The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > NFA Guns and Gear

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old June 30, 2010, 12:00 PM   #1
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
Ruger AC 556

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
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 12:12 PM   #2
ISC
Junior member
 
Join Date: August 5, 2007
Location: Florida
Posts: 1,982
I'd rather have an M16.
ISC is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 12:27 PM   #3
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
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?
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 05:41 PM   #4
n7qvu
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2009
Location: Overgaard, AZ USA
Posts: 153
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.
__________________
Jerry W.
NRA Instructor: Pistol, Home Safety, Personal Protection, RSO, Reloading.
NRA Life Member, NRA-ILA Sustaining Member, AZ CCW training org. & instructor, AZ HE instructor.
JWsGUNs.com FFL-07, NFA SOT-C2.
n7qvu is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 08:10 PM   #5
Willie Lowman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 5, 2009
Location: Uh-Hi-O
Posts: 3,006
Where's Skans? I think he has an AC...
__________________
"9mm has a very long history of being a pointy little bullet moving quickly" --Sevens
Willie Lowman is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 09:54 PM   #6
kozak6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 16, 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 3,113
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.
kozak6 is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 10:05 PM   #7
Crosshair
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 16, 2004
Location: Grand Forks, ND
Posts: 5,333
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 don't carry a gun to go looking for trouble, I carry a gun in case trouble finds me.
Crosshair is offline  
Old June 30, 2010, 11:14 PM   #8
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
That sounds darn good to me. Ive never heard of that kind of service with any other weapon.
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old July 1, 2010, 10:48 PM   #9
David Hineline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 1999
Location: South Sioux City, Nebraska
Posts: 704
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.
David Hineline is offline  
Old July 1, 2010, 10:51 PM   #10
n7qvu
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2009
Location: Overgaard, AZ USA
Posts: 153
Thanks for confirming what I said in my post #4 above.
__________________
Jerry W.
NRA Instructor: Pistol, Home Safety, Personal Protection, RSO, Reloading.
NRA Life Member, NRA-ILA Sustaining Member, AZ CCW training org. & instructor, AZ HE instructor.
JWsGUNs.com FFL-07, NFA SOT-C2.
n7qvu is offline  
Old July 1, 2010, 11:18 PM   #11
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
Well that is sad.
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old July 2, 2010, 12:54 AM   #12
David Hineline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 1999
Location: South Sioux City, Nebraska
Posts: 704
One can by a post sample gun for maybe $500 and have the dealer cut the receiver and sell you the spare parts.
David Hineline is offline  
Old July 2, 2010, 07:58 AM   #13
Skans
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 11,132
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.

Skans is offline  
Old July 2, 2010, 10:24 PM   #14
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
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?
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old July 3, 2010, 12:38 AM   #15
GoingQuiet
Member
 
Join Date: July 1, 2010
Location: Melbourne, FL
Posts: 92
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.
__________________
FFL/SOT Melbourne, FL - Sales by appointment. [email protected]
Sig Sauer Stocking Dealer
Silencerco Stocking Distributor
GoingQuiet is offline  
Old July 3, 2010, 01:26 AM   #16
Austin Cowart
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 18, 2005
Location: Lumberton, Texas
Posts: 118
NO FLAMES

You might look into a mac11 with a LAGE max11 upper. should come in about 5k, parts are easy to get, its easy to repair, its cheap to shoot, and the slow fire upper makes it a fun SMG. http://www.max-11.com/
__________________
Clothes make the person. Naked people have little or no influence in society.- Mark Twain
Austin Cowart is offline  
Old July 3, 2010, 11:34 AM   #17
rickyjames
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 5, 2009
Posts: 558
Th A-Team loved em.
__________________
ya only got 1 arm and ya carry 3 guns for Christs sake. Well I don't want to get killed for lack of shooting back.
rickyjames is offline  
Old July 3, 2010, 02:30 PM   #18
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
That doesnt look like a bad deal at all. I see they have 22 conversion kits available also. That would be nice on the wallet.
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old July 6, 2010, 07:42 AM   #19
Skans
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 11,132
Quote:
Th A-Team loved em.
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.
Skans is offline  
Old July 8, 2010, 02:54 PM   #20
5.56RifleGuy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 9, 2010
Location: USA
Posts: 1,212
That FNC looks pretty nice.
5.56RifleGuy is offline  
Old July 28, 2010, 08:16 PM   #21
TylerD45ACP
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 16, 2010
Posts: 1,654
WOW SKANS THAT AC556 IS BEYOND AWESOME. I have always loved it.
TylerD45ACP is offline  
Old July 28, 2010, 08:33 PM   #22
Edward429451
Junior member
 
Join Date: November 12, 2000
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 9,494
Quote:
Are there any more nice budget minded machine guns or sub guns I should check out?
One can double the rate of fire of a semi-auto Mini legally for about 3 cents. It's just a little L shaped pc of metal. It makes the rifle fire an additional shot upon releasing the trigger, after you fire a shot by pulling the trigger. The law reads...by a single function of the trigger...and pulling the trigger is a single function, and releasing the trigger is a single function, so it is legal. It's not conducive to accuracy but it works well. Very easy to make from staples.
Edward429451 is offline  
Old July 28, 2010, 08:44 PM   #23
hknut
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 2, 2005
Location: Olympia, Wa.
Posts: 535
Quote:
I believe those were just Mini-14's, not AC556's.
What is the differance?
__________________
"Gun control is like trying to reduce Drunk Driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars"

Walk softly and carry a big SIG.
hknut is offline  
Old July 29, 2010, 12:49 AM   #24
Raven Armament
Junior member
 
Join Date: July 27, 2010
Location: Midwest
Posts: 45
Mini 14 is semi auto, AC556 is full auto.
Raven Armament is offline  
Old July 29, 2010, 01:13 AM   #25
David Hineline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 23, 1999
Location: South Sioux City, Nebraska
Posts: 704
The A-Team

Hollywood blank guns and ammunition are expensive. Hollywood chose the Ruger AC556 for the A-Team because it was the only gun they could run inexpensive live ammo in for filming and not have to worry about hitting any of the people the guns were aimed at.
David Hineline is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07470 seconds with 11 queries