Ruger AR-556 MPR 556

Another AR 5.56 Review… Really?

It’s an entirely valid question. The internet is drowning in AR-15 reviews. So why another one? Because why not!

My long-range rifle journey kicked off about five years ago, right when I became the newest of three firearms instructors for my agency—the first in over a decade. Back then, tradition dictated that a new firearms instructor immediately went to long-range rifle school, eventually followed by sniper school.

My first school was with Nawi, my trusty .308 Savage bolt action. While .308 was (and often still is) the established standard, even then, I felt like there had to be something better than just a .308 bolt gun.

My search continued at my next class, held at Stillwater PD in Stillwater, Oklahoma. For this course, I brought a 6.5 Grendel build. I was very pleased with the Grendel; it’s a fantastic intermediate cartridge. But again, something just felt like it was missing. I still believed there was a better, more versatile option out there.

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Enter Shuri: My 18” AR

The final push came after a few conversations with some truly knowledgeable shooters, including one of my personal heroes, Jared Reston. The consensus pointed me toward one clear direction: an 18-inch AR.

I was able to locate the Ruger MPR (Multi-Purpose Rifle) at my buddy’s shop, King’s Pawn and Gun in Del City, Oklahoma. A sweet deal and a 4473 later, I walked out with an excellent base rifle—my new build.

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First Things First: The Mods

Any respected shooter will tell you: we never shoot a stock gun. Shuri was a fantastic base, but she needed a few tweaks to truly shine in the precision role.

Stock & Grip: I knew right away I needed to change the furniture. I initially slapped on a Magpul UBL lite, but I’ve since settled into the robust B5 Systems Precision stock. For the grip, I went with the Ultradyne Grip, which I over-wrap with self-clinging tape for a custom feel.

Rail: I added an Ultradyne ARCA rail. It’s super hard to beat with its slim-line design and beefy, stable feel—perfect for mounting to a tripod or barricade.

Glass: The optics are the heart of a precision rifle. I topped Shuri with a Trijicon Credo 2.5-15 x 42 MIL / MIL scope.

The Final Touches: No long-range AR is complete without support and sound suppression. I added a Warne Bipod and, of course, the Trash Panda suppressor from Q.

Performance:

I knew that for my specific purposes—precision and distance—this rifle would exclusively be eating 70 grain or heavier rounds. I’ve had great luck with Hornady’s offerings in the past, especially their Black line of ammo.

To start my testing, I bought a few hundred rounds of both 75 Grain Hornady Black and 75 Grain Frontier, both in Boat Tail Hollow Point (BTHP). Then it was straight to the gun club.

A Note on the Ammo

For those who may not know, the Hornady Black 75 gr BTHP in .223 is essentially the same round as the .223 Hornady TAP. Similarly, the Frontier 75 gr BTHP in 5.56 is equivalent to the 5.56 Hornady TAP.

Now, while they share DNA, the .223 Black and the 5.56 Frontier rounds are not identical. They differ in caliber rating and, critically for precision, in their projectile shapes. The Hornady Black .223 is a slightly more efficient projectile than the Frontier, which is why I prefer it for long-range work. (I’ll dive into the deeper differences in a future article.)

Accuracy and Consistency

So, how does Shuri perform?

With both rounds, this rifle can easily obtain a sub-1” group at 100 yards. Once I settled in with the rifle, my average grouping hovers right around the .80 – .90 MOA range. This has been remarkably consistent over the roughly 1800 rounds I’ve put through it in the past year.

The best group I’ve recorded was a stellar .33” (or .32 MOA) three-shot grouping, scored using the SubMOA App on my phone. That’s match-grade performance from a factory base gun.

The Trigger and Reliability

The trigger is exactly as Ruger advertises. It’s a beautifully clean break; the first stage of the two-stage pull is so smooth you barely notice it. The reset is also very minimal. While I don’t “pin” the trigger on a semi-auto rifle (due to the possibility of bump fire), it’s excellent for precision work.

In terms of reliability, I’ve had no failure to fires or major malfunctions associated with the rifle itself.

The only hiccups I’ve had were related to its direct gas impingement system combined with running a suppressor (Trash Panda). As anyone who shoots a suppressed AR knows, this setup makes for a very dirty rifle. After about 500 rounds in the summer heat of Iowa, I experienced a single failure to fully seat into battery. A quick field cleaning of the bolt carrier and a fresh slathering of lube fixed the issue immediately, and I was back on the line.

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Putting Shuri to the Test

The Overwatch Event Class

During a class in Iowa (the “Overwatch Event”), Shuri proved her mettle. Using 1.5 mils of dope on my optic, I was making multiple hits on targets at varying distances with impressive .25 / .50 split times. Crucially, I was able to reach out to 500 yards with zero misses.

Oklahoma County Sheriff Sniper School

Next up was the grueling, week-long, 50-hour Oklahoma County Sheriff Sniper School. This range is particularly challenging due to intense wind effects. Shuri performed exactly as I had hoped. The accuracy and smooth operation of the Ruger MPR really made up for my shortcomings over the week. I was able to consistently place four rounds in 15 seconds at 400 yards and four rounds in 12 seconds at 300 yards, making hits with confidence.

Real-World Deployment

I’ve now deployed twice with this rifle: once on an overwatch assignment and once in a crisis situation. In both cases, the overall weight and flexibility of this AR platform gave me the ability and confidence to know that if I had needed to take a precision shot, I would have had zero issues.

The Ruger MPR has proven that an 18-inch 5.56 AR can truly bridge the gap between a fighting carbine and a precision bolt gun.