At Shot Show 2023’s Industry Range Day, there was a long line at the Ruger tent which ended up being mostly to try Marlin’s new lever action rifles. But on the less crowded side of the tent was what looked like their ARs. But it wasn’t, it was the new SFAR. You could be forgiven for mistaking it for yet another 5.56 AR, but the SFAR (Small Frame Auto-Loading Rifle) is chambered in .308.
Compared to other .308 AR10’s I had shot that day, the SFAR had the a smaller physical footprint. And more amazingly weighed as much as a typical 5.56mm AR. Perhaps it was the can they had had on it but the rifle had a softer felt recoil. Not unlike shooting a AR PCC. I was delighted and surprised.
I am not sure what sorcery Ruger used to shrink down an AR10’s components but it seemed to work. I understand that the guys at TFB had issues with their SFAR cycling reliably. My demo rifle functioned flawlessly as it did for the half-dozen other shooters ahead of me in line. If I was in the market for an AR10, I’d consider this one.
