I’ve had the pleasure of shooting a Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle for about 9 months now. Before I bought the rifle, I had read some reviews and did my research. Although some people had issues with the rifle, there were videos online by “Corey D” and “Elfster” that convinced me to bite the bullet and get it.
Occasionally when I browse the rimfire section on CGN, a few people like to disparage the rifle. Comments like “they should take the word ‘precision’ out of the name” or “my buddy who shoots a lot says it’s crap” comes up quite often here and on other forums, so I thought it’d be nice if I posted a review of the rifle. I generally shoot just this rifle other than my dad’s hand-me-down and I shoot over at Gagnon Shooting Centre. It’s an indoor 50y range, so bear in mind that my results are not impacted by windy days and I actually never learned how to account for wind because of that. The range and people at Gagnon are awesome – you should go there if you are looking for somewhere to shoot!
Current Setup
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle .22LR
20” IBI Fluted Barrel for RPR
Sightron SIII Competition 45x45 Dot Reticle
Vortex Pro High Rings
Timney Trigger
Anarchy Outdoors Penguin Grip
Lowey Tuner w/ Locater
TAB Gear Small Bag
Mystic Precision’s MPOD
Best Results
My best 5x5 average is here – Casual OnTarget measurement says it was an average 0.226” (0.200”, 0.332”, 0.121”, 0.248”, 0.229”). This is what Glenn would call the wallet groups. Shot with Lapua CX.
I keep a detailed log of my shooting results. This isn’t some review where someone shot 5 groups of 5-shots with different types of ammo. I’ve put 8,245 rounds through and I can tell you definitively what this rifle is capable of. For the last month, my average group size at 50 yards has been somewhere between 0.289” to 0.360” depending on the ammo type. That should be about 0.552-0.687 MOA. That’s not to say my rifle is sub-MOA all the time. In the 186 groups shot, 7 of them (3.8%) were above MOA due to a variety of reasons.
For those who say that 5x5 isn't good enough, here are a few more examples of recent shooting:
Lapua CX
Lapua Midas+
SK Rifle Match
Barrels
The original barrel on this rifle is more of a “just ok”. Yes, it can shoot sub-MOA, but you have to use the expensive ammo. If you go out there with S&B LRN, it will appear to be a scattergun. If you use CCI Mini-Mag, it’s equally the same. When I tested those, I could see how someone would suggest removing the word “precision” out of the name. I will say that the benefit of using the factory barrel is that at 18”, it handles high velocity ammo like Eley Force better than the longer match barrel. With Eley Force, it had a 1.126 MOA AVG (36% sub-MOA, 55 groups).
The IBI 20” fluted match barrel resulted in Eley Force average 1.231 MOA (33% sub-MOA, 242 groups). The theory is that the bullets out of the original barrel actual come out faster because rimfire bullets slow down after a certain length of barrel. This means it should stay supersonic vs. the match barrel being longer would drop to subsonic and slowed the bullet down. Is that all true? Ask Glenn – All I know is that the Eley Force stopped working well in the IBI barrel. The other note on the barrel is that chambering CCI Standard Velocity was very difficult. Something to do with the composition of the bullet being slightly different. Yes, you can still shoot it, but it won’t be great results.
Ammo Selection
I’ve shot 17 types of ammo from different brands. One of the reasons I think a lot of people find this rifle to be “not great” is because of ammo selection. If you’re shooting cheap ammo, you won’t get as good of a result as a premium type of ammo. I found the Lapua / SK collection to be the best and have shot everything from SK Flatnose Match to Lapua X-ACT. Yes, the X-ACT has the best results. No, they aren’t worth 3X the price of Lapua Center-X. Lot differences will also affect your results but in general, I would say they are typical. To illustrate the difference, CCI Standard Velocity through the IBI Barrel resulted in 1.100 MOA (40% sub-MOA, 188 groups) vs. SK Rifle Match was 0.655 MOA (93% sub-MOA, 85 groups).
