We had planned on getting 10X scopes, but SWFA had shipped all they had to the Army for their Designated Marksman Program. The Rock River also turned in the tightest group in our test at 0.57 inch with the Black Hills Ammo. What should the discerning collector look for in a potential buy? This means that they will fit with most other AR-15 parts on the market. Good value. Shoot On Editor-in-Chief Rob Reaser is a lifelong outdoorsman, former magazine editor, columnist, and contributing editor to numerous national publications in the automotive and outdoor segments. This is not the first time Ive tested a Rock River rifle with their stainless-steel match barrel, so I was not surprised when group averages hovered near MOA for five shots at 100 yards. This div height required for enabling the sticky sidebar, 2022 Yestactical.com We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Regardless, youll get a gun with a fit and finish better than most AR rifles available on the market right now, even at a significantly higher price. Their AR-15s are made with forged aluminum receivers, chrome lined barrels, and MIL-SPEC parts. Mossberg 500 vs 590: Which Shotgun Is Right for You? The Rock River Arms Advanced Half Quad fore-end leaves the barrel free-floating for improved accuracy. Eric Poole and Tom Beckstrand test the Aimpoint Acro P-2 against one of red dot sights' biggest myths: distance. One 20-round-capacity magazine was included, but Rock River offers three-, five- and 10-round magazines in steel, as well as its new polymer 20-round magazine. . weight, the rifle is an easy carry when outfitted with a quality sling. People appreciate the quality of their products and the fact that they offer a lifetime warranty. The Smith flash hider worked very well and the 1:10 twist ratio seemed perfect for the 165-grain Hornady TAP ammo. When I formed my frame of reference for hunting rifles in the early 1980s, there was something of a generational overlap going on. The LAR-8 Standard Operator is reliable and accurate, and its fine trigger makes it easy to shoot well. Rock Rivers winter triggerguard solves this problem. Its much easier to shoot with this trigger than with a standard variant. According to Rock River Arms, the FBI has used their rifles in the past. Rock River Arms sent me a 6.5 Creedmoor rifle with a tan stock and 24-inch barrel for testing. Rock River cured a couple other standard AR failings with parts they developed in-house. Loves Federal Premium 69g Match. LaRue has a huge following in the sniper community, and our experience reinforced why this is the case. It retains the original direct-gas-operating system, as well as the multi-lug rotating bolt and cylindrical bolt carrier of the original design, but the guns internal and external contours and dimensions have been extensively modified to accept FN-FAL-pattern magazines. RRA offers two AR-platform rifles chambered in .350 Legendblack phosphate or stainless-steel barrels. It is ambidextrous as well and can be activated with the trigger finger. Leading the charge is RRAs Operator muzzle brake. Rock River started this trend long before it became mainstream. And almost all guns are built for a specific orderit is rare that youll find a new one for sale someplace. Several have stepped up to the .350 Legend plate, and one of the most recent is Rock River Arms. Rock River's triggers not only have a lighter pull weight and crisper let-off, the hammer shape promotes excellent accuracy. About the only thing someone might complain about is having to wait for a few weeks to get a custom gun they order from RRA. This came in very handy when we decided to go ahead and test the .223 cartridge for BBTI last year. Rock River Arms also offers a lifetime warranty on their products, which is another reason why they are considered to be high end. It is 11 inches long, so it covers the mid-length gas system and has sections of M-Lok cut into the sides and bottom. Rock River, like Fulton, also offers many options to customize your gun, and even offers four different models if the A4 isnt your cup of tea. Also included were an owners manual, two-stage trigger assembly and adjustment procedures, lock, maintenance instructions, 25-meter zeroing target, and break-in instructions for the stainless barrel. We quickly found that choosing four guns to test wasnt going to be easy. The rear half of the fore-end is rounded and smooth for a comfortable hold, while the front half has four rails that provide plenty of space for mounting accessories. In comparison, the standard AR trigger has most of its mass as far away as possible from the pin about which it rotates. Email *, Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from Shoot On. Gun Digest Editor, Luke Hartle, had a brand new gun he wanted reviewed, and he wanted it reviewed from the perspective of a fairly novice precision rifle shooter looking to get into the game. The A4 had a winter trigger guard, which allowed gloves to be used with the gun. needed for precision accuracy at exceptional ranges. