I think some miss MY point. This rifle is sold and marketed as a "Precision" rifle, albeit an "entry level" one for the class of shooting it was specifically built for. Out of the box, it is hardly any more accurate, if any, than a varmint barreled 77 and any other number of factory rifles. And you can't expect it to be honestly, because it is the same action and same barrels, just in a cool folding stock. We all know, or at least should, that ultimate accuracy is directly related to how good the barrel is. Yes other factors contribute, but at the end of the day, it's the BARREL. If hunting, or factory varmint rifle accuracy is good enough for you, then you will likely be happy with the RPR and it's cool looks. If you are indeed buying this rifle with the intent to use it as designed, which is in the "Precision Rifle Series".........once you get past beginner status, you will find it needs some upgrades and even Bob Galli, who is probably the biggest fan of this rifle and had a hand in designing it, says the same thing. If your search is just for a rifle to shoot tiny groups, there are better choices for the same money or cheaper. A BVSS Savage or a Sendero will shoot rings around the RPR out of the box.
Myself, I am an accuracy nut. I don't hunt and 90% of my shooting is from a rest in the search of teeny tiny groups. That said, if I do buy a factory rifle, I fully EXPECT to have to rebarrel it to get it up to snuff. That's just part of competition shooting.
All the examples of "bad barrels" I quoted, were from guys that shoot at the same club I do, so I saw the results first hand. I said 3 were rebarreled and two sold. The 3 guys that kept theirs, actually DO shoot in the Precision series. Even with a rebarrel, they were in a GOOD rifle for the series, for less than the cost of the custom rigs that have been dominating that series. The other two bought them just because and when they found they already had stuff that shot better, the Rugers went down the road. I have shot a few matches in the series, but don't do so often, as I don't have the time. The idea of the Ruger was great and I was going to give one a go, until I saw the other issues. I already have a VERY nice custom on a 700 action, in a 6.5 Creedmoor, that's in a BR type stock. So in MY case, it made more sense to buy a $1200 chassis I could swap my action into for Precision matches, than to invest $2000 in the Ruger. Had the Rugers I saw been lights out shooters straight out of the box, THAT would have been the best option.
It may SEEM, that I am downing the rifle and that's really NOT the case. I just think it deserves a better barrel from the factory. Just a button rifled 5R barrel like the better Remington's would be a big improvement and not add much if any to the cost. The rifle just deserves to be more "hands on" in it's construction, than mass produced and rushed out, which is what Ruger is all about these days. This rifle deserves the same attention to detail that No1s USED to get when they were Bill's pet project. These days No1s are rushed together, with poor fit and crappy wood like most other things. Was hoping this rifle would be more "refined", but sadly is not showing that to be the case. As with a LOT of Ruger stuff these days, great idea..........poorly executed
