The Ruger Precision Rifle (RPR), originally released in 2015, received a makeover in early 2025 — its fourth by my count. Improvements were made based on feedback from users, including hunters and competitive shooters. Doug Koenig is a hunter, the Team Ruger Captain, and the Production Division winner at the 2024 Hornady Precision Rifle Challenge. He worked closely with Ruger engineers to make the latest, meaningful upgrades to the rifle.
“We focused on combining the RPR's reliability and precision with more adjustability to fit every shooter,” Koenig said. The increased adjustability lies mainly in the redesigned buttstock, as the length-of-pull, cheek rest height, horizontal position and buttpad height can all be tweaked, while still maintaining the option to fold.”
Details, Details, Details
The list of new features on the Ruger Precision Rifle include a heavier contour (.850-inch) barrel, a hybrid muzzle brake, and a Magpul MOE-K2 vertical pistol grip. The aluminum handguard is equipped with M-Lok slots for accessories and features an ARCA rail machined into the underside. The magazine well, handguard, and stock have been finished with a Smoked Bronze Cerakote. Ruger also added new chamberings to the RPR line, including 6.5 PRC, and that’s the model we’re looking at today.
The RPR is a no-nonsense precision rifle built around a modified Ruger All-American bolt action mated to a chassis. A chassis is an all-in-one unit that combines the buttstock, magazine well for detachable magazines, trigger guard, and forend into a single piece. Compared to a traditional stock, a chassis eliminates tolerance variations and bedding concerns for enhanced and reliable accuracy.
The Ruger Precision Rifle embodies the best out there in the factory-chassis rifle market, offering 1-MOA or better accuracy. My sample rifle actually performed much better than that. The RPR gets extra attention from Ruger QC, double-checking that the receiver and barrel fit to the tightest tolerances.
The rifle’s magazine well and chassis are machined from aerospace-grade aluminum and the front of the magwell is contoured for better grip and interaction with barricades. The “upper” receiver, and the one-piece bolt it houses, are both CNC-machined from pre-harded chrome-moly steel to minimize distortion. The rifle has an integrated 30-MOA Picatinny optics rail secured with #8-40 screws for more stability and a larger range of elevation adjustments for long-range shots.
The three-lug, full-diameter All-American bolt has a 70-degree throw, along with dual cocking cams. The bolt has been DLC coated for smoother functioning and durability. The bottom bolt lug is ideal for stripping rounds from the two, eight-round AICS pattern detachable magazines that arrive with the 6.5 PRC RPR. Ruger opted for an oversized threaded bolt handle for positive bolt manipulation. A bolt disassembly tool is stored in the bolt’s shroud for easy disassembly.
The RPR’s wide, flat forend handles bipods or sandbags with equal aplomb. A hook-style buttstock rides a rear bag well and provides a purchase point when shooting off-hand, prone, or from a bench. The ergonomics and adjustability of the stock allow for a comfortable, repeatable cheek weld, combined with hand placement conducive to pulling the adjustable (2.5-5 pounds) Ruger Marksman trigger precisely. An ambidextrous safety comes standard on the RPR.
The 26-inch cold hammer-forged barrel features 5R rifling and tight tolerance bore/groove dimensions, minimum headspace, and a centralized/trued chamber. The shape and configuration of the lands and grooves of 5R rifling is different from conventional rifling, with five lands and grooves compared to the more common profile of four or six. This puts the lands opposite the grooves. Plus, the transition from the top of the land to the groove is sloped. All this is designed to reduce projectile deformation as it the bullet passes through the bore, meaning better accuracy.
The 5R rifling is also easier to clean and less prone to accuracy-robbing fouling. All of this is not abstract theory, as 5R rifling has developed a dedicated target shooting following that swears by it.
Fueling The RPR
I will admit to being late to the 6.5 PRC party. After repeated urgings from respected colleagues, the RPR seemed the best way to get familiar with it. Hornady, the company that developed the 6.5 Creedmoor, created the 6.5 PRC using the .300 Ruger Compact Magnum as a parent case to create a round with the perfect combination of ballistic performance and light felt recoil.
Hornady has learned a lot about cartridge development and some of the biggest lessons are included in the 6.5 PRC, like keeping the base of the bullet out of the powder column, making sure the bullet bearing surface is above the case neck and shoulder, and 100% powder charge fills for consistent ignition.
The ammo-maker calls the round the 6.5 Creedmoor’s big brother, offering faster muzzle velocities than the CM in a compact magnum cartridge that delivers long, heavy, high-performance bullets with repeatable accuracy, low recoil, and performance that lives beyond 1,000 yards.
