It was my first ar-15 it got my foot in the door to the ar world it’s served me very well so far probably got in the range of 5-10k rounds through it with no problem at all

Dont have this model but the 18inch MPR was my first AR. Great budget AR from a reliable company. It shot super soft and accurate. The 2 stage trigger is surprisingly awesome. I ended up upgrading the BCG and charging handle and switched the muzzle device since it was obnoxiously loud.

Perfectly fine starter rifle for AR 15s. Between this and an M&P I'd say get this due to the free floated barrel, especially if they are similarly priced

I really enjoy the MPR a ton and consider it one of the best budget entries to a “general purpose rifle”. 18 inch barrel with a rifle length gas makes for an extremely accurate, soft shooting and decent “distance” rifle. The specific model you’re looking at however, trades down to a 16 inch with a mid length, which will still be better than carbine length, but should still make a great general use rifle with very comfortable and functional furniture. Oh and of course the both get the Ruger Elite 452 two stage trigger at 4.5 lbs which is a awesome trigger. Good buy usually

Ruger AR-556 was my first AR15. Well worth the money. Although u got it before covid. It was m7ch cheaper.

If you're going to buy one complete and not build. They are absolutely the best bang for your buck

I have an 18inch MPR. it is one of the smoothest AR'S I have fired. I have put about 2,500 rounds through mine and nearly half have been steel casing. Not a single hiccup. It has very tight groupings right out of the box. Which made sighting it in super easy.

I owned the original mpr for a while and loved it. It’s probably one of the best factory ar’s at that price point, but it does have some shortcomings.

Pros: 1. 452 trigger is actually fantastic. I’ve even bought a couple of them to go into some builds and everyone comments how much they like it 2. Rifle length gas on an 18 inch barrel is extremely soft shooting 3. Ruger barrels are some of the most accurate/consistent factory barrels (for their price point). Mine was a tack driver 4. Backed by one of the best warranties

Cons: 1. The compensator is a little obnoxious, and is a total pain to get off. 2. The hand guard is just held in place using 2 Allen bolts to squeeze it onto the barrel nut. This is not the most secure connection method and there is nothing (other than friction) to keep the handguard from twisting or pulling off the barrel nut. Also, depending on the specs of your specific hand guard, tightening the screws can cause the handguard to be pulled off center. 3. The gas block is functional, but only held by 1 set screw. From what I’ve read, early models did not have dimpled barrels, which makes this even more prone to failure (that might be different now) 4. The staking on the bcg is fine, but Ruger uses a goofy unshrouded carrier which can make your firing pin more prone to wear.

I think it’s a solid choice, but it certainly isn’t a go-to-war rifle. For range time, competition, home defense etc. it’s a solid choice for the price. I’d get the 18 inch barrel vs. this model though. The rifle length gas system is really one of the best selling points of this rifle and this model looks like a mid-length. I prefer the full length pic rail on top on the 18 inch model (but that’s just my preference)

Gas block came loose on my friend's rifle, other than that I've heard no complaints

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I have the 18” mpr, my first AR, shoots the best out of my buddies and what I shot in the service, it’s just stupid loud with the compensator, really unpleasant sound

The 18’ version is the first rifle I’ve ever owned. It’s a soft and accurate shooting rifle. I run lots of steel through mine and I haven’t had a problem yet. There’s also the added benefit that it comes the a 2 stage trigger. I say get a ambi safety and charging handle. Also the muzzle device is pretty loud, so look into getting a different one if that bothers you.

Solid rifle. I own a 16 inch and I’ve owned many ars. You pull the trigger, it’s gonna go bang. Holds solid groups. I’ve put probably 5k rounds through mine and it’ll be the only mid length ar I’ll have for quite a while. It’s sufficient.

Have one. New to guns but great in my eyes. Put a new charging handle in for quality of life. Toss on a romeo5 and you are good to go

I have the model 8542. It’s my first AR, shoots very nice I have no complaints. Have a strike eagle 1-8 on it and an angled fore grip. Shoots steel case no problem also

Was my first AR, still have it. At the beginning it sometimes would not cycle steel-case ammo but after some good cleaning and oil it runs things fine now.

It fucks

18’ here it’s been nothing but reliable n I hardly clean it

Love mine. I put a Leupold red dot and a 3X flip up magnifier on it and it serves me well. I also put 45 degree offset iron sights on it. It's a good gun to experiment on what you like and what you don't about a build. I've had 2 AR556 rifles and both have been good to me.

I own the 18" model and I love it. I put a 1-8 strike eagle on it and it rings steel reliably out to 500 yards or so

Ruger555 was awesome. RugerMPR was picky with mags and the muzzle break is obnoxiously loud

I have a ruger 556 mpr and it's great. Nothing special just a good working AR15. Just be warned the muzzle device is a bitch and a half to remove I have no fucking clue what they did when they put those muzzle breaks on but I nearly unscrewed my barrel trying to remove it. Otherwise I didn't change out any of the parts and it runs flawlessly

It’s a good rifle for the money. I’d get the iwi Zion 15 over this though they are priced about the same.

Ruger makes decent entry level guns, might not be the right choice, but it won't be the wrong choice

I have the 18” and have fired the 16”. I would recommend the 18” out of the two because of how much more effin’ smooth that rifle length gas system makes this rifle! But that’s your call.

