Ruger SFAR: From Trash to Treasure

Ruger SFAR from Trash to Treasure #ruger #sfar #treasure #trash
This video is about my ongoing Ruger SFAR rifle saga. This time a barrel replacement to address the horrible accuracy I've experienced. Ruger customer service has been a joy to work with.
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All shooting footage performed on a closed range in a safe environment by trained individuals.

[@danclock9113]

I have an sfar myself, and purchased it last September, and right from the start I could only shoot 1 bullet at a time, cause of the ejection would constantly jam up, pricey ammo to cheap ammo, so I sent it back last November to Ruger, and they took care of the problem, havnt had a jam up since, but I got put on probation the same time I received it back, an personally havnt shot it yet cause I can’t shoot or possess any firearm, but thanks to my buddy he shot it and hasn’t had any problems, I havnt checked the accuracy so that’ll have to wait til this November

[@KD-lb9bg]

I’m glad that ruger treated you right on this but these rifles have had waaay too many problems for me to walk into my local sporting goods store and buy one. Aaand, I was very excited for these when they were first released. You are correct that ruger’s customer service is top notch. My problem is that I’ve had to deal with their excellent customer service more times than with any other firearms manufacturer. I’d prefer to receive firearms that are good to go out of the box as they should be and never experience a firearm company’s customer service. That’s when I say that a manufacturer is doing an excellent job.

[@ChristianGrest]

I’ve had very few reasons to contact Roger with other firearms I’ve owned of theirs over the years, but you’re right…. These are problematic. Like I told the lady on the phone, I want these to be successful and they should take all of the issues that have been prevalent and release a V2. They’ve got a winner here if they can execute it better… nobody else has something quite like this at this price point. I knew of some of the common issues going in such as the gas regulator which was an easy fix. All new rifles should now be shipping with those. My ejector issue was an anomaly… I’ve not heard of anyone else having that issue. Accuracy issues have also been common, but obviously corrected with a better barrel. Time will tell… but hopefully this is the last fix I’ll need.

[@KD-lb9bg]

@@ChristianGrest Thanks for the response and the good videos. 👍🏻

[@ChristianGrest]

@@KD-lb9bg absolutely my pleasure! Appreciate the compliment 😊

[@wanabesailer9599]

I am from South Africa and also just bought myself one. I am still waiting for my firearm licence to be approved but I did go shoot it at the gun store indoor range and I love it. No bipod on it yet and only put iron sights on it for now and shot it at 25m. I bought a box of Hornady 168gr American white tail ammo and zero cycling issues for those 20 rounds. Once I receive my licence and fetch the rifle, l'll do load development with locally made AMP bullets in 150gr and 165gr. Just hoping I won't have any issues as shipping it back to Ruger will be a pain. On your barrel issues you had.....surely Ruger must have a decent quality check system in place or do they only verify every 10th part coming off the manufacturing line?

[@ChristianGrest]

@@wanabesailer9599 I like Ruger, but sometimes with new models they’re still learning things. I believe this is the case. Seems like they’ve made slight updates to things like the gas regulator based off of customer issues. The rifle has been rock solid with good accuracy since the barrel swap. Check out my latest SFAR video if you haven’t already. Thanks for watching!

[@jeramywolfram3906]

Thank u for the video up date. I have a SFAR that I picked up for Hog Hunting and it runs about as smooth as a chuck wagon

[@ChristianGrest]

Absolutely! Let me know how it goes with your SFAR

[@RedDawnReadiness]

My ruger Sfar is a treasure of mine !

[@gunnwild1]

Back to the old drawing board to put all of the aftermarket goodies back on. Good to know Ruger still have great customer service

[@ChristianGrest]

Yea I already swapped everything back on. Hoping this is the last issue I have. Sure looks like it.

