Since I did this a few years ago, I have received several requests for articles on antiretroviral therapy for ARD. Personally, I don’t like doing something like Guns Against because it’s hard, if not impossible, to remain completely impartial. After all, people tend to prefer one weapon over another, and probably for no good reason – just a personal bias. Nevertheless, I will present my findings to our readers, and you will be the judge when you finish this article.
Now, because of all the violence in the United States, AR-15 rifles are hard to find – everyone wants the best of the best to protect themselves, their loved ones and their homes from this violence. It is clear to most that politicians have tied the hands of the police and that most cops are targeted by the AntiFa and Black Lives Matter. In many places, police are being told to stand up and allow these people to throw rocks, bottles and fireworks at them. And if they actually have the authority to make an arrest, it’s often for disturbing public order. The prosecutor in Multnomah Oregon – a Portland area – has ordered police not to arrest people for simple crimes like disorderly conduct because he won’t prosecute them. I don’t understand why this man hasn’t been recalled or thrown out of office. In any case, the citizens must now protect themselves against this terrible violence.
Okay, I’ll take the soapbox!
Looking at the Ruger AR-556 and Springfield Armory Saint AR rifles, they are very similar under most window openings. While they both have different furniture, which means something to many people, we certainly have our preferences. Both pistols have barrels just over 16 inches long with a 1:8 twist, allowing them to handle heavy loads of bullets. Both machine guns have a flat-top receiver, and both have a standard military transmit sight, but the Ruger has horizontal serrations on the rear of the receiver that actually raise the sight (figure) for some reason, and both machine guns have a retractable rear sight, and there is a retractable rear sight on the rear of the receiver. Both guns come with a 30-shot MagPul PMag magazine, and I think this is the best of the best when it comes to AR magazines – period! The US military has finally caught on and is gradually introducing these magazines to all branches.
Some specifications
The Ruger weighs 6.5 pounds, while the Springfield is slightly lighter at 6 pounds 4 jumps. The furniture, as mentioned, is completely different on these rifles. The Ruger has a thin polymer guard and a standard M4 telescopic stock. A real pistol grip does not meet military standards and is comfortable to hold. Springfield, has a medium gas system with a very thin handrail which I did NOT like – I was wrong – I loved it. The stock is the telescopic version, and the pistol grip is slightly different than the mil-spec version – which I really like. It’s absolutely fantastic in the hand. The Ruger’s rear viewfinder is made of polymer, the Springfield’s is made of metal – much more resistant if you ask me. However, I removed the two rear sights from the guns and replaced them with a removable scope.
The Ruger’s trigger is harder than I like, but I’ve learned in the past that after about 500 shots with these PPs, the trigger gets a little soft. The good news is that the trigger is very clear. The Springfield trigger is much lighter and sharper, but very smooth thanks to the Springfield coating that extends to the trigger group.
I’m not going to go back over the characteristics of these two guns, you can read all about them yourself on their respective websites… www.ruger.com and www.springfield-armory.com, and it’s worth reading all this information for yourself. Again, specific models are the Ruger AR-556 and the Springfield Armory Saint AR. And of course, both ARs are basic entry-level ARs offered by these two fine companies. Of course, you can fool those ARs all you want, but the only change I made was to replace the rear window on both guns – in my humble opinion, they’re both ready for battle as soon as they come out of the box.
I’m sure all our readers know that we are facing another patronage drought – the worst of all, and I don’t think we will recover for many years this time. So I didn’t want to waste too much ammo on this item. I did: I loaded three 30-cartridge magazines for each rifle and emptied them one by one as fast as I could pull the trigger – just to make sure the rifles weren’t defective. I didn’t expect any problems – and the barrels of both guns were very hot after 90 rounds in range.
For my accuracy tests, I did 5 groups at 50 yards with each gun and I took the best group as the average of my results. Now I did a rapid fire test with a pistol and then an accuracy test while the barrel was still hot. When I was done with one AR, I did the same with the other – 90 shots in fast mode and then 5 groups for accuracy. Both rifles were fired for accuracy by a rifle cushion bag over the hood of my pickup.
