Ruger RPR

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JBB

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I want to get something to shoot longer range, and leaning to the Ruger RPR. But am struggling between 308 or 6.5 Creed. Normally I would go with 6.5 Creed, no question. But with ammo so hard to get thee days, I'm thinking I may go with 308. Also, the 308 version has a 20" barrel and is a pound lighter (although I would put an 18" rail on the 20" barrel, just because I like the look of less barrel showing, so I'd probably end up about the same weight).

Thoughts on 308 vs 6.5 Creed? And any other guns I should consider over the RPR, assuming the same price range.
 
Your thinking is spot on with mine. Ability to more easily source 308 ammo was the main reason I picked that caliber RPR when I bought mine a few years ago. I still haven't had a chance to find a place to shoot mine (so I can't speak to how great it is or competitors), although I finally set it up, configured the case, etc. over the last few months. I think more frequent/serious shooters than me would lean towards 6.5 Creed.

rpr1.jpg
 
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JBB said:
I want to get something to shoot longer range, and leaning to the Ruger RPR. But am struggling between 308 or 6.5 Creed. Normally I would go with 6.5 Creed, no question. But with ammo so hard to get thee days, I'm thinking I may go with 308. Also, the 308 version has a 20" barrel and is a pound lighter (although I would put an 18" rail on the 20" barrel, just because I like the look of less barrel showing, so I'd probably end up about the same weight).

Thoughts on 308 vs 6.5 Creed? And any other guns I should consider over the RPR, assuming the same price range.
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Your thinking is aligned with why I originally bought a RPR in .308. In addition to your thinking, I realized that I'd be hard pressed to find a place to really stretch out a 6.5 Creed rifle, so why not go with ammo I already stock plenty of?

If you decide you want to go the .308 RPR route and might be interested in a gently-used Gen 1 and/or a suitable long range optic (Bushnell Elite Tactical 3.5-21x50mm w/ Larue mount, bikini covers, sunshade), give me a shout. It's been a safe queen for too long and should have a home where it gets love/attention. :)
 
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I bought a Creedmor recently and have been casually looking for ammo in the gun shops and big box stores. More 308 out there right now for what it’s worth. 6.5 is scarce.
 
If you really want to go “precision”, you’ll need to reload. In which case the cost the negligible.

Mostly it would depend on the distance you will reasonably be shooting. If you’re going to max out inside 800yds, go with .308. If you can regularly get past that, 6.5CM would be the trick.
 
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I want to try 1000 at some point. But for now, I only have access to 500. So either caliber would be fine for now. I just spent a little time looking for ammo this afternoon, and CZfool is right, it is very scarce. And most of it was twice the price of the .308 ammo. I had already decided on 6.5 Creed with the 24" barrel. Now I'm waffling. The RPR in .308 comes with a 20" barrel. I've always heard you need 22 or 24" barrels with .308.
 
The .308 RPR will easily go to 1000 if you find a quality round that it likes. For example, Black Hills 175gn match ammo is pretty good stuff, in my experience. And as for ammo, when it comes to precision, availability is not nearly as important as suitability. Just because there is .308 ammo on the shelf does not mean that the available .308 ammo is going to perform well at long range. The issue is whether the available ammo is of a quality capable of MOA groups in your rifle and/or holding up well past 500 yards. But if you are just gonna plink a 20X20 at 500 yards, any old round should do.

As for other rifles, make sure you compare features as well as price. There are a lot of rifles that compare favorably woth the RPR in performance and price that do not have all the built in features of the RPR - such as muzzle brake, adjustable trigger, 30 MOA rail, folding chassis, accessory rails, toolless adjustment, etc.
 
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I assume when folks speak of longer 308 barrels, they are talking about getting more speed for those longer shots. Certainly not something I have to worry about for now. But it does make sense to get a longer barrel if you're buying a new .308. Other than weight, I can't see a downside. Makes me wonder why Ruger is only offering it in the 20" barrel. It's not a hunting rifle. Seems they would at least have gone with a 22" barrel. I would think they are losing 50fps of speed with the 20 vs a 22". Also, isn't recoil 'stronger' in the shorter barrel? I can't tolerate any recoil beyond a .22LR. Well, don't want to anyway. I'm thinking maybe it would be for the guy that may want to add a suppressor. A 20" barrel with a 6-8" suppressor on the end is a pretty good size rig. 24 + 6-8" = 30-32" would really be too long for a tactical situation. So then a 20" barrel makes sense. Since I do want to try a suppressor on it, I'm thinking to go with the 308 with 20" barrel. And cheaper ammo.
 
