RAR LRT: My Experience So Far

[GoggledIt]

Greetings! As my first post to the forum, allow me to introduce myself as a longtime firearms owner and US Army veteran who recently got back into .22 rifles after a long hiatus. I've been focused mainly on handguns (steel challenge, bowling pins, IHMSA) during the past 30+ years but, lately, the price and availability of ammunition and reloading components has forced me back into .22 as a means to keep my marksmanship skills sharp. Put it this way, the last .22 rifle I owned was a Remington 541T I purchased during the mid-1980's.

With a budget of $1k for rifle and optic, I went with an RAR LRT and topped it with a Leupold 4.5-14x40. Go ahead, bring the hate. LOL Sorry. It's just that some of the online reviews that I've both read and seen on YT have been very subjective. Truth is, it's a fine shooter for me.

The one (essential) modification I made prior to shooting was to install a Timney and it undoubtedly made a big difference in my results. Personal preference. I just like a single stage trigger more than a bladed trigger. Otherwise, the results kind of speak for themselves. I'm not a bench rest competition shooter by any stretch of the imagination. I'm 61. My vision sucks after staring at computer monitors and laptops for the last 30 years and I don't have much time to practice due to the demands of my job. That said, I'm very satisfied with its 50 yard performance out of the box. I'm satisfied almost to the point of being shocked.

One thing I appreciate about people who do gun reviews is the time they put into testing and evaluating different types of .22 ammunition. I enjoy it but it does require a lot of time to do a thorough job and since today is a total washout where I live, I thought I'd share some very casual, noob-like results of my own 50 yard testing: using hand-drawn 1" red dot targets and Caldwell bags (while I wait for the Mlok bipod adapter to arrive). Here we go.

Overcast, 57 degrees, 88% humidity, 0mph wind.

I rolled the dice and used twenty rounds of Geco 40gr HV to dial-in. I'm not sure why, exactly. I know that RUAG is the parent company of Geco, Norma, and RWS (among lots of other stuff) and have always been satisfied with their handgun ammunition. Turns-out, Geco .22 shoots pretty good in the RAR LRT.

Wolf Match Extra

Fiocchi Official 300
I actually shot this group on Wednesday afternoon under slightly warmer conditions (66 degrees), partly sunny and with a 5-7mph E-W crosswind.

Eley Club

(not pictured)
Federal Target Grade, which was a total a train wreck. I'm just glad I didn't shoot it first!

Hopefully, the weather will improve enough tomorrow to test a few more. I just wanted to share this with you in the mean time and to say how much I appreciate the level of expertise in this forum. I've only been lurking for a couple of weeks but have picked-up a lot of useful information. Thanks!

 

[Lowlight]

Here is your thread

 

[GoggledIt]

Here is your thread

Thanks. I thought I had messed-up and violated a forum rule.

 

[Tentman]

Thanks for the report - your results mirror my recent experiences with 22RF's, ammo is everything!!. If you look around the forums you'll see a lot of pics of small group shot with very expensive rifles, if you look even more carefully you'll find a few pics of "mediocre" groups shot with the same - the point being anyone can cherry pick groups. I recently changed from a Anschultz 1416 to a Ruger 10/22 HB for match shooting and was expecting a drop in accuracy. After a bit of bedding the Ruger (with all stock parts) is shooting the same averages (with the same ammo lots) as the Annie was.

 

[GoggledIt]

Thanks for the report - your results mirror my recent experiences with 22RF's, ammo is everything!!. If you look around the forums you'll see a lot of pics of small group shot with very expensive rifles, if you look even more carefully you'll find a few pics of "mediocre" groups shot with the same - the point being anyone can cherry pick groups. I recently changed from a Anschutz 1416 to a Ruger 10/22 HB for match shooting and was expecting a drop in accuracy. After a bit of bedding the Ruger (with all stock parts) is shooting the same averages (with the same ammo lots) as the Annie was.

Yeah, .22 ammo is kind of the great equalizer, isn't it. It's always gonna come down to what a particular rifle prefers. My Rem 541 never shot SV ammo well for some reason. It liked the inexpensive high velocity stuff the best which seems totally counterintuitive.

 

[spartan67]

Welcome to the Hide
GoggledIt'

And welcome to the ever so deep rabbit hole of rimfire shooting!

 

[GoggledIt]

Welcome to the Hide
GoggledIt'

And welcome to the ever so deep rabbit hole of rimfire shooting!