To test my malfunction, I loaded all the magazines with Black Hills Ammo 55-gr FMJ ammo. To test accuracy, I loaded magazines with three bullets each from the following Black Hills cartridges: 62 grams Barnes TSX, 69 grams Matching, 55 grams Barnes TSX and 60 grams V-Max and 40 grams Hornady V-Max…., one of the best at testing accuracy – so both guns were loaded with the same cartridge. I don’t see the point in shipping hard-to-find and expensive .223 ammo for this side-by-side test object.
I honestly thought Ruger would stop me from pulling the trigger, but he didn’t! It surprised me more than a little, I was sure the Springfield would be a little more accurate thanks to the great power of the trigger. I was wrong! With both pistols, all groups were exactly 1.5 – again at 50 yards, with an iron sight…. I think with more practice I can narrow those groups down a bit more. However, I was filming in a light rain and I may have been a little distracted.
Springfield liked the 69 gram, heavier game tournament and I managed to get the tape down to just under an inch and a half without too many problems. In that regard, Ruger has caught up with Springfield with this ammo. Both guns also loved the 62 gram Barnes TSX load – and both gave me groups of exactly 1.5 inches. The worst grouping of the day came from the 40-grain Hornady V-Max load, and if you had what I’d call a bad grouping, you’d be wrong – both guns just liked the heavier loads a little more. I think if I put the magnification optics on both guns, I could get groups down to about ¾ inch or less without too much trouble.
Both complete task.
Here’s what I think of Springfield and Ruger, both of which more than meet your defensive expectations – whether on the wrong roads or on the battlefield. Both guns also last a lifetime. I can’t honestly say that one gun was better than the other, and I fired top quality .223 ammo in both guns. I thought about going into my personal stockpile of AR ammo and getting more types of ammo into both rifles, but I didn’t want to have to deal with my own stockpile of ammo right now – I don’t know if or when I would ever be able to replace the ammo.
Of course, as I said at the beginning of this article, even though I try not to be biased in an article like this, you will always prefer one weapon over another for many different reasons. As for the Ruger, I liked that it was a basic AR rifle without the bells and whistles, and I felt good in my hands and when I took it on my shoulders. In Springfield, I like the medium gas system and the handpiece – I really thought I wouldn’t like the fine handpiece – I was 100% wrong. I really liked the Springfield lacrosse – of course there’s nothing wrong with the Ruger lacrosse either – I just liked the Springfield lacrosse a little more. No gun handle was better than another.
Partial flow: Availability
As for the bad news, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a decent AR-15 rifle at a reasonable price right now. Many ARs, if you find them, sell for much more than the actual retail price and in some cases double or triple the price. Ruger sold them for $799 – but I saw a reseller selling them for $850 – again it was a reseller selling to FFL resellers. Springfield sells for $943 – and goes way beyond that, if you can even find it.
Whoever the next president of the United States is, I think we will see a spike in violence and an even greater shortage of guns, magazines and ammunition across the country. Then don’t wait. Find AR now – and pay a higher price if you buy before the 20th. Wait until January, you can’t find an AR at all costs. And with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate (with Commie-lala Harris to decide between the candidates), if Biden is seated, we might as well say goodbye to the new production of the RA. I try not to play politics in my articles if I can avoid it…. but in this case you, our valued readers, had better take my advice, and if you want an AR, you can get it now – if you can find it.
Sure, you can pay a lot more for a more advanced AR than a Ruger AR-556 or a Springfield Armory Saint AR, but I don’t think you’ll get more than either. It’s just hard to go wrong with a simple flawless AR like Springfield’s or Ruger’s. And if you want to make a few changes to customize one of these weapons, you have the perfect base to start with.
I can’t say there was a clear winner in this AR vs AR article, I liked both guns – really liked them! Nonetheless, my bias may have manifested itself in this post, and I liked one slightly better than the other – but in any case, it’s a personal preference and you’ll have to decide which weapon suits you best.
Related Tags:
