Ruger quietly updated the SR-556 Takedown rifle during Christmas week. The main, and perhaps only, change to the gun was the replacement of the heavy quad-rail handguard with a lighter KeyMod type. The quad-rail equipped rifle tipped the scales at 7.6 pounds, while the new one shaves off a a full half-pound to drop the rifle’s weight to only 7.1.
The front end felt a bit heavy on the original gun, so I am glad that Ruger decided to upgrade the gun with a KeyMod handguard. Dropping ½ pound will definitely be an improvement.