Thanks! As long as I keep it in perspective, I should be OK. This rifle should help me stay out of my 9mm and .45 ACP ammo stash, which is still in good shape but won't be if I keep dipping into it. All I need to do is keep telling myself that I don't need an Anschutz/VuDoo/Volquartsen just to shoot for fun and practice. LOL We'll see how long that lasts.

 

[GoggledIt]

Back at it: 50 degrees, partly sunny, 68% humidity, wind: NW-SW gusts 10mph-12mph (NWS data).

Mother Nature dealt me some gusty, swirling breezes all afternoon. Not that I minded all that much, though. It felt great just to be outside again after being coup'd-up for a couple of days.

I really didn't shoot that well. Maybe it was the bipod. Maybe it was the wind. Every group seemed to have at least one flyer and the wind would gust and go dead calm, gust and go dead calm again. It was very unpredictable.

Eley Club @ 50 yards. Bottom right target. LOL I know it was windy but, damn, that was just...bad.

Wolf Match Extra yielded some of the 'best' groups of the day but, really, nothing to write home about.

 

[Ruger1300]

Back at it: 50 degrees, partly sunny, 68% humidity, wind: NW-SW gusts 10mph-12mph (NWS data).

Mother Nature dealt me some gusty, swirling breezes all afternoon. Not that I minded all that much, though. It felt great just to be outside again after being coup'd-up for a couple of days.

I really didn't shoot that well. Maybe it was the bipod. Maybe it was the wind. Every group seemed to have at least one flyer and the wind would gust and go dead calm, gust and go dead calm again. It was very unpredictable.

Eley Club @ 50 yards. Bottom right target. LOL I know it was windy but, damn, that was just...bad.

Wolf Match Extra yielded some of the 'best' groups of the day but, really, nothing to write home about.

Shoot! Your okay groups are like some of my best. Thanks for posting I am on the fence on one of these rifles. I have a RAR 16 inch predator and would like to keep the magazines the same for all of my rimfires. Like your experience all of the reviews I saw said the gun was terrible.

 

[Tentman]

Gidday. Looks to me like your rifle's barrel "wants" to shoot. I'd be carefully checking the bedding, then the action screw torques, and if that doesn't reduce fliers then tear down the firing pin and make sure everything there is aiding consistent ignition. I've followed these steps with my 10/22 HB and it's now shooting very nicely with Eley Club. Cheers

 

[GoggledIt]

Gidday. Looks to me like your rifle's barrel "wants" to shoot. I'd be carefully checking the bedding, then the action screw torques, and if that doesn't reduce fliers then tear down the firing pin and make sure everything there is aiding consistent ignition. I've followed these steps with my 10/22 HB and it's now shooting very nicely with Eley Club. Cheers

I have to take most of the responsibility for being a handgun-guy who is clumsily transitioning to being a .22 rifle-guy and that some days are just going to be better than others. Yes! When I installed the Timney, I checked my bedding (good) and re-torque'd the stock back to 35 ppi, which (I believe) is what Ruger and other owners recommend.

I also think I may need to step-up to an optic with more magnification.

 

[GoggledIt]

If you would've told me that I'd be wearing shorts and a polo shirt at the range, in November, I'd have said it was wishful thinking at best. The past couple of weeks have been cool and blustery here, very November-like. Today? Oh man, 75 degrees, 72% humidity, NO wind. My goal was to get on the firing line by 1:00pm. I didn't get out until 4:00pm and lost light quickly. Damn you, autumnal equinox!

My intention today was to 50 yard-test a box of Norma and SK but I only had enough light for the Norma USA Match 22. Shot 25 (somewhat unremarkable) fouling rounds and then shot the target above. 5- top left, 5- bottom left, 5 - top right, 10 - bottom right. Conclusion: this rifle 'likes' it and I wish I would've bought more than 250 rounds. No extraction/ejection issues.

 

[GoggledIt]

Shoot! Your okay groups are like some of my best. Thanks for posting I am on the fence on one of these rifles. I have a RAR 16 inch predator and would like to keep the magazines the same for all of my rimfires. Like your experience all of the reviews I saw said the gun was terrible.

I don't know why this rifle gets such mediocre reviews? Either I'm missing something or it works just fine.

 

[Ruger1300]

I don't know why this rifle gets such mediocre reviews? Either I'm missing something or it works just fine.

