I don't know about the AR 7. However, I have had a Ruger 10-22 since ca 1984. I've fired about 30,000 rounds (guesstimate) through it. It has NEVER malfunctioned in any way. Thus its reliability far surpasses all of my other guns.<br><br>On the other hand, accuracy is mediocre. I guess I have one of those notorious Ruger barrels. Very possibly rebarreling could solve that. Even the longer Sporter stock with a 1" pad added is a little short for me (6'2", 34" sleeve). Bagheera's new stock, hmm? The sights were an easy fix. I scoped it, but have considered putting on a Williams aperture. I have the Williams groove-mounted aperture sights on my Savage 24s and love them. A good gunsmith can improve the trigger pull. My original trigger pull was both heavy and creepy. The gunsmith lightened the pull to about 3# and reduced the creep. <br><br>Overall, I like the gun very much. I just wish Ruger would incorporate the above improvements into a factory gun. I guess I need to remember that we don't get new guns; we get new gun projects.<br><br>John