One thing I have learned with this ammo shortage is that any ammo is better than no ammo at all. I ran out of 6.5 Creed, simply because I haven't had the rifle in that caliber very long, so had not stocked up on it at all. After I shot the few boxes I had, it was almost impossible to find more. That also makes me lean towards the .308. It's not a good feeling to have a gun and no ammo for it.
 
Haven't looked yet, but can I buy the .308 with 20" barrel then buy an aftermarket 6.5 Creedmoor 24" barrel and just switch out the barrels when I want to?
 
6.5CM ammo is cheaper than .308 for MATCH ammo. .308 budget ammo is far cheaper.

Know what you want to do with it and what your budget is realistically.

What is the longest range you have access to? Under 800, cheap .308 is fun to plink with.

The performance difference is more than noticeable shooting both of my own guns side by side on the same day. If you're just plinking... makes no diff.


I had a 6.5 RPR and loved it except for the stock. Overall a great gun and regret selling it.

I'd go with Tikka personally having owned both. They are amazingly accurate barrels and the actions are very smooth. Pickup a "YoDave!" trigger spring if using it for benchrest or prefer a lighter trigger, $25 upgrade in 10 mins.

www.eurooptic.com

Tikka T3x Varmint 6.5 Creedmoor 24.33" 1:8" Rifle JRTXH382

Flat Rate Shipping on Tikka T3x Varmint 6.5 Creedmoor 24.33" 1:8" Rifle JRTXH382
www.eurooptic.com www.eurooptic.com

If you hate the expensive Tikka CTR mags, drop it into a KRG Bravo chassis and run AICS style mags. MDT plastic mags run great.
 
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I'm sort of dialed in on the RPR. I like the look of it, and it comes with some of those extras I'd have to buy on most other guns. I do want a .5 MOA gun. So I'll have to get lucky with a good RPR, or more likely make some changes to it.
 
www.longriflesinc.com

RPR Pro Shop

LRI is an industry leader in direct replacement Ruger RPR accessories. Our crafted match grade, single point cut rifled barrels elevate your RPR to a performance envelope that emulates rifles costing 5x as much! The ability to conveniently change calibers, cartridges, twist rates, and finish...
www.longriflesinc.com
 
Hopefully someone other than them makes replacement RPR barrels! I'd be better off just buying a second RPR.
 
JBB said:
Hopefully someone other than them makes replacement RPR barrels! I'd be better off just buying a second RPR.
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LRI barrels are going to be top tier if you want top tier accuracy. There are a lot of cheaper barrels available for a lower price. Their pricing is actually more than fair for a high quality barrel.
 
JBB said:
JBB said:
Hopefully someone other than them makes replacement RPR barrels! I'd be better off just buying a second RPR.
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Ragged hole barrels sells a light varmint blank that's a little heavier than a sendero profile. Shipped is around 180. Button rifled barrels made by wilson. I've used them for a few rpr's and all were sub moa. Find a Smith to spin it up for you.
 
A friend purchased a Creedmoor and the accuracy hangs there with the custom rifles. I am a fan of both calibers but the 6.5CM just makes things easier. IMPRESSIVE
 
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JBB said:
I want to get something to shoot longer range, and leaning to the Ruger RPR. But am struggling between 308 or 6.5 Creed. Normally I would go with 6.5 Creed, no question. But with ammo so hard to get thee days, I'm thinking I may go with 308. Also, the 308 version has a 20" barrel and is a pound lighter (although I would put an 18" rail on the 20" barrel, just because I like the look of less barrel showing, so I'd probably end up about the same weight).

Thoughts on 308 vs 6.5 Creed? And any other guns I should consider over the RPR, assuming the same price range.
Click to expand...
I have the RPR in 6.5 Creedmoor its honestly way to easy to shoot really good platform but god luck buying 6.5 ammo its like 2 bucks a round
 
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