My RAR has surprised me with some of the groups I have gotten for a hunting rifle. It really likes SK rifle match and hated SK standard plus. I have a 4x12 vortex crossfire with so and a cheaper harris bipod. I would like to step up to something nicer but budget and kiddos lol. Looking forward to seeing more of your groups

 

[GoggledIt]

My RAR has surprised me with some of the groups I have gotten for a hunting rifle. It really likes SK rifle match and hated SK standard plus. I have a 4x12 vortex crossfire with so and a cheaper harris bipod. I would like to step up to something nicer but budget and kiddos lol. Looking forward to seeing more of your groups

Thanks! SK Rifle Match is the ammo I plan to test the next time I go out.

I had about $1k to work with. Paid $499 OTD for the rifle, $140 for the Timney, $312 for the scope and rings (burned $200-worth of Hilton Honors points on Amazon) and I took the Harris off my Rem 700 and ordered a $10 Mlok adapter so I could switch it back and forth as needed. My wife is none the wiser. LOL

 

[Tentman]

I was pondering your thoughts on optics and went back to look at the pictures of your rig to see what you were running. Your Leupy is a fine scope with plenty of power imo (I can shoot consistent 0.5 groups at 50y with a optically good 10x). I did notice you don't have the ability to adjust your scopes parallax- and shooting a "centrefire" scope at 50Y (these are normally adjusted parallax free at 100Y) is going to be tough to do really well. You can get the parallax in the Leupy set to 50Y and that'll work fine for most distances you'll shoot a 22 at. Cheers

 

[GoggledIt]

Yes, that's a problem. Eventually, I'm going to change the Leupold out for something with greater magnification and adjustable parallax. I like this rifle and think it's a keeper. It deserves a better optic than what's on it now. I'm leaning towards Vortex only because I've owned other Vortex optics and have always been satisfied.

 

[GoggledIt]

55 F, 46% Humidity, light breeze < 5 mph, N-S.

It was so nice out this afternoon that I had to rearrange some plans so I could get out to the range for about an hour. What about HV ammo? I found an older box of CCI Mini Mags and I already had a box of Geco to compare so I left the 'good stuff' at home!

Geco 40gr.

CCI Mini Mag

I was a little disappointed with Geco but, the CCI Mini Mag made-up for it. I'll probably try a few more but, I was impressed with how it performed and could definitely see myself using it as a hunting load.

 

[GoggledIt]

Got back out yesterday for a little while. Fairly good conditions, too: Overcast, 53F, 66% humidity, light breeze with 5-10mph E-W gusts.

SK Rifle Match

I know that SK Rifle Match works well for many RPR owners but, honestly, it seemed a bit more inconsistent than either Fiocchi Official 300, Norma USA Match or Wolf Match Extra. I always seemed to get at least one flyer in a five shot group and sometimes two. Still, when it shot well, it shot well and that's probably why so many rimfire competitors like it so much. That was the best 50 yard group I shot out of 50 rounds. The rest were in the .6 " to .8" range.

Fiocchi Official 300

That's the best five-shot group I've ever shot out of any .22 rifle, bar none. It was surprising since I never associated Fiocchi ammo with being extremely accurate, especially in my centerfire handguns. I purchased 150 rounds and now I wish that I had bought 500.

 

[Ruger1300]

Dang! That is some nice shooting. I scored a brick of old wolf match target and match extra before all of this craziness started. I keep meaning to get to the range and see how it stacks up against the new Eley made stuff.

 

[GoggledIt]

Dang! That is some nice shooting. I scored a brick of old wolf match target and match extra before all of this craziness started. I keep meaning to get to the range and see how it stacks up against the new Eley made stuff.

Friday afternoon was not bad: Overcast, 57F, 64% humidity and calm wind. Day off + zero wind - rain = my ass on the range. I bought 1000 rounds of Eley Club before I ever shot the RAR LRT and after some very mediocre results with it at first, I decided to give it another try.

Eley Club

Shot two boxes of Eley Club with more consistent results which I can attribute to, A) shooting off the Harris bipod, instead of sand bags and B) becoming more comfortable with the RAR LRT. I'm able to get a steadier hold with less shifting-around between shots. Plus, it's just better practice.

This really is more of what I expected from Eley and for $8-$9 per box online with free shipping, I'll buy more.

 

[Ruger1300]

So how is the rifle treating you these days?

 

[Rimdenter]

Looks like it's tighting up I'd be tweaking the rear receiver screw you might be surprized!

 

[chevy_man]

That scope is parallaxed at 150 yards. Your flyers could easily be explained by 1 inconsistent cheek weld.