[@ChrisFromThe740]

This is awesome news and I can't wait to see you get it back out to the range

[@ChristianGrest]

Me too. Just gotta get the time to really sit down with it. Been so busy lately

[@michaelbarfield528]

Great update! Ruger customer service helped me out a few years ago when my SR762 would stop every 4 to 5 rounds, contacted Ruger and sent the rifle to them from SC to their Mynock,NC facility and they replaced the gas regulator . No problems since.....

[@ChristianGrest]

Yea they’ve been great to deal with the handful of times I’ve had to. Should have another accuracy testing update video soon once I get it edited, but my experience is similar to what they shot during the repair.

[@MichaelLakota-vc4tk]

I use the same ammo that Ruger used to test your sfar. I see no reason to change the ammunition for deer hunting because I have been using those same bullets for years. Excellent results, most deer drop in their tracks. All deer I have shot were 150yrds and under. A vortex red dot on my sfar is the perfect setup for me 😉 Happy you received positive results from Ruger 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@ChristianGrest]

Great to hear! I’ll have to source some, but I’ve already got a bunch of different hunting loads purchased to try out. Will see what I can get with those, then also compare to this load.

[@MichaelLakota-vc4tk]

@@ChristianGrest I’ll be anxiously waiting for your testing 👍🏻👍🏻🇺🇸

[@thesaint1517]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on your SFAR. I have the 16" as well and it came back for the second time about a week ago with the same problem initially had like double stacking, shaving, malfunctions on setting 2, etc. I haven't been able take it to the range yet and really hope that they fixed it this time. I must say that their customer service is superlative when it come to treating clients. Looking forward to seeing your video on accuracy.

[@ChristianGrest]

My pleasure! This has been quite the ride with this thing. Released the latest accuracy video earlier this evening. Hope yours is finally working great like mine is. Definitely let me know once you get a chance to run it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experience.

[@thesaint1517]

@@ChristianGrest Just watched your latest video a while ago. Very interesting results. I can live with the both Federal ammo. Thanks for sharing them.

[@dabears52501]

Awesome! Ruger for the win on customer service. Just wish we didnt have to use it?? Mines still running flawless. Approaching 1,000 rounds. I wish accuracy was a little better. Im getting 1.5 to 2" groups at 100 yards with a bag on a picnic table. So that could definitely be tightened up with a better setup. It's good enough for me for now. Looking forward to your accuracy tests! Thanx

[@ChristianGrest]

Well accuracy was much improved! Managed 3 shot groups around .5” and 5 shot just over an inch at 100 yards. Way better than before. Will have a video together soon with an update.

[@dabears52501]

@@ChristianGrest I have an early 13k serial number. Is yours an early one also???

[@j_c_hunt]

Glad they got it worked out for you! All the rugers I’ve ever owned have been handguns (P89 and Blackhawk), and I’ve never had issues with those. You’re right in an above comment, if they’ve had some issues, but take to combining all the upgrades and fixes into a V2 rifle, it will most likely be a cherry. Sometimes platforms go thru some growing pains before they are perfect. Maybe this is the case with the SFAR. Look forward to a range report.

[@ChristianGrest]

Despite the issues I’m happy! I know a lot of folks don’t care when something doesn’t work 100%, but to me it’s always a welcomed adventure to maybe learn something. Ruger is a stand up company and I’ve had nothing but great luck with them with our pistols and rifles. I sure hope they continue to improve this one… would love to see it rival those costing much more. Speaking of the P89… I’ve gotta get that one out to the range! Thanks brother for stopping by… always appreciate it!

[@philrc1]

I've been looking at the SFAR but all I could find were 1 yr old vids and most of those were not praising the gun. I'm glad to see your new vid and I may reconsider getting an SFAR if they've fixed the production issues. I just have better things to do than send a rifle back and forth to the mfgr to make the gun right. However, I'm also looking at the Diamondback DB10. They're about the same $$$ and don't seem to have all the issues that the SFAR has.

[@ChristianGrest]

I love mine. Only went back once, but I also went into it knowing it most likely would have some issues. I’m sure Ruger is taking note and fixing things on their end. Quite a few people have had no issues as well. It is a roll of the dice. Definitely check back and let me know if you pick one up. Was able to get awesome groups with mine finally last weekend after the barrel replacement I mention in this video.

