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Ruger Precision Rifle & Precision Rimfire · Volume 7

The Two Rifles Documented Here — a 20-Inch .308, a .22 Trainer, and a Crossfire II at 4–12×

What the owner's record says about one .308 Precision Rifle and one .22 LR Precision Rimfire as of September 2026, what it leaves blank, and an honest assessment of the scope listed on both

The collection this site documents includes one Ruger Precision Rifle in .308 Winchester and one Ruger Precision Rimfire in .22 LR. This volume records what the owner’s inventory says about each, as last modified on 17 September 2026, together with the owner’s answers of 19 September 2026 to questions this dive raised, and nothing more. Most of each rifle’s record is blank. The blanks are listed as blanks, not filled with what the factory rifle would have had, because parts on both rifles are bolt-on and could have been changed at any time.

Everything in Volumes 1–6 is about the pattern. This volume is about two units, and it will date.

7.1 The Record, Field by Field

7.1.1 The Precision Rifle, .308

Table 1 — The Precision Rifle, .308

FieldAs recorded (sheet dated 17 Sep 2026)
Model”Ruger Precision”, .308 Win
Barrel20 in — confirmed by the owner, 19 Sep 2026 (the sheet’s “19” was a recording error)
Muzzlea muzzle brake — owner, 19 Sep 2026; model not stated
ScopeVortex Crossfire II, 4-12× — owner, 19 Sep 2026; the sheet gives 4-12×40; parallax type and reticle not stated
Scope mount”M” — meaning not recorded
Stock, trigger, bipod, magazines, handguard, butt padnot recorded

The owner’s record does not give the rifle’s model number. One fact about its age can be stated without the serial number: the serial places it below the 1806-00000 range, so Ruger’s manual PM605 — not the current PM924 — is the one that applies to it. That is the manual whose muzzle-brake figures, stock adjustments and reversible left-side safety are described in Volumes 2 and 4. The rifle wears a brake, which is how Ruger shipped the .308 from 2016 (model 18004) onward; the launch model had a thread protector instead. Which brake it is was not stated, and the rifle could have been fitted with any 5/8-24 device, so no model is named here. Which handguard it has — KeyMod, Short-Action or 15-inch M-LOK — and whether its safety is left-only or ambidextrous, the record does not say.

7.1.2 The Precision Rimfire, .22 LR

Table 2 — The Precision Rimfire, .22 LR

FieldAs recorded (sheet dated 17 Sep 2026)
Model”Ruger Precision”, .22 LR
Barrel18 in, threaded
ScopeVortex Crossfire 4-12×40
Scope mount”M” — meaning not recorded
Everything elsenot recorded

An 18-inch threaded barrel is exactly what Ruger’s standard .22 LR models 8400 and 8401 have (1/2-28), so here the record and the catalogue agree.1

The bolt-throw clip is unknown — the owner did not know on 19 September 2026. It can be checked in a moment: with the rifle unloaded and the magazine out, open the bolt fully and measure how far the bolt knob travels; about 1½ inches means the factory clip is still fitted, about 3 inches means it has been removed (Volumes 3 and 4).

Whether which magazines the owner uses, and whether the Mack Brothers Lima rimfire suppressor that the site’s suppressor and rimfire dives describe moving between several .22s is used on this rifle, are not recorded.

7.2 The .308’s Barrel: 20 Inches, as Ruger Built It

The owner’s sheet recorded the barrel as 19 inches. The owner confirmed on 19 September 2026 that it is 20 inches, and that the 19 was an error in the record. That agrees with every Ruger document found: every .308 Precision Rifle specification sheet recovered gives 20 inches.

Table 3 — The .308's Barrel: 20 Inches, as Ruger Built It

.308 modelRuger’s barrel lengthSource
18001 (launch)20 inspecification sheet, captured Jan 2016
1800420 in (50.8 cm)captured May 2016
18024 (distributor camouflage)20 incaptured Jul 2019
1802820 incaptured Jul 2019
18045 (Barrett Brown Cerakote)20 incaptured Jul 2019
18104 (current)20 in (50.8 cm)current, read 19 Sep 2026

Sources: Ruger specification sheets, located through the Internet Archive’s index of ruger.com/products/precisionRifle/specSheets/.2

The confirmed figure also matches the published Suppressors by Caliber dive, which uses this rifle as a worked example at 20 inches with a factory brake: 20 inches of barrel plus an 8-inch can is its “28-inch barrel-equivalent” rifle, and the brake is what a suppressor replaces. Barrel length for legal and catalogue purposes is measured from the closed bolt face to the muzzle; with a brake fitted, a tape run to the brake’s face reads longer than the barrel.

