Ruger AR-556 5.56 NATO
Model: 8500
Ruger AR-556 5.56 NATO
Model: 8500
Full Specifications
Threaded 1/2"-28 barrel: compare 5.56 / .223 suppressor prices.
About This Firearm
The Ruger AR-556 is a carbine-gas semi-automatic AR-15 in 5.56 NATO built for range work and home defense. Ruger no longer makes it, so it is a used buy. It came with iron sights already fitted, an A2-style front post at F height adjustable for elevation and Ruger's Rapid Deploy folding rear with windage adjustment, along with the tool for setting the front one.
One 30-round Magpul PMAG was in the box. The stock is a six-position M4 type giving a 13.5-inch length of pull. The handguard is glass-filled nylon held by a delta ring, which one person can change by hand, and Ruger built the rifle to take most standard carbine-length replacements. The muzzle is threaded 1/2x28 under Ruger's own flash suppressor.
If you're cross-shopping, a Ruger AR-556 MPR is out of production as well and trades the sights for a free-float M-LOK rail, an 18-inch barrel on a rifle-length gas system and a two-stage trigger at 4.5 lbs, carrying 0.30 lbs more. A Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport III has an MSRP of $799, free-floats its barrel under a full-length rail and comes with no sights at all. Buying an AR-556 second hand, check that the folding rear sight and the front sight tool are still with it, because both are Ruger parts.
Best For
Strengths & Limitations
- The bolt is shot-peened and proof-tested 9310 steel in an 8620 carrier, with the carrier bore and the gas key chrome plated and the key staked.
- The gas block sits at the carbine M4 position and the trigger guard is enlarged for a gloved finger.
- The front sight tool shipped with the rifle, so zeroing the irons needed nothing bought.
- The factory handguard has no rail and no slots, so a light, a laser or a bipod means buying a replacement first.
- The front sight base is pinned to the barrel, so it sits in the bottom of the picture under a low-mounted optic and narrows the handguard choice.
- The trigger is a plain single-stage group, where the MPR version of the same rifle came with Ruger's Elite 452 two-stage.
Category Rankings
How the Ruger AR-556 5.56 NATO ranks among full-size 5.56 NATO rifles.
Compatible Ammunition
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Shop 5.56 NATO Ammo →Ballistics Calculator
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5.56 NATO Ballistics →Alternatives to Consider
Similar full-size 5.56 NATO rifles ranked by similarity.
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Aero Precision M4E1 5.56 NATO
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— |
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Taurus T4SA 5.56 NATO
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— |
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FN 15 Guardian 5.56 NATO
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Sig Sauer M400 Tread V2 5.56 NATO
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$923.99 |
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Smith & Wesson M&P 15 Sport II 5.56 NATO
Smith & Wesson
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$799.99 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can it shoot .223 Remington?
Yes. The chamber is 5.56 NATO with M4 feed ramps, so both 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington are in spec, and Ruger rates the 1:8 twist for bullets from 35 to 77 grains.
How is the MPR version different?
The Ruger AR-556 MPR is 38.25 inches long with a 14.4-inch length of pull, a radial-port muzzle brake and no sights at all. It is out of production as well.
Can a free-float rail be fitted?
Yes, once the delta ring and front cap come off the barrel nut, which needs a wrench and a vise. The easy route is a drop-in carbine-length handguard, which the design was built around.
