Ruger Precision Rifle: A Top-Selling Bolt-Action In 2020

by
posted on May 1, 2021
ruger-precision-rifle.jpg

There’s always reason to view top-10 lists with caution when the results are narrowly focused on one outlet’s volume, although there’s no denying Gunbroker.com’s 2020 compilation of the top bolt-action rifles sold through its website sends a strong message. Ruger dominated the category and did so in convincing style.

Coming in at number three in the bolt action list last year was the Ruger Precision Rifle. The firearm dropped from the number one position it held in 2019, five-year reign that began with its introduction. That sounds like disappointing news for the company’s executive team, although it was a pair of Ruger’s own that knocked it from the podium’s top rung. Better yet, another of the company’s rifles is nipping at its heels in fourth place.

Ruger
introduced the first generation of the Precision Rifle in 2015. Initial chamberings included .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor and .308 Win. Gen 2 arrived in 2016, with 6 mm Creedmoor added to the offerings. Today you can also choose .300 PRC, .300 Win. Mag., .338 Lapua Mag. and 6.5 PRC. The .243 Win. model is no longer listed as available.

There are seven different models available in Ruger’s regular lineup for 2021 and six manufactured for distributor exclusives. The latter group features some racy color patterns, including red, dark earth, brown and even a patriot flag motif. Otherwise, you have a more businesslike choice between Cerakote gray or black.

Ruger Precision rifles use the company’s folding MSR stock, which is adjustable for cheek weld and length of pull. It features a Picatinny rail at the bottom of the buttstock—which can be replaced with an AR-style version, thanks to the buffer-tube style system—and multiple QD attachment points.

M-LOK slots are on all four sides of the aluminum free-float handguard. The safety is ambidextrous. The Picatinny rail mounted on the receiver make mounting optics fast and, depending on chambering, is either a 20 or 30 MOA version. Bolts are one-piece, three-lug machined from 4140 chrome-moly steel. The bolt handles are oversized.

Barrel lengths vary from 20" to 26"—depending on model—feature 5R rifling and are all cold-hammer forged from chrome-moly steel. Add the gun’s TriggerTech with Frictionless Release Technology trigger or the Ruger Marksman model, both with the ability to vary let-off weight, and it’s easy to see why this rifle was reigning champ for five years in a row.

Models chambered in .308 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor and 6.5 PRC will set you back $1,599. The new-for -2021 Cerakote grey in 6 mm Creedmoor is the top of the line at $2,399. Other versions have MSRPs somewhere between those figures.

For a closer look at Ruger’s Precision Rifle, take a look at American Rifleman’s video review.

Latest

Rem700 Partsview
Rem700 Partsview

Exploded View: Remington Model 700

Since 1962, more Remington Model 700s have been sold than any other bolt-action rifle before or since, and this detailed disassembly guide, exploded view and brief history of the platform, is one worth filing near the toolbox.

Preview: Wildgame Innovations ZeroTrace Portable

The PureION technology employed by Wildgame Innovations’ ZeroTrace line of odor-elimination products chemically neutralizes offending smells—without resorting to an ozone generator—and the company’s Portable unit is the line’s most versatile product yet.

Review: Christensen Arms Modern Precision Rimfire Rifle

The Modern Precision Rimfire from Christensen Arms builds upon time-honored blueprints and is crafted from its maker's flash-forged carbon-fiber technology to create an accurate and fun-to-shoot repeating rifle.

New For 2025: H&K MR A4 Series

Building on its existing commercial line of MR556 and MR762 rifles, HK USA now offers A4 versions of both rifles, as well as large-format pistol variants.

Gun Of The Week: Smith & Wesson Model 1854

Welcome to another American Rifleman Gun Of The Week video, and this time we have a modernized American lever-action to take to the range. Meet the Smith & Wesson Model 1854.

New For 2025: Kimber 2K11

With its new 2K11, Kimber now has a dedicated design based on the 2011 concept that comes loaded with a number of added features.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.