[@roundearthshill248]

I bought a 20" off my brother that he had only put a few rounds through, and it's been a peach.

[@philrc1]

@@ChristianGrest Well, I couldn't resist. I picked up a 20" 6.5 Creedmoor. So far I only have 30 or so rounds through it and mine seems to be fairly accurate. I was getting right at 1 moa groups with Fed Gold Medal Berger 140. It was shooting sub 2 moa using the cheap Aguila FMJ. Some of the ammo seemed all over the place but these two were pretty accurate but with only 20-30 round sample size, this may get better or worse. The only issue is the gun would not run on gas setting 2. I guess a little more break-in might be required, but if it runs 100% on setting 3 but not on 2, I'll just run it on 3.

[@ChristianGrest]

@@philrc1 that’s awesome! Yea man, I still might get a 6.5CM version… I really wanted the shorter barrel though. There is some break in and they say to break in on setting 3, atleast the .308 versions.

[@ThecrazyScotsman]

Ruger has always been good about addressing issues glad they got ya fixed up

[@ChristianGrest]

Same here in my experience. Hopefully this is the last of the issues.

[@fluffy10mmjeepguy92]

👍👍.... I'm looking forward to the new videos and testing of it now. I'm glad ruger took care of you on it. I can't wait to get mine out and run lots of rds out of it. It will be winter/spring time, tho before i can get out to do it.

[@ChristianGrest]

Yea I hope to get it back to the range in the coming weeks once I find a good day with enough time I don’t feel rushed. Hope you can get yours out sooner than later… curious to see how yours shoots!

[@fluffy10mmjeepguy92]

@ChristianGrest ..... I had rotator cup surgery, so it's going to be 6 to 8 months

[@ChristianGrest]

@@fluffy10mmjeepguy92 dang I think I remember you saying that before in one of the chats. That sucks! Hope you heal quickly as possible.

[@Doublezzranch]

NO ONE, treats their customers better than RUGER. Kimber & KAHR are the worst two I've ever dealt with & refuse to do any business with either one now.

[@Michigan4Conservative]

Nice to see the positive response.👍💯🇺🇸

[@ChristianGrest]

For sure. Hopefully this is the last of the issues. Other than the subpar accuracy it’s been running like a top.

[@Michigan4Conservative]

@@ChristianGrest Try some Hornady Black box 155gr. Or, Hornady 155gr ELD-M at about 2400-2475fps. I've used reloader 15, although there are temperature/velocity swings, it seemed to be accurate from a 12" barrel.

[@ChristianGrest]

@@Michigan4Conservative I have a keg of RL15 and dies can definitely try some different loads.

[@johnlong7504]

Thanks for your nice info-clip, I hope not to the have problems you had when shooting my Ruger SFAR 20" for the first time soon - take care and keep shooting safe!

[@ChristianGrest]

Absolutely! Seems the 20” have had less issues. I’ll have an update video on Sunday with some accuracy testing post barrel replacement.

[@johnlong7504]

10 - 4 and take care!

[@ChristianGrest]

@@johnlong7504 you too!

[@Blackhorseveteran]

I've had no issues with my new SFAR except heavy recoil shooting 180gr. Rem Corlokt. Not sure if I got hot loads, or gun is over gassed. Shoots everything else ok... I worked Ruger Security at the Prescott plant, and yes, their cust service is amazing. I've seen people bring just the gun up to our gate to be serviced,, and they get it back with a box, and extra mag.

[@ChristianGrest]

Nice! What gas setting are you running? If you’re on 3, maybe try setting 2. I’ve been able to run most everything on setting 2 unsuppressed and setting 1 suppressed. Yea as far as their customer service… probably one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with from firearm companies.