The 6.5PRC Hornady factory loads fire the same bullet as the 6.5Creedmoor, just 250 to 300 feet per second (fps) faster, providing the 6.5 PRC with a flatter trajectory, more retained energy, and less wind drift than the CM, pushing a 143-grain bullet at 2,960 fps or a 147-grain bullet at 2,910 fps.
It’s nice that 6.5 PRC is catching on, with other manufacturers, including Winchester, Black Hills Ammunition and Berger, also offering loads. Winchester and Berger have loads beyond the stalwart Hornady 143-grain ELD-X and 147-grain ELD-Match loads. Winchester uses the 125-grain Copper Impact, and Berger the 140-grain and 156-grain Elite Hunter bullets.
EOTECH Performance Enhancer
Most shooters have no idea what they are missing if they haven’t gotten behind any of EOTECH’s magnified optics. Of course, EOTECH is best known for its holographic red dots, not magnified optics. The fact is, EOTECH offers some of the most diverse and high-performing riflescopes available. Take a look at the EOTECH Vudu 5-25x50 FFP, for instance.
The first thing that stood out to me about the Vudu were its compactness and sturdiness. The 29-ounce optic is constructed aircraft-grade aluminum with a 34mm tube, a length of 11.2 inches, and coated lenses of extra-low dispersion glass. Comparable optics from other notable manufacturers are typically 40% longer and heavier. In fact, the EOTECH Vudu is one of the shortest first-focal-plane riflescopes offering 5-25x50 magnification capability.
EOTECH designed it this way so it would appeal to both competitors and hunters who want a high-capability optic without a spotting scope footprint. It also leaves more room on longer top rails for night vision or thermal devices to be mounted in front of the scope. The 50mm objective lens and 34mm tube allow for a generous amount of light transmission and sight adjustment despite the Vudu’s dwarfish size. It’s also water, fog, and shock-resistant.
The Vudu 5-25x50 is made in Japan and uses the same type of glass used in top-of-the-line digital camera lenses. This translates into crisp, clear images across the entire field of view, even at 25X.
The scope offers four reticle options: the Horus H59 and TR3, as well as the more concise MD3 (mil-radian) and MD4 (MOA) reticles. My scope featured the MD4 reticle, so the scope had 0.25-MOA-per-click adjustments on the turrets. With the MD4, total elevation travel is 100 MOA and windage is 80 MOA, with 34 MOA per turret rotation.
Windage and elevation adjustments can be distinctly felt as you crank in adjustments. The EOTECH elevation turret uses a push/pull locking system to avoid unintentional movement afield and the EZ Chek Zero Stop allows the shooter to return to zero at any time without looking, even in poor light conditions.
The MD4 reticle is etched into the glass while also offering 10 illumination brightness levels via an intuitive push-button system, including a parallax adjustment control, located on the left side of the tube. I liked the MD4 reticle’s simplicity; maintaining a clear target area with a center dot between the stadia lines for fine aiming was easy with MOA subtensions still present for elevation and windage holdovers.
The vertical and horizontal crosshairs include primary hash marks every 1 MOA. Using ballistic drop data, compensating for bullet drop is quick and intuitive. And because the Vudu is a front-focal-plane scope, the reticle can be used at any power magnification for either calculating distance to the target or as a holdover indicator.
Putting It All Together – The Ruger Precision Rifle and EOTECH Vudu 5-25x50 at the Range
I wanted to verify and take advantage of both the Ruger RPR and EOTECH Vudu 5-25x50 by matching them on numerous range “dates.” The Ruger receiver's full-length Picatinny rail combined with Talley Manufacturing Tactical Rings, eliminated the mounting issues alluded to above. Talley Manufacturing Tactical Rings are machined from solid 7075 T6 alloy with match-grade tolerances.
Zeroing the rifle and scope went without fuss and only took a few rounds. The Vudu’s parallax adjustment dial correlated properly to the distances printed on the knob, providing crisp target images. Knowing this gun was being set up for long-range shooting, I went with a 100-yard zero.
A rifle that shoots well off the bench instills confidence when field practice starts or, more importantly, in the woods. According to my Garmin Xero C1 chronograph, all the loads mentioned previously performed at levels that justified their use. Accuracy was top-notch and, frankly, beyond what most shooters can achieve in the field.
The Hornady 147-grain ELD-Match, 143-grain ELD-X, and Berger 140-grain Elite Hunter rounds were top performers with the RPR. The Berger load, with its J4 jacket, Lapua brass, and Vihtavuori powder, was capable of 0.5-inch three-round groups even with me on the trigger. With a glass like the EOTECH Vudu, no spotting is needed to monitor bullets punching paper at 100 yards.