For the original factory barrel, I had shot Fed Black Pack 36g CPHP at 1.624 MOA (10% sub-MOA, 170 groups) vs. Eley Match at 0.989 MOA (66.67% sub-MOA, 15 groups). It’s possible to shoot sub-MOA with the original barrel and it’s possible to shoot a 5x5 for the 0.500” challenge on CGN, but it would take a lot of luck. But Eley Match is very expensive and I’m not sure if you bought a $600 rifle, you’d be really willing to spend $0.40 / round for ammo vs $0.07 / round for Fed Black Pack.
S&B LRN 40G - Original Barrel
Eley Match - Original Barrel
Trigger / Grip / Scope / Tuner / Platform
As a quick aside, the Timney Trigger is amazing and I’m glad I got it, but the original trigger really wasn’t that bad and I’m not sure I am really getting incrementally any improvements in my shooting because of it. The penguin grip from Anarchy Outdoors was a game changer for me, as it corrected my shooting form and helps me pull the trigger properly. Who knew the thumb was supposed to be on the other side?
I started with the Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50mm when I was shooting and really only recently changed over to the Sightron SIII Competition 45x45. At the end of the day, the higher magnification is better. Before buying my gear, the peanut gallery said that they could shoot amazing groups with a 2-7x40mm scope. That’s good for them but being able to see 45x (or even 24x) is much better.
I’m not completely sure if my barrel tuner really makes that much of a difference. I bought one and attached it and casually tuned it. I don’t think it’s hurting results. If you do get a Lowey tuner, get the locater. Myke’s the tuner expert and could probably explain what it actually does.
Lastly, I’ll comment on my MPOD / TAB Gear Small Bag. I had originally started out with a Magpul bipod and an Accushot monopod. If you want a setup that’s always attached to the rifle, that’s a great setup. If you want to shoot smaller groups, call Jerry and get an MPOD and then buy yourself a rear bag. I only wish the bag was a little bigger.
I’ll be taking a little hiatus from shooting as life circumstances mean that I will not be shooting regularly anymore, if at all. Lastly, I want to thank the CGNers that have been super helpful. Dave J for being super helpful and always a pleasure to converse with. Glenn for being an amazing wealth of information (from cleaning rifles to rifle reviews to ammo lots to measuring groups). Jerry for equipment recommendations. Myke for information on barrel tuners. You’ve all made a big impact on my shooting.
Occasionally when I browse the rimfire section on CGN, a few people like to disparage the rifle. Comments like “they should take the word ‘precision’ out of the name” or “my buddy who shoots a lot says it’s crap” comes up quite often here and on other forums, so I thought it’d be nice if I posted a review of the rifle. I generally shoot just this rifle other than my dad’s hand-me-down and I shoot over at Gagnon Shooting Centre. It’s an indoor 50y range, so bear in mind that my results are not impacted by windy days and I actually never learned how to account for wind because of that. The range and people at Gagnon are awesome – you should go there if you are looking for somewhere to shoot!
Current Setup
Ruger Precision Rimfire Rifle .22LR
20” IBI Fluted Barrel for RPR
Sightron SIII Competition 45x45 Dot Reticle
Vortex Pro High Rings
Timney Trigger
Anarchy Outdoors Penguin Grip
Lowey Tuner w/ Locater
TAB Gear Small Bag
Mystic Precision’s MPOD
Best Results
My best 5x5 average is here – Casual OnTarget measurement says it was an average 0.226” (0.200”, 0.332”, 0.121”, 0.248”, 0.229”). This is what Glenn would call the wallet groups. Shot with Lapua CX.
I keep a detailed log of my shooting results. This isn’t some review where someone shot 5 groups of 5-shots with different types of ammo. I’ve put 8,245 rounds through and I can tell you definitively what this rifle is capable of. For the last month, my average group size at 50 yards has been somewhere between 0.289” to 0.360” depending on the ammo type. That should be about 0.552-0.687 MOA. That’s not to say my rifle is sub-MOA all the time. In the 186 groups shot, 7 of them (3.8%) were above MOA due to a variety of reasons.