[@Blackhorseveteran]

@ChristianGrest setting 2 from the git go...now waiting for these freakin rain storms to let up so I can get to the range without getting stuck in the mud..lol. I need to final zero my new Arken SH4, and see how some new hand loads run through...

[@ChristianGrest]

@@Blackhorseveteran ok, setting 2 should be good. Might just be that particular load is stout. Might try setting 1 just to see what happens. No fun shooting in the mud… hope the rain lets up for you!

[@jlalbee]

Appreciate the video, and the fact that Ruger treated you right, but the customers shouldn't be responsible for doing their QA/QC.

[@ChristianGrest]

Absolutely! I think if they hadn’t been trying to do something fairly different, they probably wouldn’t have had so many issues. Sig sadly does the same thing on pretty much everything they put out. I’m just happy things are looking up with the SFAR… sure hope they continue to improve upon it. Thanks for stopping by!

[@N0TZR1]

I'm planning on getting one, been researching all the possible factory issues and recommended upgrades to get it reliable as possible. Thanks for the info brother. NC native here

[@N0TZR1]

I'll have to get a bore scope

[@ChristianGrest]

Absolutely my pleasure! Yea I do love that rifle, despite the issues. I’ll have another video out soon with updated accuracy testing. Safe to say it’s par with the testing they did after the barrel replacement. Yea I’m over in Harnett county NC.

[@chasemichaud9519]

I have accuracy issues with mine. Not super inaccurate but I feel it could be better. I'm wondering if mine has the same issue. Thanks for the video

[@ChristianGrest]

It’s definitely worth looking into. Just trying to spread the info as I get it. In my latest video the accuracy issues have been corrected. Thanks for watching!

[@WestCrossing127]

My own very unscientific reserach shows that it looks like it's mostly the 16 inch model that's riddled with issues. Probably because of the shorter gas system. My 20 inch gun works flawless with all 308w and all 7.62NATO that I can get my hands on. Great video.

[@ChristianGrest]

Appreciate it! Yea I agree...mostly 16" rifles that are having the gas regulating issues. The barrel machining problem I encountered could be on any of them, but mine was the first I've seen/heard about. I'm also the only one that's had a failed ejector that I know of. I'm happy to say I got sub 1" 3 shot groups at 100 yards and 1-1.5" 5 shot groups as well. These were fairly rapid shot groups after about 40 rounds so the mirage was brutal. I'll have a video on that soon. I'm happy with the performance now!

[@steel1911]

I don't have any issues with the SFAR 308 16" I purchased brand new 2 months back. Only had a couple miss feeds during break in on setting 2 and moved to setting 3 and nothing since going on past 500rds now. It's a sweet gun and a-lot of fire power in compact package. My accuracy seems around 1.5"-2" at a 100 yards with the 2 types of ammo I've tried.

[@mr.mr.3301]

I’ve read but not confirmed but has guns sometimes lose accuracy when suppressed. Where bolt guns typically gain accuracy.

[@ChristianGrest]

There's a lot more to it than just bolt gun vs semi auto with suppressor and accuracy. I've only had one issue ever of a rifle losing accuracy with a suppressor and it was a bolt gun! What the issue was is it was a large caliber, pencil profile barrel...so adding the extra weight of the suppressor caused the barrel to whip more and accuracy was horrible. This was a learning experience, so in the future any rifles I plan to suppress must have a proper contour barrel. With a properly weighted barrel, accuracy shouldn't be affected. there can be a point of impact shift with and without the suppressor, but accuracy should be on par.

[@user-yk3bc5ne3g]

Cool that they got you fixed up but in my opinion, a rifle like that shouldn't need match ammo to get decent accuracy. I do agree that ruger has great customer service, though.

[@ChristianGrest]

Only some folk using pretty cheap hunting ammo and getting good accuracy. Hornady Whitetail was one of those. I did shoot some of that with the old barrel, but might re visit that. If you see my latest video, I run through 6 different hunting loads and get very good accuracy. Appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment!

[@wp-nv3il]

I want one of these SFARS but am put off by all the hoops you have to go through just to get a good one.