7.3 The Scopes: Which Crossfire?

The record lists a Vortex Crossfire 4-12×40 on both rifles. For the .308 the owner confirmed on 19 September 2026 that the scope is a Crossfire II; the rimfire’s scope was not addressed. Vortex has sold three different 4-12×40 Crossfires, and a 4-12×44 Crossfire II alongside them.

Table 4 — The Scopes: Which Crossfire?

ScopeObjective / parallaxElevation travelTurretsVortex MSRPStatus in Vortex’s records
Crossfire 4-12×40 (V-Plex, SKU CRF-04P)40 mm, fixed at 100 yd85 MOAlow, capped, ¼ MOA$159”Discontinued” by Jan 2012
Crossfire 4-12×40 AO (fine crosshair, SKU CRF-AO04-P)40 mm, adjustable 10 yd–∞85 MOAtall, capped, ¼ MOA$179”Discontinued” by Jan 2012
Crossfire II 4-12×40 AO (V-Plex CF2-31017; Dead-Hold BDC CF2-31019)40 mm, adjustable 10 yd–∞50 MOA; 15 MOA per turncapped, ¼ MOA$229 (2012, “Coming Soon”); $239.99 (2023)on Vortex’s site 2012–2023
Crossfire II 4-12×44 (SKU CF2-4-12X44)44 mm, fixed at 100 yd; second focal plane50 MOA; 15 MOA per turncapped, ¼ MOA$219.99”Limited Distribution”, Sept 2026
Crossfire HD 4-12×44 (for comparison)44 mm, 15 yd–∞; second focal plane70 MOAcapped$289.99new, 2025

Sources: Vortex product pages, current and as captured by the Internet Archive in January 2012, January 2023 and October 2025.34567 One oddity worth recording: Vortex’s own 2012 page for the Crossfire II 4-12×40 AO lists the objective as “50 mm” in its specification table, against “40” in the product name and a 40 mm objective on every other Vortex page — an error on the maker’s page, not a fourth scope.

Figure 1 — The Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO as Vortex photographed it: the adjustable-objective ring on the objective bell marked in yards from 10 to infinity, capped windage and elevation turrets, and the magnifi…
Figure 1 — The Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO as Vortex photographed it: the adjustable-objective ring on the objective bell marked in yards from 10 to infinity, capped windage and elevation turrets, and the magnification ring at the eyepiece.
Figure 2 — The Crossfire II 4-12x44 for comparison: a 44 mm objective with no adjustment ring, because parallax is fixed at 100 yards.
Figure 2 — The Crossfire II 4-12x44 for comparison: a 44 mm objective with no adjustment ring, because parallax is fixed at 100 yards.

The difference between the entries is not trivial. The AO versions can be focused free of parallax at any distance from 10 yards; the fixed versions are parallax-free only at 100. And the original Crossfire has 85 MOA of elevation against the Crossfire II’s 50.

What follows for the .308. Among the Crossfire II scopes found in Vortex’s records, the only 4-12×40 is the AO, with adjustable parallax. If the sheet’s “40” is right, the .308’s scope is therefore the Crossfire II 4-12×40 AO. If the objective is in fact 44 mm, it is the Crossfire II 4-12×44, with parallax fixed at 100 yards. The owner has not said which, nor which reticle, and both remain open. What does not depend on the answer is the elevation travel: every Crossfire II at 4-12× in Vortex’s records has 50 MOA, so the elevation arithmetic below holds for the .308 whichever of the two it is.

The rimfire’s scope is recorded only as a Crossfire 4-12×40, and could be any of the three 4-12×40 models in the table. The record for another rifle in the collection, a Savage in .17 HMR, lists a “Crossfire 4-12×44”, so the owner’s sheet does distinguish the two objective sizes elsewhere.

7.4 The Crossfire at 4–12× on a Precision Rifle, Argued Honestly

What a precision scope is — exposed turrets meant to be dialled, a first-focal-plane reticle whose holds are true at any power, higher top magnification, heavier construction — is set out in Types of Scopes, Volume 4. By that definition none of the Crossfires is one: all have capped turrets, and the Crossfire II line, by Vortex’s own specification for the 4-12×44, is second focal plane. That is the case against. The case for, and the limits of each argument, depend on which rifle the scope sits on.