For those who say that 5x5 isn't good enough, here are a few more examples of recent shooting:
Lapua CX
Lapua Midas+
SK Rifle Match
Barrels
The original barrel on this rifle is more of a “just ok”. Yes, it can shoot sub-MOA, but you have to use the expensive ammo. If you go out there with S&B LRN, it will appear to be a scattergun. If you use CCI Mini-Mag, it’s equally the same. When I tested those, I could see how someone would suggest removing the word “precision” out of the name. I will say that the benefit of using the factory barrel is that at 18”, it handles high velocity ammo like Eley Force better than the longer match barrel. With Eley Force, it had a 1.126 MOA AVG (36% sub-MOA, 55 groups).
The IBI 20” fluted match barrel resulted in Eley Force average 1.231 MOA (33% sub-MOA, 242 groups). The theory is that the bullets out of the original barrel actual come out faster because rimfire bullets slow down after a certain length of barrel. This means it should stay supersonic vs. the match barrel being longer would drop to subsonic and slowed the bullet down. Is that all true? Ask Glenn – All I know is that the Eley Force stopped working well in the IBI barrel. The other note on the barrel is that chambering CCI Standard Velocity was very difficult. Something to do with the composition of the bullet being slightly different. Yes, you can still shoot it, but it won’t be great results.
Ammo Selection
I’ve shot 17 types of ammo from different brands. One of the reasons I think a lot of people find this rifle to be “not great” is because of ammo selection. If you’re shooting cheap ammo, you won’t get as good of a result as a premium type of ammo. I found the Lapua / SK collection to be the best and have shot everything from SK Flatnose Match to Lapua X-ACT. Yes, the X-ACT has the best results. No, they aren’t worth 3X the price of Lapua Center-X. Lot differences will also affect your results but in general, I would say they are typical. To illustrate the difference, CCI Standard Velocity through the IBI Barrel resulted in 1.100 MOA (40% sub-MOA, 188 groups) vs. SK Rifle Match was 0.655 MOA (93% sub-MOA, 85 groups).
For the original factory barrel, I had shot Fed Black Pack 36g CPHP at 1.624 MOA (10% sub-MOA, 170 groups) vs. Eley Match at 0.989 MOA (66.67% sub-MOA, 15 groups). It’s possible to shoot sub-MOA with the original barrel and it’s possible to shoot a 5x5 for the 0.500” challenge on CGN, but it would take a lot of luck. But Eley Match is very expensive and I’m not sure if you bought a $600 rifle, you’d be really willing to spend $0.40 / round for ammo vs $0.07 / round for Fed Black Pack.
S&B LRN 40G - Original Barrel
Eley Match - Original Barrel
Trigger / Grip / Scope / Tuner / Platform
As a quick aside, the Timney Trigger is amazing and I’m glad I got it, but the original trigger really wasn’t that bad and I’m not sure I am really getting incrementally any improvements in my shooting because of it. The penguin grip from Anarchy Outdoors was a game changer for me, as it corrected my shooting form and helps me pull the trigger properly. Who knew the thumb was supposed to be on the other side?
I started with the Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50mm when I was shooting and really only recently changed over to the Sightron SIII Competition 45x45. At the end of the day, the higher magnification is better. Before buying my gear, the peanut gallery said that they could shoot amazing groups with a 2-7x40mm scope. That’s good for them but being able to see 45x (or even 24x) is much better.
I’m not completely sure if my barrel tuner really makes that much of a difference. I bought one and attached it and casually tuned it. I don’t think it’s hurting results. If you do get a Lowey tuner, get the locater. Myke’s the tuner expert and could probably explain what it actually does.
Lastly, I’ll comment on my MPOD / TAB Gear Small Bag. I had originally started out with a Magpul bipod and an Accushot monopod. If you want a setup that’s always attached to the rifle, that’s a great setup. If you want to shoot smaller groups, call Jerry and get an MPOD and then buy yourself a rear bag. I only wish the bag was a little bigger.
I’ll be taking a little hiatus from shooting as life circumstances mean that I will not be shooting regularly anymore, if at all. Lastly, I want to thank the CGNers that have been super helpful. Dave J for being super helpful and always a pleasure to converse with. Glenn for being an amazing wealth of information (from cleaning rifles to rifle reviews to ammo lots to measuring groups). Jerry for equipment recommendations. Myke for information on barrel tuners. You’ve all made a big impact on my shooting.
