!  Helped with my confidence big time.  It was a breeze to clean.  It never had a single FTF or FTE no matter what ammo.  If you can find the rifle at a deal and dont want to mess with customizing then its already set up the way you want it, great.

As the post I quoted states, get a 6920.  I traded my SR 556 for a 6920 and couldnt be happier.  Once I picked up the Colt it was like a perfectly balanced feather compared to the SR.  I made a post on here asking for advice before I did the trade and it was unamous in favor of the Colt.  The thread is still probably still on here somewhere.  Best decision I ever made in reguards to my AR hobby.

Found the thread I was talking about.  It dates back to Sept I think.  Anyway, not sure if it will help your decision or not but here it is.

Ruger vs 6920

Mine has been very reliable and I did want the features it came with so that was a positive not a detractor to me. The weight does not bother me but it might bother you, handle and if at all possible shoot one before making your decision.

They are nice and shoot well my father in law got one about six months ago has about 800 rounds through it and runs like a top.Go to youtube and look at the review nutnfancy did on the SR556.



Jason

The weight, the weight, the weight. How the fuck did anybody get off Omaha beach carrying those Garands, Thompsons, and BAR's? I wanted an piston drive, but I also wanted the feel of an AR. My favorite rifle of all time is the DR-200, even then I didn't like the charging knb on the right side. I wanted an AR with a piston. There are a lot of different pistons out there, I went with Ruger because they'll still offer this rifle for the next few decades, the others might not. If the weight is a big deal the CMMG is as light as any DI gun I've held. It's also pretty plain Jane if you want to work it up yourself. As far as the weight goes it's heavy for an AR, but fairly average when thrown in with other military style semi autos. My only real complaint is that Ruger could have made an alternative to the quad rail. It's a good, reliable, soft shooting, easy to clean rifle. When I say soft shooting, I mean that it doesn't move off target much when shooting.

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Almost 10,000 rounds of .223 through three different guns and about 1,000 rounds of 6.8 through another.  No broken parts, etc. and no failures to extract, feed or eject with brass cased ammo.  

I own both Colts and Rugers. Colt 6601 and LE6920.   Ruger SR556 and SR556C.  

I'll bet on the Rugers, every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

and since someone muddied the waters of this thread with a pic of a DI gun, let me set it right with some pics of the firearm in question:







SR556C:





both Rugers:

Very, very nice.

Not to get into DI vs Piston, but I would have to disagree with your statement about better piston rifles, now if your talking about rifles other than AR's thats another issue, But I have seen or have read about every piston AR brand breaking down at one point or another, even LWRC, except for the SIG516 as it is the newest on the market that I'm aware of and we don't have enough feedback yet, but have yet to see or hear of anyone's SR-556 piston system breaking. Ruger has designed a very stout system.

To me there are a couple things that I love about the SR556/SR556C, first and foremost is how soft it shoots.  Compare this to my Colt LE6920 and its a no contest in my opinion. You stay on target a lot more with the SR556.  The SR556C is lighter up from and lets you swing from one target to another easier.  It feels a lot less of a snap and more of a progressive push with the Rugers when shooting.

The gas block is huge and  thats a good thing in my book,  the heat has to go somewhere, better it be up front with the gas block serving as a huge heat sink.   Everyone complains about the weight, personally I don't feel it but maybe I utilize my sling alot and spread the work to other parts of my body, I don't know.  I do know I'm gaining a nice heavy barrel as the thin, M203 profile barrel does not do it for me.  The Rugers will give a Colt LE6920 a hard day when it comes to accuracy, I think the SR556 is a tad more accurate, again that comes from the ability to stay on target, shot after shot.  I shoot the regular white box winchesters 55 grain, the kind one is most likely to find.

Both of mine are getting higher and higher in rounds count and shows no signs of stopping.

In reliability tests, piston guns spank the DI guns every time.  Muff said.  Think the military will continue with DI for their next weapon?  Nope.

Exactly how I felt about it...  I'm a big guy, 230lbs and hitting the weights 3 times a week, but when I picked it up it "felt" much heavier than it actually is.  It's not too much heavier than my LMT Piston, but the weight was way out front.  I figured if as long as I was running a 16" 5.56, I want the lightest, handiest carbine I could.  I ended up going with a 6.5 lbs. S&W M&P-15 PSX for my day-to-day duty carbine and and been extremely pleased with it.

But then again, a buddy of mine who's a feather merchant, runs and Ruger and loves the way the weight helps with muzzle flip.  He shoots a LOT better with the Ruger than about any other design.  I guess it's all about what works for you.  

Sold my 6920 after I shot the Ruger.  Both great rifles, just personal preferance