7.4.1 On the Precision Rimfire, it is close to the right scope

  • Magnification. The .22 Rimfire dive’s assessment of this rifle already makes the point: “more than enough magnification for 50–100 yard work”.8 NRL22’s standard course of fire is at 100 yards or less; PRS Rimfire’s 2026 limit is 250, and 225 at championships (Volume 5). At 12× a 1/4-inch NRL22 target at 100 yards is visible; the scope does not limit the rifle’s usefulness at those distances.
  • Parallax is the question that matters. At 25 to 100 yards, a scope fixed at 100 yards has parallax error at the nearer distances, and an off-axis eye position moves the apparent point of aim. An AO Crossfire focuses that away; a fixed Crossfire II 4-12×44 does not. The physics is in Types of Scopes, Volume 3. Which kind is on the rifle is the first question in this volume’s list.
  • Elevation. With the rimfire’s 30 MOA base, a Crossfire II’s 50 MOA of travel — if the rimfire’s scope is a Crossfire II, which is not recorded — leaves about 44 MOA of upward adjustment above a 50-yard zero on the assumptions in the figure below — comfortably more than the roughly 21 MOA a .22 LR falls at 200 yards. The original Crossfire’s 85 MOA leaves more. Elevation is not the Crossfire’s limit on this rifle.
  • The reticle. A second-focal-plane reticle’s subtensions are true at one magnification only, so any hold on it must be made at that power or corrected (Types of Scopes, Volume 3). For rimfire matches shot by dialling elevation and holding wind, that is a discipline, not a disqualification.
  • Cost. At $219.99 MSRP, a Crossfire II plus a $629 Precision Rimfire is about $849 — inside NRL22’s 2024 Base cap of $1,300 and PRS Rimfire’s 2026 Production cap of $1,820 (Volume 5). The combination is, on paper, exactly the budget rifle those divisions were written for.

7.4.2 On the .308, it limits the rifle

  • Magnification and target size. A 12× top end is low against the 15–25× the Scopes dive gives as typical of the precision class. On steel at several hundred yards, 12× is enough to hit a target of adequate size; it is not enough to see small impacts or trace easily.
  • Elevation. This is the hard limit, and it is arithmetic. The .308’s scope is a Crossfire II, and every 4-12× Crossfire II has 50 MOA of travel. On the 20 MOA base that leaves about 41 MOA of upward adjustment above a 100-yard zero, on the assumptions in the figure. The Types of Scopes dive’s own guide is that “for 1,000-yd PRS work, roughly 20 mil / 68 MOA of usable elevation is a practical minimum”. The 41 MOA falls well short of that; it reaches mid-range distances by dialling, and past that the shooter is holding over on a reticle whose values are true at only one power.
  • Turrets. Capped turrets are made to be set and left. Repeated dialling under a match clock means uncapping and recapping; the Crossfire II’s turrets are resettable, which helps, but none of Vortex’s documents describes their tracking accuracy, and none is claimed here. Whether any scope’s clicks move the point of impact by the amount they are marked is a test the owner can run — the box and tall-target tests are in Types of Scopes, Volume 8.
  • What the rifle is capable of. The .308 Precision Rifle was built around features — a 20 MOA base, a trigger adjustable to 2¼ lb, a free-floated barrel — that exist to let a rifle hit at distance. With a 4–12× capped-turret hunting scope it is a capable 100-to-500-yard rifle and a limited long-range one. That may be exactly what its owner wants of it. The Crossfire is not wrong on the rifle; it is the component that sets the rifle’s ceiling.
Figure 3 — Elevation budget with a Crossfire II's 50 MOA of travel: on the .308, whose scope the owner confirms is a Crossfire II, the 20 MOA base leaves about 41 MOA of upward adjustment above a 100-yard zer…
Figure 3 — Elevation budget with a Crossfire II's 50 MOA of travel: on the .308, whose scope the owner confirms is a Crossfire II, the 20 MOA base leaves about 41 MOA of upward adjustment above a 100-yard zero; on the rimfire, if its scope is also a Crossfire II, the 30 MOA base leaves about 44 MOA above a 50-yard zero, more than the roughly 21 MOA a .22 LR falls at 200 yards. The figure assumes the scope's travel is centred as shipped and a 1.75-inch sight height; the actual rings are not recorded.

How the numbers in the figure were reached: the bore must point above the line of sight by the angle subtended by the sight height plus the bullet’s drop at the zero distance — about 4.3 MOA for a .308 zeroed at 100 yards (1.75 in plus about 2.75 in of drop) and about 11 MOA for standard-velocity .22 LR zeroed at 50 yards (1.75 in plus about 4.1 in). The canted base supplies 20 or 30 MOA; the scope dials away the excess (about 16 and 19 MOA downward respectively), and the up-travel that remains is half the scope’s 50 MOA plus that excess. The drop figures are this dive’s own estimates from time of flight, not published ballistic tables; the 200-yard .22 LR figure is the .22 Rimfire dive’s, for a different, high-velocity load. A different sight height, zero or scope changes every number.

