New Ruger Harrier AR-15 Review: A Rugged Workhorse

The Ruger Harrier is a budget-friendly AR-15 built to run hard. Here’s how it handled shooting drills, multiple ammo loads, and suppressed fire.

When Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. announced its acquisition of gunmaker Anderson Manufacturing in Hebron, Kentucky, last July, industry watchers like me wondered what might come out of the purchase. Anderson had produced AR-style rifles and parts, and was reportedly the only company to manufacture more AR-style lowers than any other.

Now, the first tangible sign of the Anderson purchase has arrived: the new Ruger Harrier, a sturdy AR-15. A great option for the home defender, hunter, and tactical shooter, the Harrier sells at a very fair price. It would also be a great first AR.

There are two Harrier models, both essentially the same standard semi-automatics chambered in 5.56 NATO and operating on a mid-length gas system. The base Model 28601 features an A2-pattern pistol grip and M4-style collapsible buttstock, while the handguard sports a partial Picatinny with M-LOK attachment slots. Ruger’s suggested retail price for this model is $699.

The Harrier Model 28600 I received for testing and evaluation was upgraded with a Magpul DT adjustable buttstock, a Magpul MOE-K2, and a full-length Picatinny with M-LOK attachments. Suggested retail is $749.

First Range Session with the Ruger Harrier

While 200 rounds isn't exactly a torture test, that is how many rounds of 5.56 NATO and .223 Remington I ran through my Harrier without a single failure to feed or eject. And that was with pulling the rifle right out of the box and heading to the range. No pre-range cleaning, no copper brush and bore cleaner through the barrel, although the bolt carrier arrived with a light coating of lubrication.

Range day and 100-yard shooting with the Harrier and VuduX scope.

The Harrier ran fine both suppressed and unsuppressed and proved itself accurate at 50 and 100 yards. The M-LOK handguard had plenty of space and slots for all sorts of aftermarket add-ons, and the full-length rail on my model will hold any optic or thermal on the market.

Ruger Harrier Build and Features

Both models feature a 16.1-inch barrel with a 1:8 twist rate, a mil-spec trigger, and upper and lower receivers machined to mil-spec dimensions from 7075 Aluminum forgings. Uppers, lowers, and the barrel are Type III hard-anodized. The lower receivers also feature a tension screw to eliminate play between the upper and lower receivers.

The right side of the upper receiver includes a brass deflector, a dust cover, and a forward assist. I was glad to see the assist. Some gun makers no longer build their ARs without them, which no doubt cuts some of the cost.

But AR-15s traditionally eat many rounds, and the gas operations blow back a fair amount of grime. My ARs operate year-round in cold, summer heat, blowing dust, and some high-humidity days and nights.

*Sig .223 Rem. Copper Hunter at 100 yards, 1.25” group.*

All that gets the insides of an AR-15 a lot dirtier than a bolt or lever action. When that bolt carrier holds up, and the round only partially enters the chamber, a forward assist can be a lifesaver. Literally.

Remove the rifle’s A2 flash-hider, and Ruger threaded the end of the barrel at 1/2"-28 for easy attachment of a different muzzle or suppressor. QD sling sockets are located on both sides of the handguard and the buttstock.

The rifle features a carbine buffer and spring for reduced recoil, a standard manual safety, a nitride-coated bolt and bolt carrier group for extended wear, and a staked gas key.

Running the Harrier with a Red Dot

To test out the Harrier, I first mounted it with the EOTech EXPS3-DCR Holographic Weapon Sight. Once zeroed at 50 yards, the EXPS3-DCR will place rounds with precision at common self-defense ranges and easily transition to a distance of two football fields.

*The Ruger Harrier with EOTech EXPS3-DCR Holographic Weapon Sight and 10 rounds at 50 yards.*

With a 50-yard zero, the reticle’s other design feature starts to matter. DCR stands for Danger Close Reticle. It uses a speed ring built around a dot-in-circle layout. At the bottom of that open ring sits a small chevron, just below the center dot.

EOTech claims that on a .223 Rem. or 5.56 NATO rifle, zeroed at 50 yards with the center dot, the top of the chevron will hit dead on at 7 yards.

The EXPS3-DCR worked as advertised when I reviewed it here.

Suppressed Performance

Last, I pulled the flash hider and direct-threaded an Operator 5.56 suppressor from Engaged Industries in Elsberry, Missouri. It uses the company’s patent-pending VLB25 baffles, built around what they call Vacuum Expansion technology, to slow gas flow and reduce blowback.

The Operator 5.56 not only allowed me to shoot without hearing protection but also reduced the rifle’s recoil pulse.

For ammunition, I started with Fiocchi Hyperformance .223 Rem. firing a 50-grain Barnes Varmint Grenade bullet.

Zeroing the Harrier and the EOTech optic at 50 yards only took a half dozen rounds.

To get a feel for the rifle in various shooting positions, I fired off rounds while standing and kneeling. Then I shot 10 rounds from a rest at a Gen2 Silhouette Dual Zone Target made by Caldwell Shooting Supplies.

All ten rounds hit the red center mass area, with six of the rounds centered in a 0.90-inch group.

Stretching It to 100 Yards

For my 100-yard shooting, I removed the DCR sight and replaced it with an EOTech VuduX 2-12x40 riflescope. I used EOTech’s rock-solid PRS 2-inch Quick Detach 30mm cantilever mount to secure the scope to the Harrier.

VuduX is a second focal plane optic featuring EOTech’s BD1 reticle with ballistic holdover points. The illuminated reticle ran on a single CR2032 battery and offered10 illumination settings.

Elevation and windage adjustments were precise at .25 MOA per click, with an easy-to-use parallax control on the left side of the 30mm aircraft-grade aluminum tube.

The low elevation and windage turrets were capped to prevent accidental movement. The removable throw lever moved through the magnification settings quickly and smoothly. At 12.6 inches long, the scope weighs 21 ounces and is fog-, water-, and shock-resistant.

Ruger Harrier and a VuduX scope on a target with Black Hills ammo — *Black Hills .223 rounds at 100 yards for a 1.5” group.*

I did a quick 50-yard zero of the VuduX, then moved to my 100-yard lane at my outdoor range and loaded the Harrier with Fiocchi .223 Rem ammo.

The first shots were approximately three inches high and slightly left of center. I gave the VuduX the 12 clicks DOWN and three to the RIGHT, fired, and was on. That’s precision!

Next, I switched to Black Hills .223 Rem. loads with a 69-grain Sierra MatchKing Bullet. My best five-shot groups were 1.5 inches and 1.7 inches.

I then switched to Sig Sauer Elite Performance .223 Rem Copper Hunting rounds, firing 62-grain all-copper bullets. My best five-shot groups were 1.5, 1.35, and 1.25 inches.

A Working Rifle, Not a Showpiece

As the price tags and the mil-spec features suggest, the Ruger Harrier is not a flashy, tricked-out AR rifle. For example, the mil-spec trigger was stagey. But I expect it to smooth out with use. An after-market triggercould potentially tighten shot groups.

The Harrier does exactly what it’s built to do: run hard, run fast, and keep working when conditions turn ugly.