It was hard not to smile when looking through the scope at such performance. I affixed a Warne bipod to the RPR, and headed to the long-range range.
The Real Range Test
The field evaluation was conducted at Echo Valley Training Center’s (EVTC) Range #5 and Known Distance (KD) Range. Range #5 offers unique “dug-in” firing positions, including two buried 36-inch concrete culverts. Targets stretch out over a stepped berm out to 335 yards.
Dastardly clay pigeons and compact steel targets were the targets of choice, and they were strewn on the EVTC berm, anywhere from 210 to 335 yards away. I worked the Ruger RPR’s bolt vigorously and acquired each target as quickly as possible. The ergonomic stock, EOTECH Vudu optic, premium ammunition, and slick bolt proved a potent combination.
The RPR’s buttstock design allows for a good cheek weld, regardless of the position, and aids in preventing a “slap” to the face during recoil. It was no problem riding the rifle’s recoil, working the action, and engaging the next target.
The known-distance range featured numerous targets of different shapes, sizes, and colors placed from 310 out to 715 yards. The included thread-on throw lever for the Vudu’s eyepiece was appreciated when shifting rapidly between magnification settings, depending on the target’s range. Testing commenced from a bench, then prone, PRS barricade, and other more unusual firing positions.
The way the Ruger Precision Rifle handles recoil is remarkable. The chassis in-line recoil path channels recoil directly from the rear of the receiver to the buttstock, resulting in almost no observable muzzle flip — I could watch my targets head toward the steel and call my own hits and misses while staying on the gun.
Frankly, most shots were hits. Luckily, wind conditions were favorable. After all, reading the wind is still more art than science. The Ruger RPR / EOTECH combo proved easy to handle, with no searching for the target required when the rifle was brought to the shoulder.
Terms such as optic resolution and clarity are often bandied about. All the technical specifications aside, your eyes tell you immediately when a scope offers resolution and clarity. Nothing is “fuzzy.”
The EOTECH Vudu had no issue picking out the finest details of target shape, color and size, even at extended distances. This is significant when using EOTECH’s MD4 reticle’s MOA hashes for generating target distance information. This also translates into more accurate holdovers with the MD4 reticle.
The key point with the Ruger RPR is its out-of-the-box accuracy, eliminating the need for a trip to a gunsmith for tuning. Yes, overall weight is a consideration with the RPR. I cannot represent it as ideal for a still-hunt or stalk.
However, the Ruger RPR takes a back seat to no rifle in terms of precision, repeatable accuracy, ergonomics, reliability, trigger and safety. I am sure situations can be found for the Ruger RPR’s use, especially with an EOTECH Vudu showing the way.
Ruger Precision Rifle SPECS:
Caliber: 6.5 PRC (multiple other calibers available)
Action: Bolt action
Barrel: 26-inch .850 contour 1:8 twist 5R rifling
OA Length: 49.25 inches
Weight: 13 pounds (empty)
Trigger: Ruger Marksman Adjustable Trigger @ 3-pounds
Safety: Two-position ambidextrous
Magazine: Detachable, 8+1
Sights: Receiver-mounted 30-MOA rail
Stock: Folding, fully adjustable
Metal Finish: Smoked Bronze Cerakote
MSRP: $2,149
Ruger Precision Rifle in 6.5 PRC Performance
| Ammo | Avg. Velocity (fps) | Avg. Group @ 100 Yds |
|---|---|---|
| Hornady 143 grain ELD-X | 2,915 | 0.75" |
| Hornady 147 grain ELD-M | 2,890 | 0.66" |
| Berger Elite Hunter 156 grain | 2,833 | 0.875" |
| Berger Elite Hunter 140 grain | 2,979 | 0.625" |
Five 3-shot groups fired for accuracy average. Velocity measured in feet per second (fps) with a Garmin Xero C1 Pro, and accuracy measured in inches.
EOTECH Vudu 5-25x50 FFP Specs:
Overall Length: 11.2 inches
Weight: 29.5 ounces
Magnification: 5-25x
Tube Diameter: 34mm
Objective Diameter: 50mm
Reticle: Illuminated etched MD4 MOA
Power Source: CR2032 battery
Eye Relief: 5X: 2.96-3.71-inches/25X: 3.27-3.63-inches
Field-of-View @ 100 Yards: 5X: 23.3 ft/25X: 4.7 ft
MSRP: $2,169
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