The updated ERPR comes with a handful of welcome tweaks…and a new sticker price. (Photo: Ruger)
Ruger is no fresh name or new player in big-bore and long-range sport shooting, but when they announced the Ruger Precision Rifle people took notice. Half AR and half Ruger American Rifle, the Ruger Precision Rifle or RPR was a tactical tour de force, a commercial long gun that showcased qualities often associated with sniper and counter-sniper rifles and other leading practical shooting rifle designs in a modern and affordable package.
Now Ruger is updating their relatively-new design with the Enhanced Ruger Precision Rifle, or ERPR. It incorporates a handful of improved components based on user feedback and will be produced in both .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. It seems that .243 Winchester wasn’t a big hit with the RPR crowd as Ruger’s updated model will not include models chambered for a third cartridge.
The updates include a new in-house handguard, a noise-reducing muzzle brake and an alloy bolt shroud. For now, Ruger will continue to offer the ERPR alongside the original RPR as long as existing parts stock allows, but the company plans to phase out the first-gen RPR in favor of the current model.
Although the RPR has only been around for a short while it’s proven to live up to the hype. Mass-producing a rifle built to shoot reliably, accurately and repeatedly as far out as 1,600 yards is no small feat and Ruger pulled it off. The improvements include a ported and compensated 5/16-24 muzzle brake–the original came with a threaded barrel but only a thread protector, no real muzzle device to speak of–a billet machined 6061 hard-anodized aluminum, not polymer, bolt shroud and modular handguard system.
Instead of the earlier railed handguard the ERPR uses a tubular free-floating handguard without a 12-o’clock rail for added scope clearance to accommodate optics with larger objective lenses. The rail is drilled and tapped so that users can still attach top-mounted accessories like night vision systems in front of the scope. The handguard also has KeyMod slots along the other sides of the handguard for other accessories like bipods and sling slots and swivels. The handguard has also been flattened across the bottom to add stability when shooting off a rest or barricade.
The other elements that have set the RPR so far apart from much of the competition are all still there with the ERPR. Ruger is not cutting or dropping features with this update.
See Also: Ruger’s Breaking onto the NFA Scene with Silent-SR 22 Suppressor
The ERPR uses the same receiver, action, and barrel system core to the gun’s solid performance. The action is designed to be easily broken down for maintenance even in the field with the integral tool kit and the receiver is machined with a 20-MOA flattop rail standard, no special optics mounts necessary. Both the receiver and the magwell are machined from 7075-T6 billet aluminum.
The magwell is compatible with both AR-style side-catch magazines as well as AICS-pattern rear-catch mags. The rifles ship with a 10-round Magpul PMag.
With the bolt closed, the bolt extension can be unlocked and, along with the fully-adjustable stock, folded and locked to the side. The tool-free stock can be adjusted for length of pull and cheek height in addition to folding for storage and transportation.
The cold hammer-forged 4140 chromoly steel barrel and both .308 and 6.5 models feature 5R rifling, a pattern favored by many long-range shooters. The .308 model sports a fairly standard 20-inch barrel while the 6.5 Creedmoor takes things out a little further with its 24-inch barrel. The barrels have a medium profile to balance hot-bore accuracy and light weight. Give or take these rifles weigh around 10 pounds without optics
With these changes comes a new price point. The suggested retail price of the Enhanced model is $200 more than the original at $1,599. It still packs a lot of value in a nice package, but it means that sub-$1,000 street prices are probably a thing of the past–not that many vendors were listing the RPR that low in the first place. It’s also possible that Ruger may have underestimated the cost to produce these guns and is adjusting the MSRP accordingly.
These changes represent an incremental improvement to an out-of-the-gate winner by addressing some of the problems, or at the very least, shortcomings discovered by early adopters. The price may be steep for some but for many this is still going to be the precision long-range bolt gun with the best price-performance ratio as far as the eye can see.
For details about these and other Ruger rifles visit the Ruger.com: https://www.ruger.com/
Buy Ruger guns and accessories today at GunsAmerica.com: https://www.gunsamerica.com/Search.aspx?T=ruger
I have owned a Ruger Precision Rifle chambered in .308 for about 6 months. It shoots as well as it is advertised. The improvements Ruger has made make sense. I had to get the extra high rings to accommodate the rail, I put a muzzle brake on the barrel making it a pleasure to shoot (one could easily spend all day shooting and not complain), the plastic shroud that comes with it is a little cheesy, but does help with the weight. Comments at the range: “Do you mind if I spot for you?” Minutes later, “He is getting sub MOA with factory ammo, off the bench!!” ( I was using Federal Matchking 175gn, Vortex Viper PST FFP 4-16X50, 100yrd – 400yrd range @ elevation of 4800ft.)
In response to several of the comments left:
To Dusty: Total weight depends on the scope. This gun is really not for lugging around the mountains, although I know individuals who carry 10+ pounds into the Idaho wilderness for the shot of their life’s.
To Ryan: The bolt shroud that comes with the gun is plastic and sits on the back part of the bolt. One will not see much of it unless you fold the stock and remove the bolt.
