Ruger AC 556

5

5.56RifleGuy

New member
Is the ruger AC 556 a nice auto weapon? I have seen them for around 6 grand, and it seems like one of those class 3 weapons I would be able to buy at some point. Is it worth it?

Thanks,
Devin
 
So would I, however, all the m16 types I have seen have been over 10,000. I am not Rockefeller, I don't have that much money, and I am not dead.

So is the AC 556 nice?
 
BTW: There were some posts on here that stated that Ruger has stopped repairing AC-556s, possible because of lack of spare parts. I recall they were repairing them free for a long time.
 
I think the discontinuation of repair and lack of spare parts has to do with moving on to a new "series" of Mini-14. But that's just hearsay.

Before you drop that kind of dough, it would be worthwhile to email Ruger and get the direct scoop.
 
The are better than any M-16 for one simple reason: Factory service.

If you have a factory AC-556 (Not a converted Mini-14.) Ruger will service, repair, re-barrel, etc your AC-556 at very reasonable costs. Such support is lacking for most transferable FA guns.

I post a lot over at silencertalk and the rumor that Ruger has stopped servicing the AC-556 is still just a rumor as far as I am aware of. No confirmation of any sort that I have seen.
 
I have heard it from 2 customer service reps today. Call 603-865-2442, push 5 and ask for Brenda Page. I am on hold right now trying to get another person to confirm.

Update: Finally got through,,a third customer service rep says no, they have quit the service. On hold now to talk with Ms Page.
She would not answer. Rep came back on line and confirmed for the third time. No service, no parts, no warranty.
 
Yes, I have an AC556 - blued 13" folder. I really like it. I've fired thousands of rounds through it and have not had anything break. It's reliable and durable. In fact, I mainly shoot Wolf steel-cased poly-coated .223 which works just fine.

One dissapointing thing that you should know - Ruger has officially stopped doing refurbs on these guns. They may or may not accept them for repair, but you can no longer just send them the gun and tell them to do a complete refurb on it. Fortunately they don't break very often, but if they do, parts are difficult to find. Parts sets are nearly impossible to find right now, and if you find one you will pay dearly for it.

Still, in my opinion, the AC556 is a pretty good deal for a machinegun that fires a rifle cartridge - prices have come down some, which is unusual. The other decent deal out there are FNC's - but you really have to look to find a good price on one. And with an FNC, you really need to know who did the conversion. The only other thing worth considering is an UZI - but that's a subgun and you need to educate yourself on all of the different kinds of UZI conversions. For me it was a toss-up between the AC556 and an UZI. I decided I wanted something in .223 and not .45 or 9mm, so that's what decided it for me.

I never had a big desire to go the M16 route. But, if I did, I'd want one that is a true conversion that uses a mil-spec autosear, not a DIAS or a lightning link. Besides, it's always been out of my price range.

In any event, I've been extremely pleased with my AC556....here's a picture of it in a Sage stock with Ace folder.

ac5562.jpg
 
That does look nice. I imagine that uzis or other more well know guns would have more readily available parts. Are there any more nice budget minded machine guns or sub guns I should check out?
 
For the money, I'd much rather own an Uzi. However, there is nothing really wrong with an AC556. Just ask Gary Fadden.

PS - The term "Class 3 item" needs to be stricken from the firearms owners lexicon. NFA item or Title II item is the phrase that we should all re-learn.
 
Th A-Team loved em.
Click to expand...

I believe those were just Mini-14's, not AC556's.


It was between an UZI and and AC556 for me too - that's what I boiled it down to. At the time the AC556 was fully factory supported - that was a factor in the decision (I'm not too pleased at Ruger for not at least producing a few parts to keep these guns in service - makes no sense to me, they got a lot of good PR from taking care of their older guns.)

The thing is, if you choose and UZI that is basically a registered bolt or "slotted-bolt gun", then you are relying on that bolt never wearing down or breaking. Now, granted, I've never heard of one of the registered bolts breaking. And, then there were different ways to make the bolts a full-auto conversion: most were slotted FA bolts, but some were SA that had a lower lip added to the bolt face. If I were to choose an UZI, I'd want one of the registered receiver guns - much easier to replace parts.

In my view, you need to decide if you want a sub-gun or a gun that fires a rifle cartridge first. If you decide to go the sub-gun route, I'd try to stick with 9mm - cheaper and more available. I believe that most of the FA Mac10's are 45's. Most of the FA UZI's are 9mm. A registered receiver UZI is going to be expensive (heck anything full-auto is going to be expensive).

I'm glad I chose the AC556 - but when I purchased it, it only cost me $2,400. Some parts on the AC556 are interchangeable with the Mini-14, and if I need a new barrel, I can have one made by accuracy systems, so it is serviceable.

The FNC is another option. You can probably find one for about $7,000+/-, which isn't bad for a machinegun. Parts are difficult to find, but these conversions have an excelent track record and are very sturdy guns.
 
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