Was the Ruger Precision the game changer it was supposed to be?

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Curious your thoughts on the RPR 9 years later. Hard to believe it’s going to be a decade old in 2025.

For me this rifle was the game changer. It was a great entry level rifle rich in features and gained a lot of aftermarket support when it came on the scene. It also got me into 6.5CM and long range shooting

I even remember Frank doing a little series on upgrades you could do to really get the most out of it.

I still have my OG RPR and I think one day it might be a neat thing to pass on to a new shooter. I don’t think I’ll be doing any upgrades to mine. It’s still a great shooting rifle but I think I’ve progressed beyond its budget price tag.

For me the RPR was a gateway rifle



Frank even ran it against the AI with some pretty impressive results.



Interesting tidbit the RPR videos are the top 2 most viewed videos Frank has on YT

 

[riverside jeep]

I was my entry into longer range shooting. I still love it !

 

[Taylorbok]

I don't know if it was a game changer but it definitely made it easy for newbies to get into a PRS style rifle.

I agree more with the term gateway rifle

 

[salks]

Yes I shot my buddies quite a bit. Then bought a tac a 1. But it was definitely a gateway.

 

[Harman117]

You could argue it was a game changer in the sense that it made other large manufacturing companies expand their rifle lineups to include more Chassis/6.5 Creedmoor options.

It seemed to draw more mainstream attention to precision rifles, the 6.5 Creedmoor, etc.. It's hard to actually prove this, but it's my anecdotal experience.

Edit: Example being my buddies who were into hunting/AR-15s suddenly gained interest in long range shooting because of the RPR.

 

[riverside jeep]

You could argue it was a game changer in the sense that it made other large manufacturing companies expand their rifle lineups to include more Chassis/6.5 Creedmoor options.

It seemed to draw more mainstream attention to precision rifles, the 6.5 Creedmoor, etc.. It's hard to actually prove this, but it's my anecdotal experience.

Edit: Example being my buddies who were into hunting/AR-15s suddenly gained interest in long range shooting because of the RPR.

Same here, all my buddies are into deer / squirrel hunting, 2-300 was as far as they knew that a rifle would shoot. I set up a 300 out to 600 yard range and took them out and got them behind my RPR .308. They couldn't believe they could whack beer cans at 600.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

You could argue it was a game changer in the sense that it made other large manufacturing companies expand their rifle lineups to include more Chassis/6.5 Creedmoor options.

It seemed to draw more mainstream attention to precision rifles, the 6.5 Creedmoor, etc..

I agree with your observations. It got me out of a regular “hunting rifle”

It’s been a fun journey.

I haven’t seen anything really blow my mind before or since.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

Never really knew what a rifle could do until I purchased mine. Then, owned it for two years before I managed to put together a Chronograph that worked and a ballistic program. Then in one afternoon, went from the furthest target ever hit (300 yards) to 500, 700 and 800 yards, literally in the number of shots that one can count on one’s hands.

We still have it, Brenda’s adopted it now in its third major revision. Hard to even picture it as an original.

As we purchased it in 2017

As it appears today.

 

[D̷e̷v̷i̷l̷D̷o̷c̷A̷Z̷]

Never really knew what a rifle could do until I purchased mine. Then, owned it for two years before I managed to put together a Chronograph that worked and a ballistic program. Then in one afternoon, went from the furthest target ever hit (300 yards) to 500, 700 and 800 yards, literally in the number of shots that one can count on one’s hands.

We still have it, Brenda’s adopted it now in its third major revision. Hard to even picture it as an original.

As we purchased it in 2017
View attachment 8534708

As it appears today.
View attachment 8534706

Ohhhh carbon fibber. Very posh.

I dig it and appreciate how it’s like a Honda. The third owner will love it as much as the first but prob not as much as the 5th owner.

 

[Supersubes]

Was definitely the gateway drug for a lot of folks. I’d been a custom precision rifle snob since the late 90’s, but the features/value of the RPR set a new standard for factory rifles.

 

[hlee]

The RPR certainly brought “precision rifles” into the mainstream. Before the RPR, precision rifles were pretty much custom affairs. But, when it hit the shelves, you could go into Dicks (before they became dicks), Cabelas, Academy, Bass Pro, etc and walk out with a truly competitive rifle, on a working man’s budget. Now, there are several comparable offerings that didn’t exist before. Yeah, I’d call it a game changer.

 

[Trapshooter12]

The RPR certainly brought “precision rifles” into the mainstream. Before the RPR, precision rifles were pretty much custom affairs. But, when it hit the shelves, you could go into Dicks (before they became dicks), Cabelas, Academy, Bass Pro, etc and walk out with a truly competitive rifle, on a working man’s budget. Now, there are several comparable offerings that didn’t exist before. Yeah, I’d call it a game changer.

This right here. It also made the 6.5 Creedmoor very popular since you could by a 6.5 Rifle over the counter.

 

[carbonbased]

A bit off-topic:

I always find it weird that Ruger has basically a zero footprint on SH for their non-RPR rifles. Everything I’ve ever read is that the non-RPR bolt actions barrels are really hit or miss?

I like the look of some of them, but never have owned anything Ruger except a MkIV pistol and a 10/22 clone (KIDD) if you can call it that.

 

[Taylorbok]

@carbonbased I've got a Ruger American Predator in 243 and it shoots really well for a factory rifle, most things I hear about the Ruger American are positive.

Not sure if you know who Kirby Allen is (Allen Precision Shooting: Home of the Allen Magnum Wildcats) He started building entry level rifles off the Ruger American Action.

 

[tna9001]

The RPR is a gateway drug, very dangerous to your financial life. It looks inexpensive but in the long run it will cost you big money.

 

[Dead Eye Dick]

This right here. It also made the 6.5 Creedmoor very popular since you could by a 6.5 Rifle over the counter.

The first 6.5 Creedmoor I ever saw in the wild, is now in our gun safe. (RPR)

 

[spife7980]

A bit off-topic:

I always find it weird that Ruger has basically a zero footprint on SH for their non-RPR rifles. Everything I’ve ever read is that the non-RPR bolt actions barrels are really hit or miss?

I like the look of some of them, but never have owned anything Ruger except a MkIV pistol and a 10/22 clone (KIDD) if you can call it that.

I love the m77 action. Mine with a factory barrel shot about like you would expect the lightest barrel to shoot, rebarrled with an aftermarket and it shoots with any of my custom actions if I can manage the 3006 well that day. The timney trigger is a very nice upgrade over the factory.

 

[hlee]

A bit off-topic:

I always find it weird that Ruger has basically a zero footprint on SH for their non-RPR rifles. Everything I’ve ever read is that the non-RPR bolt actions barrels are really hit or miss?

I like the look of some of them, but never have owned anything Ruger except a MkIV pistol and a 10/22 clone (KIDD) if you can call it that.

I’m think this just falls to Ruger not having a military bolt gun like Rem and Win, and the 700 owning the bolt action after market.