 

[Tomiboy]

You might want to try turning that bipod around

 

[Rimdenter]

That scope is parallaxed at 150 yards. Your flyers could easily be explained by 1 inconsistent cheek weld.

That's the problem I'm having on 6x5 targets when I move from spot to spot I'm alittle off on my weld. Not from lack of pratice , every since I had covid and lost my since of smell and taste the left portion of my face dosen't seem to have the sensitivity it had. If the 1st shot is off I just shoot at that poi to keep my groups.

 

[GoggledIt]

So how is the rifle treating you these days?

Not bad. I've only had it to the range once since putting a Meopta Optika6 4.5-27x50 back in February and it was no problem to get it zero'd-in at 50 yards. I just haven't had a whole lot of time for the range lately.

 

[Ruger1300]

Not bad. I've only had it to the range once since putting a Meopta Optika6 4.5-27x50 back in February and it was no problem to get it zero'd-in at 50 yards. I just haven't had a whole lot of time for the range lately.

Looking forward to some range reports this summer.

 

[flatland1]

I just found this thread today, after it'd been "resurrected" from last November with some updates. I haven't spent much time in gun shops since getting my own ffl 15yrs ago, and as a result, unless I find info on new 22RF rifles online, I'm pretty much oblivious. This was the 1st time I'd seen much - if any - info on the Ruger American RF, let alone the LR Target version. Neat looking rifle, and the fact that it uses the reliable 10-22-style rotary mag and that Timney makes triggers for it are pluses. I'd like to get my hands on one and do a comparison between it and my CZ457 VPT, just to get a feel for how well the Ruger runs. It wouldn't be a fair comparison where accuracy's concerned, since I had issues with the accuracy of the CZ's OEM bbl at 100-200yds, and replaced it with a Shilen ratchet .850" straight blank. I chambered the Shilen with an EPS reamer and finished at 22", then glued it into the 457's bbl socket so that I could avoid the hassles of holding the breech and cutting the big ol ugly grub screw seats. Depending on how tough it'd be to replace the Ruger's barrel, and how smooth & reliably the action runs, it might be worth getting a Green Mtn. blank to replace the OEM bbl if needed.... Dang - another 22RF rabbit hole has opened, right in front of me!

 

[GoggledIt]

To be honest, ever since I got my Sako Quad Varmint and stuck this Minox ZE5.2 5-25x56 on it I've been spoiled rotten. I'm not thrilled with the Optilock ring and base set-up but, this is hands-down the most accurate .22 rifle I've ever owned. The Ruger LRT is nice but, it isn't even in the same league. It's extremely picky about ammo brand and type, whereas the Sako is more consistent across a wider spectrum of ammo. Before I write it off completely, though, I'd like to get some more range time with the Ruger and Meopta set-up.

 

[littlepod]

I was in the market for the RAR LRT for a long time but could never find one. Now after 2 years being in this rimfire game the variability in Ruger's production is just too much time to make it frustration free / easy. CZ is finally adding their MTR barrels to a lot more setups which is very nice and I have had very consistent good results with CZ's MTR barrel.

I guess the good news is that as rimfire gets more and more popular, it doesn't take that much work to make a decent firing barrel. You can replace the ruger barrels with Green Mountains for $200, so it would be nice as the rimfire business gets more and more competitive, companies will start offering more out of the box match grade solutions.

Out of the box factory rifles that have the highest chance of consistent groups (with a variety of ammo) I've observed in the sub $1000 price range has been

CZ 457 non MTR - $500
Tikka T1X - $499
CZ 457 MTR - $700

The Sakos and Anschutz etc are good, just pricier.

 

[Harv24]

I got the earlier RAR target version... spend some time modding it. Got a Boyd Varmint stock, added Pillars and bedded the action. tightened up the group, but I think Ruger drops the ball when ever they do a "Target" or a "Long Range" version of anything. The barrel and most critically, the chamber I believe falls short.

Mine stills shoots well, but the occasional flyers are annoying.

 

[DFOOSKING]

The Ruger LRT is nice but, it isn't even in the same league.

Well no shit. Lol

You can buy 2 Ruger LRT's for the cost of one Sako Quad.

DIP makes a picatinny rail if you don't like the factory offered.

 

[GoggledIt]

Well no shit. Lol

You can buy 2 Ruger LRT's for the cost of one Sako Quad.

DIP makes a picatinny rail if you don't like the factory offered.

LOL I know, right? I didn't really want to put a picatinny rail on the Quad but, I'm thinking it's probably the best option for the scope I'm using.