To BOhio: Capability of this rifle is the responsibility of the user, not the rifle.
To Lee: I am leaning to Berger bullets as well in my hand loads. The 190gn hybrids seem accurate regardless of seating depth.
Last comment to BOhio: how does shooting cards edge wise or match heads at 100+ yards sound for accuracy and precision?
“Precision rifle”… Sounds good. Accurate to ‘way out there’. Could be fun I suppose, if I could get someone else to carry a .308 that scales well over 11 pounds with glass. I’ve read that 12 pounds is maybe about right for a .505 Gibbs. Can’t find much use for one of those either.
Hey MAX, why did you not talk about the billet aluminum bolt shroud? To be honest, I have never heard of a bolt shroud nor do I know what it would be used for.
“Mass-producing a rifle built to shoot reliably, accurately and repeatedly as far out as 1,600 yards is no small feat”
Shooting 1,600y with a .308 Win? No. In fact, shooting a .308 Win to 1,000y is right on the edge of this venerable cartridge’s maximum range. As to shooting a mile with the 6.5 Creedmoor, it’s not capable of that either. Run the ballistics with your bullet of choice, and you’ll see for yourself. These articles really should be reviewed by a capable editor before being published.
BOhio, have you ever watched Magpul Dynamics “Art of the Precision Rifle”? They do indeed shoot the .308 Win. out to a mile, with a semi-auto no less. As for the 6.5 CM, yeah, it will go 1760 yards also. While these rounds may not be ideal, they will connect with man size targets at that distance. My instructor has shot out to 1200 plus with a .308 and connected with a 31″ square plate. 90% hits on one outing. They sure don’t beat on you like a .338 LM or Win. Mag. either.
I’m pushing a 105gr Berger Hybrid over 2900fps with H4350 powder out of my RPR .243win… Its accurate enough in my opinion to jump entry level into PRS and actually be competitive. In all honesty I’ve never had a factory gun shoot as well. Its on par with guns twice its price.
Its 3600 feet above sea level in Amarillo, TX, today’s weather is 68 degrees out with 59% humidity. Station pressure 30.13.
Run the numbers puts me supersonic at 1500 yards…
If I had bought the 6.5creedmore, and was running 140gr berger hybrids at 2750fps (I’ve heard guys hand loading 2800 in the RPR), same numbers would put me supersonic at 1580.
With the 308win, pushing a 155.5gr full bore at 2700fps (its what I get out of my 18″ AR-10, I’m sure the ruger 20″ would be a hair faster) puts supersonic to 1160 yards.. I know I’m using supersonic as a stability marker, just because its common accepted practice, but there are projectiles such as the 185 berger juggernaut designed to be stable and predictable thru transonic flight. Even at 900fps a mile away, if its repeatable on target, its hitting you like a 45acp point blank… soooooo, yea, theoretically you could push that sucker that far. Its going to take a heck of a good shooter to arc lob that puppy to a hit though.
I can easily see with the right load and atmospheric conditions would get enough velocity to push the 6.5creedmore to 1600 yards. Add a can to the end, get a hair edge fps more. Who know, the right day and you just might be able to lob that pill a mile.
I kicked dirt on a crow @ 1100 yards one day with a 243 110E Savage.
I would have maybe got him on the second shot if he’d hung around.
“reliably, accurately and repeatedly” is the key phrase, kind readers. Not “under rare circumstances and with all of the factors maxed out and maybe then you’ll get lucky could you possibly hit targets at 1,600y”. I’ve competed in various long range matches, i.e. out to 1,000y. Palma, F-Class, Benchrest, and Tactical. I’ve seen the results on my own target(s), and from others while working in the scoring pits. Suggesting that either cartridge named is suitable for “reliably, accurately, and repeatedly” engaging targets as far as 1,600y is irresponsible marketing. If I wanted a lightweight platform for that, I’d choose a .280 AI. Even then, it’s silly to think that the average shooter is going to be accurate at such distance. Ruger should change their statement to “up to 1,000y”, which is still way farther than the average shooter can or should try to hit targets. JMO…
Correction: It’s not Ruger making the distance shooting claim; it’s the writer of the article, who should be taken to task.
Any one shooting the distances mentioned is not the average shooter to start with. I to have shot the matches Bohio mentions and yes my precision can do what is stated. Stop trying to make issues and enjoy a well built platform for what it is.
I put this exact rifle on layaway 2 days ago at my local dealer. It was gorgeous. Really looking forward to topping her with some good glass and a bipod. I think the muzzle threads are 5/8×24 though…not 5/16…musta been a typo.
Wow, Ruger must be serious about weight reduction!. A .308 though a 5/16″ muzzle device. 😉
With most manufacturing, as the tooling gets worn specs/tolerance change to some degree. Hopefully Ruger will keep a close eye on the production line and rifle 5000 will be as tight as number 10. I don’t mind product improvements that actually deliver enhancements to the user even for a few bucks more. When I finally decide to replace my LRR (its wearing out my old bones), I will get the RPR in 308.