Got to agree with milanuk here, in a big way. "Ruger Target Rifle" is an oxymoron. Their reputation for accuracy is poor, they're not used for any serious form of competition, and their few forays into the competitive world have been disasterous. They made the rifles for the 1992 US Palma team, and LITERALLY couldn't give them away. The deal was, any of the US team members who shot the rifles in the match could keep them, free of charge. I think there was one team member who actually shot the rifle. The rest shot their own Palma rifles or LR guns and gave the Rugers back.
You don't mention what sort of competition you're talking about here, but if a semi-auto 223 is competitive (or 6.5 Grendel, or any of several others that will run through an AR), go with the AR format. You'll be money ahead in the long run.
Kevin Thomas
Lapua USA