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The Ruger SFAR

Feb 18, 2024

Exactly What I Expected… 

Since their release, the Ruger SFAR caught my attention… passively. It was one of those things that seemed to hit the market softly enough to where I almost missed it’s launch back in September of 2022. Maybe it was because the firearms industry (and also the rest of the world) was still on the mend from the supply shortages that plagued manufacturing during the pandemic. Maybe it was the clinical name and product description, “Small Frame Autoloading Rifle” just kind of sounds like and old parts gun you’d see laid out on a table at an estate sale rather than what it actually is.

So what actually is it? Well, it’s a fairly unique rifle actually, but to put it as simply and elegantly as Ruger on their release, “The SFAR is really more like an AR-15 chambered in .308 rather than an AR-10.” And honestly… they mean it. It’s so much like an AR-15 in size and weight, that if you were to hand an SFAR with no magazine to someone, it would take them a good few minutes to realize it was in .308. The rifle weighs just under 7 pounds bare, and even with the optic and suppressor I added to go and shoot it, it comes in lighter than most of my personal AR-15 builds.

So basically what it is, is a light-weight AR-15 that delivers large caliber power. My regular readers should know that that sort of thing always sparks and interest with me, because I like rifles that can fill multiple roles, and when I look at the SFAR, I see just that. A super handy defense rifle that delivers a lot of extra power? A really sweet ultralight hunting platform? A perfect thermal host? My answer had always been a resounding and definite, “yeah, probably” because I’d never had the opportunity to try one out. Now, over year after they hit the market, I finally had a chance to shoot one.

What Did I Think?

Slight disclaimer here: I don’t do reviews. I don’t do reviews in the traditional sense, for a lot of reasons. For one, I am one guy, and I’d hate to try and tell you what is right or wrong for you, or the millions of other shooting enthusiasts out there. So I did NOT spend days with this gun, testing it extensively, I did NOT hang out with this rifle for an entire year and run it through every application I had in mind for it. What I DID do, was take it to the range and try to get a sense if I could see myself using this particular rifle in the scenarios I thought I may be able to use it in, and well… yes.

I mounted my favorite EOTech on top, screwed on my Omega 300 suppressor and picked up a couple boxes of ammo. I shot both M80 ball 7.62×51, as well as some full power .308. Once I adjusted the gas block appropriately, you wouldn’t have known one from the other. From the M80, to heavy match .308, to my favorite ELD-X hunting load, the SFAR ate them all up.

Because of that, it becomes clear that this rifle would do everything that I’d hoped it would do, and do it pretty well. With an LPVO it would make a quick deer gun for the fall, with a thermal sight mounted it would perform well on a feral hog hunting trip, and in the configuration I had it in, it would excel as a really handy defensive rifle with a lot of power for not much weight. Whether you’re a fan of the brand or not, you have to admit that that’s a lot of utility for a rifle that kicks around $1000. I didn’t shoot it off a bench, but the practical accuracy on steel was more than fine, and the fact that they make 20″ variants (now also in 6.5 Creedmoor) makes me suspect that it would hold it’s own with most of the gas guns out there, paired with the right ammo. Lastly, I’ve already seen people modding these guns to make them their own, so I know a lot of your favorite AR-15 parts will fit right on. I’ve seen SFARS with Geissele rails, upgraded triggers, and all manners of stocks on them.

Overall 
So yes, this is one of those guns that performs exactly how I’d hoped it would, and packs a ton of value in for the price. Although it’s not the very FIRST of it’s kind, it’s far and away the most affordable and accessible so far. In my opinion, Ruger really hit it out of the park with this one, and took me off guard by offering a firearm like this as it’s not something I would have traditionally thought of as being in their wheel-house. But I’ll always give credit where credit is due, and if you find yourself looking for a rilfe that will cover a ton of ground with you and hit some of the finer points of both the AR-15 and AR-10 platforms, give the Ruger SFAR a try.
Are you an SFAR owner? A fan? Is it something you’re interested in? Do you have all the boxes checked with something you like better? Comment below, or as always, email me at cj@fuquaygun.com and let me know. Thanks for reading!

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