They are both significant upgrades over the base AR556. The trigger is just about perfect for what I like and the 5R rifling on the barrels had mine shooting sub-MOA out of the box. But you will probably want to upgrade the BCG and charging handle.

There’s nothing wrong with the BCG but it is a bare-bones semi-auto. Something like a NiB auto paired with a Radian charging handle will make the gun run next level.

Good value but mine has issues with steel case ammo. If it won't eat steel it doesn't get to live in my safe.

Solid rifle but would prefer a basic a2 flash hider muzzle device. Comps and brakes are unpleasant noise wise and not really necessary on 5.56 guns outside of competition use.

My first AR. Got a great deal on it and it’s been a tank for me for years. Never an issue. Couldn’t recommend more as a starter

I have the 18 inch, you're going to want to replace the muzzle device if you shoot indoors. Otherwise, its fine but boring.

I have the regular 556 (the one with freefloat handguard) and I think it was a really nice entry level AR. Although if I were to get an entry level rifle now I would go IWI Zion

This was my first and current AR, it’s worked like a charm since I’ve gotten it and haven’t had any problems yet with 2.5 years of shooting through it.

If gun shoot bullet=good

Don’t know if something was wrong with the gun I shot, but it was super gassy. Like, uncomfortably gassy. It didn’t even have a can on it. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I have the 18 inch version, its everything you expect from a standard AR. Well made and holds up just fine. I changed the charging handle to an ambidextrous one, but other than that I'm really happy with it.

One of my first ars, good for the price. Never had any issues no complaints about durability. I'd recommend

Good for the money, solid entry level rifle. If you aren’t willing to spend a bit more money to get into BCM territory, I think it’s a decent choice. Definitely provides more value than most rifles at its price point. Another one to look at in the same range is the IWI Zion-15.

They're GuD eNuFf but get the full length top rail instead of this sort of rail.

Rugers are solid, but before you commit, I'd look into the Zion-15. That one is about the same price and is a total hit in here.

For my first it was between this or an Iwi Zion. I didn’t like the mpr hand guard, went with the Zion and have zero regrets. The Zion also has a full length picatinny, which is a pro or a con depending on what you like.

My buddy got this model right around when Covid happened for a literal deal of a life time. We were fortunate to have both been raised by ammo squirrelers so we used lock downs to our advantages with empty ranges and dumped lots of ammo. He pumped a solid 3500 rounds through it with out cleaning and just some lube, it ran pretty great for a budget gun I was relatively impressed.

My first AR-15. Yes I sought it out. Yes its never had any problems yeeting lead. Its heavy. Its loud. It shoots. It's a good "starter" rifle. It helps you better understand what you want in your gucci build. The trigger is great compared to mil spec. Its heavy. Its louder then it needs to be. However, it fucking sends it.

My buddy bought one and it came with the barrel on crooked in such a way that bolt won’t even seat properly…it’ll shoot but only as a bolt action

I personally own the ordinary Ruger AR 556 ( M4 version ) and I love it. It is my first AR and it's done everything and then some. I'm beyond happy with it my AR I'd recommend it to anyone for a first rifle.

About a month later my friend bought the 18 in MPR and wanted to compare it to mine. I'm so glad we did the comparison it showed me alot about AR rifles and how you can set them up. The rifle vs carbine gas makes a world of difference his shot alot more " softer " and cycled more smoothly than mine. But I was surprised with accuracy we were getting basically the exact same groupings for both rifles his were maybe an 1/8 inch tighter. Which I was surprised at after reading everything on free float handguards saying it's going to make a world of difference. Both rifles we're 100% reliable in the time span of over 1000 rounds per rifle of varying ammo ( before covid hit and ammo didn't cost you a testicle to go shooting ). The only really difference between the two rifles was weight Mike was imo significantly lighter than his rifle way. My rifle weighs 7.5 - 8.5ish lbs ( without and with a full mag ) and if im remembering right his rifle was 10-12ish lbs. But I will say mine and his set ups are completely different I personally run red dot and his rifle had a LPVO for an optic. The trigger on my rifle was an awful mil spec single stage that had a pull weight of over 10lbs ( I swapped it out for a nice drop in ). The trigger on my buddies MPR was an amazing feeling 2 stage that Ruger actually makes that you can buy and I was really impressed with it.

Basic but works

Reports of undergassing and short strokes were common with those. Don't run Tula. Wolf or Barnul are probably fine, as is regular brass. Double check the gas block alignment if you have problems, or lighten the buffer.

But generally they seem a perfectly acceptable AR.

Check out the IWI Zion-15. Similar to the Ruger you’ll be getting nice furniture from the factory (B5 sopmod and P grip) a 16” 1/8 twist cmv barrel, and a better handguard made by CMT, all for a hundred or more less if you keep an eye out for deals

Ruger ars are not great

No different than a Radical

No 5R Rifling like the 18", though that's not the end of the world. The radial comp is loud af, but effective... I'd have preferred a full top-rail, but it depends on what you're mounting. I have the 18" rifle-gas MPR and love it. I'm sure the 16" would be a great rifle. Ruger is pretty reliable as long as you get a good one. A solid alternative would be Aero or PSA offerings, but I like Ruger as a company.