[@ChristianGrest]

They've made some rolling fixes, mainly with the updated gas regulator... all current production units should have it. Also, I've not seen or heard of as many issues with the 20" 6.5CM version. Most of the issues I've seen have been the 16" .308. Rest assured though if you have an issue, Ruger will take care of it.

[@DRockDreamin]

Sent mine back 4 times before I gave up. The lied to me about headspace issues and the number of rounds they were able to fire. I'll never buy another Ruger again. 10/10 would not recommend a SFAR. They offered me a $40 gift card for all my trouble....

[@ChristianGrest]

You were having function issues correct? Don’t blame you for walking. Have had my fair share of issues too.

[@DRockDreamin]

@@ChristianGrest Failure to feed, failure to extract. I specifically told them the headspace was wrong and they denied it. Then claimed they function fired it, but there was no way

[@nickcull1782]

1:10 twist? I’ve read 173-175 smk work well

[@ChristianGrest]

Yea I’ve had good luck with 175-178 grain stuff in my last round of accuracy testing.

[@EEDad401]

168 grain is the sweet spot. Ruger tested with this weight for a reason.

[@ChristianGrest]

I’ve had good luck with the heavier stuff for sure.

[@triggerbarPhD]

My comment got deleted. Just said can’t wait for you to take it out!!

[@danielvalencia6582]

Hope it shoots as good with hunting ammo! What did you use as a upper vice block to remove the barrel nut for handguard removal?

[@ChristianGrest]

Me too! I sure have a bunch of different loads to try… one of them has to be the one. I used a reaction rod. The overall bolt dimensions is the same as an AR15.

[@danielvalencia6582]

Thanks so much! Im copying your build with the midwest rail and am considering swapping to a riflespeed gb after i run a borescope through my barrel that is!

[@ChristianGrest]

@@danielvalencia6582 the Riflespeed is the route I was gonna go if I had any more issues with the gas regulator. Been wanting to try one of those out for a while now. They are kinda pricey, but look like they’re worth it.

[@toddparsons2980]

Hopefully they got it straightened out.

[@ChristianGrest]

Update video this Sunday… accuracy testing 6 different loads. We shall see 😉

[@sapper3082]

Can you buy the 6.5 CM uppers yet???

[@ChristianGrest]

Unfortunately not the upper by itself. That would be nice though. Hope Ruger offers that in the future.

[@jacksprat9344]

I'm not interested in sending the bloody rifle back to get it more accurate. I want it that good right out of the box with a 20' barrel. Until I see testing proofs, I will not purchase the rifle.

[@ChristianGrest]

Totally understand, hence why I've been messing with this thing for so long now. I doubt Ruger will start including test targets with these. It would be nice ot have an accuracy guarantee. They're not meant to be super accurate, but should consistently shoot 1.5MOA or better with proper ammo.

[@T.A.B.Videos]

👍

[@ChristianGrest]

😃

[@RTACDaughters]

I will stay with LR308

[@ChristianGrest]

I hear ya! These small frame .308 rifles can be tough to get perfect. I think this one is about there now, but not without a lot of time/money spent.

[@marktarascio4766]

I guess it has become the norm....buy a car or a truck and take it back for recalls. Now rifles are like this too ? Keep buying junk !

[@ChristianGrest]

Unfortunately anything man made can have issues, but it seems more likely today than 10 years ago. Going through a 9 month ordeal with one of my vehicles as well. But safe to say the SFAR bugs have been worked out.

[@SgtPUSMC]

Tried watching, but the music was loud and obnoxious.

[@ChristianGrest]

Appreciate it!

[@cw2a]

🙏❤️‍🩹🇺🇸❤️‍🩹🙏

[@ChristianGrest]

😃

[@nickcull1782]

1:10 twist? I’ve read 173-175 smk work well

[@ChristianGrest]

Yea so far in my latest accuracy testing the heavy stuff is doing pretty good. I’ve shot up to 178gr with great results.