7.4.3 Mounting

The record’s “M” in the mount field for both rifles is unexplained. Ring height, ring torque, cant, and whether the scope is level to the rifle are the most common causes of a scope that “will not hold zero”, and none is recorded. Ring and base practice, torque, levelling and the 20 MOA base itself are in Types of Scopes, Volume 8. Both rifles’ bases are Picatinny; the rimfire manual says only “follow the instructions provided with your rings and bases.”9

7.5 Questions for the Owner

Answered on 19 September 2026: the .308’s barrel is 20 inches; it wears a muzzle brake; its scope is a Crossfire II. Still open:

  1. “M” in the scope-mount field, on both rifles: what does it stand for?
  2. The .308’s brake: which brake is it, and is a suppressor used on the rifle?
  3. The .308’s scope: 40 mm with an adjustable objective, or 44 mm with fixed parallax? Which reticle?
  4. The .308’s generation: which handguard (KeyMod, Short-Action or 15-inch M-LOK) and which stock and grip are fitted? Is the safety left-only or ambidextrous?
  5. Triggers: factory Marksman on both? Set to what weight?
  6. Magazines: for the .308, PMAG 10 LR/SR, AICS-pattern or both? For the rimfire, BX-1, BX-15, BX-25?
  7. Bipod: is one used on either rifle, and is it the Harris bipod the inventory lists as shared between rifles?
  8. The rimfire’s bolt-throw clip: unknown. Open the bolt fully and measure the knob’s travel — about 1½ in means the clip is fitted, about 3 in means it is out.
  9. The rimfire’s scope: original Crossfire or Crossfire II; plain or AO; which reticle?
  10. The rimfire and the Lima: is the Mack Brothers Lima used on this rifle, and does it stay on it?

7.6 Owed Photographs

The figure slots in this volume, in order of how much each would settle:

  1. Both scopes’ model markings and objective bells — settles the .308’s objective size and parallax type, and which Crossfire is on the rimfire.
  2. Both rifles side by side, left sides, stocks open — settles handguard, stock, brake and mount in one frame.
  3. Each scope mount from the side with the scope height measured — explains “M” and supplies the sight height.

Footnotes

  1. Ruger specification sheets, models 8400 and 8401. https://ruger.com/products/precisionRimfire/specSheets/8400.html (read 2026-09-19). ↩

  2. Ruger specification sheets 18001 (captured 13 Jan 2016), 18004 (9 May 2016), 18024, 18028 and 18045 (17 Jul 2019), via the Internet Archive; 18104 current. Capture URLs are recorded in the dive’s research notes. Example: https://web.archive.org/web/20190717012851/https://ruger.com/products/precisionRifle/specSheets/18028.html ↩

  3. Vortex Optics, “Crossfire 4-12x40 V-Plex Reticle,” specifications page, captured 15 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120115065951/http://www.vortexoptics.com:80/discontinued/vortex-crossfire-4-12x40-riflescope-vplex-reticle/specs ↩

  4. Vortex Optics, “Crossfire 4-12x40 AO Fine Crosshair Reticle,” specifications page, captured 15 January 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120115065931/http://www.vortexoptics.com:80/discontinued/vortex-crossfire-4-12x40-ao-riflescope-fine-crosshair-reticle/specs ↩

  5. Vortex Optics, “Crossfire 4-12x40 AO V-Plex,” captured 13 January 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20120113200602/http://www.vortexoptics.com:80/product/crossfire-4-12x40-ao-with-v-plex-moa-reticle ; and “Crossfire II 4-12x40 AO Dead-Hold BDC (MOA),” captured 31 January 2023, https://web.archive.org/web/20230131011749/https://vortexoptics.com/crossfire-ii-4-12x40-ao-dead-hold-bdc-moa.html ↩

  6. Vortex Optics, “Crossfire II 4-12x44.” https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-crossfire-ii-4-12x44-riflescope.html (read 2026-09-19). ↩

  7. Vortex Optics, “Crossfire HD 4-12x44,” captured 9 October 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20251009175750/https://vortexoptics.com/crossfire-4-12x44-riflescope.html ↩

  8. .22 Rimfire, Volume 9, “Ruger Precision Rimfire, 18 in,” on this site. ↩

  9. Ruger, Instruction Manual for Ruger Precision Rimfire, PM697, “Attaching Scope Rings,” p. 45. https://ruger.com/dataProcess/manual/fetch.php/ms/8400/manual_8400.pdf ↩

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