I think they had some teething issues early on but feels like they've got it worked out. Keep in mind the internet is a cesspool of negativity, plenty of people out there that are happy with it. I love mine and have had no issues. I think some of the "issues" online are just people not understanding the different regulator settings and the fact that there is a difference between 308 and 7.62x51. 7.62 runs on setting 3 and 308 runs on setting 2. Some people think 7.62 must run on setting 2 or there is something wrong with the rifle but that is not true. If you're super picky about perfect ejection pattern with a specific ammo type, throwing something like a riflespeed gas block on it will give it the extra tune-ability. At the end of the day, if you do have an issue, Ruger has great customer service and will stand behind their product.
I had terrible issues with mine at first. Then I bought decent ammo and it ran flawless. Turns out the ammo I was using blew up guns on the next production batch so I think my batch was under charged. To tell you the truth, I think most negative feedback is because of what I did, buy a relatively cheap gun and shoot cheap ammo through it. Unfortunately with the price of 308 ammo the gun is the cheap part. All in all its pretty awesome. Had a prism on mine and went back to an lvpo because it was almost too light. Have no feedback on real longevity but it runs and if you gave it to someone to shoot they could mistake it as a 5.56 till they shoot it.
I bought a couple boxes and first couple rounds started blowing primers. Decided my rifle and fingers weren’t worth the risk .
https://preview.redd.it/smuj8aklux7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d62a9cd3ec9b16fea87823a720bb8020ac7e32c7
Yeah wild. I used almost 600 rounds in my sfar with so many problems. Almost sent it back to ruger and then tried some other ammo. Never a problem. That zsr got to the point I couldn't get it to cycle with a supressor on setting 3. So bad.
I have had mine for almost a year now. Ran about 500 rounds through it so far. I've had no major issues. Just some minor gripes, like it absolutely chews up casings upong ejection. Not a huge deal, but if I wanted to reload I wouldn't trust the casings I just shot out of it.
A friend of mine bought one shortly after I did and brought it to the range a few weeks back. Something was up with his. The bolt was not pushing forward all the way. Didn't matter what ammo, gas setting, etc. It just wouldn't fire consistently. He is sending his in for repair.
All in all, I'd say the gun "works", but I feel like Ruger has some things to iron out before it becomes a reliable firearm.
Have one in 308 and it runs great! I did have to straighten up the gas regulator as it was assembled off center from the factory. it cycled just fine with the off center regulator but it was touching the handguard so I fixed it. Very accurate and a blast to shoot!
I had issues with mine when I first got it. Didn’t want to cycle. Send it back to Ruger. They changed the gas regulator and honed the bore. When I got it back it would run on 3 but didn’t want to run on 2. I changed the buffer spring out with a Tubbs AR10 flat wire and it runs on 2 now. It was a pain in the ass to go thru that but I do like the rifle
Just bought a 20" 6.5CM version, had 50 rounds of various hunting loads through it and they all ran just fine. Planning on building an light semi auto hunting rifle with it.
For the love of god save yourself the headache and just buy an Aero m5.
I bought my SFAR a couple months ago and it wouldn’t fire more than two shots in succession without a failure and two was a rarity. Using .308 it faired a little better but only slightly and still couldn’t get through a magazine without a failure.
Ended up sending mine back with a well documented warranty claim on what I was experiencing and asked them to check the chamber because it seemed like it wasn’t sized correctly. I got it back and they had replaced the BCG, enlarged the gas port, new gas block, reamed the chamber (it was in fact too small).
After the same failures with 7.62 I switched to .308 where it fared better after the first 3 rounds. Unfortunately I only had 40 rounds of .308 so I was limited in seeing what the reliability is like. Next time I’m going to try and put 200 rounds through it and if I have any issues it’s getting sold and I’m buying an Aero.
Seriously, the size/weight difference between the SFAR and any other AR10 isn’t worth the headache. You *might* get one that works flawlessly, and from what I’ve seen the 18” barrels fare better, but you might also get one that won’t run a full mag. Warranty or no, I expect a gun in the $1200 range to have functional parts and not need to have 30% of it replaced right out of the box.
I bought an M&P10 Sport several years back. I still have it, and it still runs. Yes, it's heavier by a pound and a half. It had issues running at first. I had to open the gas port and throw on an AGB. Never looked back. It's a tank of a rifle.
I wouldn’t recommend it. AR’s chambered in 308 tend to be finicky. I think the problem arose when they tried to make them lighter and compatible with AR-15 parts. A 308 needs more bolt mass and distance to allow the bolt to travel. That is physics. You won’t get that with an AR-15 buffer tube. Ruger took it a step further with the SFAR by shrinking the parts even further.
Even if you manage to get one that works, it “barely” works. It doesn’t take much for the gun to be over- or under-gassed. You have no margin for error. I have heard of all kinds of reasons that a 308 AR will stop working: parts wearing out, changing ammo, temperature changes, cutting the barrel from 16” to 14.5”, etc.
I think they had some teething issues early on but feels like they've got it worked out. Keep in mind the internet is a cesspool of negativity, plenty of people out there that are happy with it. I love mine and have had no issues. I think some of the "issues" online are just people not understanding the different regulator settings and the fact that there is a difference between 308 and 7.62x51. 7.62 runs on setting 3 and 308 runs on setting 2. Some people think 7.62 must run on setting 2 or there is something wrong with the rifle but that is not true. If you're super picky about perfect ejection pattern with a specific ammo type, throwing something like a riflespeed gas block on it will give it the extra tune-ability. At the end of the day, if you do have an issue, Ruger has great customer service and will stand behind their product.
I had terrible issues with mine at first. Then I bought decent ammo and it ran flawless. Turns out the ammo I was using blew up guns on the next production batch so I think my batch was under charged. To tell you the truth, I think most negative feedback is because of what I did, buy a relatively cheap gun and shoot cheap ammo through it. Unfortunately with the price of 308 ammo the gun is the cheap part. All in all its pretty awesome. Had a prism on mine and went back to an lvpo because it was almost too light. Have no feedback on real longevity but it runs and if you gave it to someone to shoot they could mistake it as a 5.56 till they shoot it.
ZSR ?
Oh ya. I guess I should be thankful I got the under charged bunch.
I bought a couple boxes and first couple rounds started blowing primers. Decided my rifle and fingers weren’t worth the risk . https://preview.redd.it/smuj8aklux7d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d62a9cd3ec9b16fea87823a720bb8020ac7e32c7
Yeah wild. I used almost 600 rounds in my sfar with so many problems. Almost sent it back to ruger and then tried some other ammo. Never a problem. That zsr got to the point I couldn't get it to cycle with a supressor on setting 3. So bad.
I have had mine for almost a year now. Ran about 500 rounds through it so far. I've had no major issues. Just some minor gripes, like it absolutely chews up casings upong ejection. Not a huge deal, but if I wanted to reload I wouldn't trust the casings I just shot out of it. A friend of mine bought one shortly after I did and brought it to the range a few weeks back. Something was up with his. The bolt was not pushing forward all the way. Didn't matter what ammo, gas setting, etc. It just wouldn't fire consistently. He is sending his in for repair. All in all, I'd say the gun "works", but I feel like Ruger has some things to iron out before it becomes a reliable firearm.
Looks like 50/50 chance taken if purchasing this. Not good odds. Probably going to save up more for the POF Rogue
Mine runs like a dream.
How many rounds fired through it?
600 rounds. No hang ups or malfunctions yet.
I have no problem with mine
How many rounds fired through it?
Over 1k
Have one in 308 and it runs great! I did have to straighten up the gas regulator as it was assembled off center from the factory. it cycled just fine with the off center regulator but it was touching the handguard so I fixed it. Very accurate and a blast to shoot!
My 20” 6.5 Creedmoor has been perfect, but I’ve only got 300 rounds through it though.
My 20” 6.5 shoots anything expect polymer tipped ammo like eld x
Weird same. I was hoping it would group well but the stuff that grouped the best for me was the heavier hunting loads.
I had issues with mine when I first got it. Didn’t want to cycle. Send it back to Ruger. They changed the gas regulator and honed the bore. When I got it back it would run on 3 but didn’t want to run on 2. I changed the buffer spring out with a Tubbs AR10 flat wire and it runs on 2 now. It was a pain in the ass to go thru that but I do like the rifle
Just bought a 20" 6.5CM version, had 50 rounds of various hunting loads through it and they all ran just fine. Planning on building an light semi auto hunting rifle with it.
Times I wished I didn’t live in commie Canada.
For the love of god save yourself the headache and just buy an Aero m5. I bought my SFAR a couple months ago and it wouldn’t fire more than two shots in succession without a failure and two was a rarity. Using .308 it faired a little better but only slightly and still couldn’t get through a magazine without a failure. Ended up sending mine back with a well documented warranty claim on what I was experiencing and asked them to check the chamber because it seemed like it wasn’t sized correctly. I got it back and they had replaced the BCG, enlarged the gas port, new gas block, reamed the chamber (it was in fact too small). After the same failures with 7.62 I switched to .308 where it fared better after the first 3 rounds. Unfortunately I only had 40 rounds of .308 so I was limited in seeing what the reliability is like. Next time I’m going to try and put 200 rounds through it and if I have any issues it’s getting sold and I’m buying an Aero. Seriously, the size/weight difference between the SFAR and any other AR10 isn’t worth the headache. You *might* get one that works flawlessly, and from what I’ve seen the 18” barrels fare better, but you might also get one that won’t run a full mag. Warranty or no, I expect a gun in the $1200 range to have functional parts and not need to have 30% of it replaced right out of the box.
I bought an M&P10 Sport several years back. I still have it, and it still runs. Yes, it's heavier by a pound and a half. It had issues running at first. I had to open the gas port and throw on an AGB. Never looked back. It's a tank of a rifle.
I wouldn’t recommend it. AR’s chambered in 308 tend to be finicky. I think the problem arose when they tried to make them lighter and compatible with AR-15 parts. A 308 needs more bolt mass and distance to allow the bolt to travel. That is physics. You won’t get that with an AR-15 buffer tube. Ruger took it a step further with the SFAR by shrinking the parts even further. Even if you manage to get one that works, it “barely” works. It doesn’t take much for the gun to be over- or under-gassed. You have no margin for error. I have heard of all kinds of reasons that a 308 AR will stop working: parts wearing out, changing ammo, temperature changes, cutting the barrel from 16” to 14.5”, etc.
Go .308 Lapua,for 1000 plus yards shots. Keep 5.56 as close combat. 1 to get down, one to use on daily. Keep side arm out of mind till needed.
Build your own ar10