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. First, is an ambidextrous magazine release consisting of two fenced buttons mirrored on both sides of the lower receiver. The Rock River A4 won some points from us when we uncrated it to find a blue plastic breakdown case with foam storage areas for extras, like scopes. The monolithic receivers and . When the carrier key hits the gas tube, that disturbance travels down the tube and into the barrel. InterLock; 5-shot string #2. OK, I wanted a scope that would make me look good and the Tango6 certainly didnt fail me in that regard. Rock River Arms LAR-15 Caliber: 5.56mm/.223 Cal. Taurus Marketing Manager Caleb Giddings highlights the features of the new Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum, a purpose-built revolver with a 10.5-inch barrel and an effective recoil-taming brake, with Guns & Ammo Executive Editor Joe Kurtenbach. If so, you may be wondering which manufacturer is the best. In fact, they even have a testimonial from an FBI agent on their website. As I said, this was a well-used gun and I knew the owner wouldnt tolerate any problems. This makes them some of the most accurate AR-15s on the market. However, I always thought they were a good platform, but I was more than a bit intimidated by the myriad options, terms and manufacturers. Welcome to Shoot-On.com - The outdoor and shooting industry's premier source of up-to-date news, media, entertainment and new product information. Colt Model 1861 Special Musket: What's Its Value? Tight. Be it new tactics for hunting or customizing your firearm - we cover it all! I use the term "good" loosely because it really is subjective. Depending on exactly what kind of gun you want, with all those myriad options I mentioned, you can spend as little as $900. Interestingly, a couple of our shooters who were primarily bolt-gun specialists liked the handle for bring unobtrusive. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. VMAX ($40/50). Rock River Arms has been around since 1996 when brothers Mark and Chuck Larson founded the company in Cleveland, Illinois. AR1700.V1 Sale LAR-15M R3 Competition Starting at: $1,525.00. Rock River Arms' new Fred Eichler Series LAR-15 Predator joins a growing number of AR-platform rifles and carbines specifically configured for the serious coyote and bobcat hunter. Top accuracy honors came from three flyweight varmint loads. The gun was termed a Sexy Beast by our female tester. All that was left was to hit the range. Which brings me to my point. Subscriber Services. Overall, Rock River Arms is a good brand that makes high quality AR-15s. In 2003 they got a big government contract to supply the Drug Enforcement Administration with a bunch of AR-15 style guns. It seems almost every manufacturer out there is turning out some version of this genre. And not only are their guns excellent, theyre actually very reasonably priced. He pointed out how good the Rock River trigger was, so Ive had it in that rifle ever since. Rock River Arms uses barrels from a variety of manufacturers, including FN, Criterion, and Wilson. The new rifle is built on an aluminum billet chassis with carbon-fiber forend and cheek riser featuring V-block bedding. The rifle I tested was chambered in .223 Wylde, meaning that it can shoot both .223 Remington and 5.56x45mm (NATO) ammunition. One tester felt the handle should be black to reduce glare, because his ADD caused him to focus on the neat little handle running back and forth. After installing and zeroing a TRUGLO Omnia 8a suitable optic for this firearm platformI set up for ballistic and group size evaluation. The company has created a unique, so-called Star safety selector switch that is both fast and positive. twist Overall Length: 36 in. No matter what load we tried, it lagged behind the guns in our test. You have entered an incorrect email address! Rock River's LAR-15LH Pistol is accurate, compact and now left-handed. The Rock River Arms R3 Competition Rifle is designed for and has the feel of a competition rifle, yet the same platform is spot-on if your hunts require a lot of walking or if your predator sets demand exceptional accuracy out to the limits of the cartridge along with the ability to make fast follow-up shots. We began wondering if we would like the breakdown case nearly as much after our assembling difficulties. There is a reason almost all of the so-called match triggers available today have a hammer shape very similar to the one found on this Rock River. You can go on an excellent boat tour all around the system, or you can walk and admire the boats, the bridges (some of which lift or . The FALs feed lips are built into the receiver rather than the magazine itselfa feature that, in theory, should offer more reliable feeding. We didnt have any problems with the gun operating at all, but I didnt expect any. Shooting the RRAGE was a pleasure it's lightweight, accurate, and it handles well. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Gun shoots better than I do because for 5 I just to an inch and know it is me. Well, not any more of an idiot than I usually feel like, I suppose I should say. The .223 Wylde chamber has a tight .224-inch freebore that keeps bullets especially long 69- and 77-grain types from yawing in the chamber prior to engaging the rifling. The Rock River Arms BT-3 is a .308 modern sporting rifle, featuring Rock River Arms billet upper and lower receivers, fluted 20-inch cryogenically treated stainless-steel barrel, Rock River Arms .308 A2 flash hider, Magpul PRS stock, Hogue rubber over-molded grip, new lightweight M-LOK compatible 17-inch aluminum floated handguard with MS1913 top Rock River warned us that the guns upper and lower fit tightly together, and that was indeed the case, requiring some extra force even with the supplied tool. They've been producing 5.56mm and 7.62mm models since the beginning of their AR-15 manufacturing, and that's pretty standard. The Assault Weapons Ban had sunset and I wanted a really nice AR. We were shooting iron sights only and the gun shot better than I can, in terms of accuracy. Here, deer hunters were often restricted to using shotguns, muzzleloaders, or handguns chambered for straight-wall pistol cartridges. The top rail runs the full-length of the fore-end and mates with the flat-top upper receiver. Fulton Armory is one of the top providers of M1, M1a, and M14, competition guns, and Clint McKee (the owner) and Walt Kuleck (sales manager) have also written books on firearms, including The M1 Garand Complete Assembly Guide, The M14 Complete Assembly Guide, and The AR-15 Complete Assembly Guide. Select Barrel. accuracy in the Standard Operator, and our testing, at least with match ammunition, was consistent with that claim. This month we chose one of the most popular requests, the AR-15 varmint/predator rifle. For a couple hundred more, you can get a gun fitted with extra features, maybe a nicer trigger or barrel or sighting system. Ammunition for the .350 Legend was available, but he couldnt find anything for his .270. The bottom of the gas block has a short length of Picatinny rail for attaching a bipod. So, when I was tasked to review the new Rock River Arms BT-3 .308 Modern Sporting Rifle, I decided to meet the challenge head-on. The "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903," better-known as the M1903 Springfield, has become one of the most popular U.S. military small arms to collect. Caleb Giddings, Marketing Manager at Taurus, introduces the all-new TaurusTX 22 Compact. The results: Federal Non-Typical, 180-gr. Are you in the market for a new AR-15? AR-15s tend not to fit standard gun cases when set up with the high mounts required to clear the charging handle, and still provide a solid sight picture. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. 49865 Leupold QRW 30mm Quick Detach Mounts for a robust, portable mount. Accuracy is the average of five, five-shot groups from a rest at 100 yards. Here are the features to watch out for. For years, deer hunters in certain states and areas were limited in their firearm options due to regulations curtailing the use of high-powered centerfire rifle cartridges. pullStock: black synthetic fixed Rock River Arms A2 Operator; length of pull, 14"; drop at heel, 1/2"; drop at comb, 1/2"Overall Length: 42" Weight: 10 lbs., 3 ozs.Accessories: owners manual, one 20-round magazineSuggested Retail Price: $1,720. Oh, you want more? The guns manufactured for these uses also have this same variety in their construction. Rock River Arms is a popular option, but is it the right one for you? At those temperatures, the molecules align with their neighbors. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Of course, all of this comes at a price but if youre looking for an AR-15 that will serve you well for many years to come, then the Rock River Arms is definitely worth considering. I already knew that I didnt want to shoot bulls-eyes at 25 yards with a 100-yard zero in mind, so I made some minor adjustments and ran the target to the 100-yard mark. In parts of the South, varmint hunters are calling in foxes, coyotes, bobcats and other predators. On the other hand, they add a pair of critical dimensions to the receiver in an already crowded area just below the barrel extension. The other gun barrels come lapped from the factory and do not require this break-in procedure. We felt the Giessele trigger was the best out of all the guns tested, but was also the hardest name to pronounce. The 18-inch barrel that Rock River chose to install has a 1:8-inch twist and features a mid-length gas system. The company says on their website that most orders for built guns will take 60 to 90 days. Our gun sported an Ergo grip, comfortable but woefully undersized for hoisting the gun around. It also had an owners manual, assembly tool and lock. Rock River Arms guarantees this pistol will shoot 2.5-inch groups at 50 yards with 185-grain Federal Gold Medal Match semi-wadcutter ammo. Other accoutrements included a target-gray stainless barrel ($35), a tac-latch on the charging handle for easier access when a scope is used ($20), a pre-installed Harris bipod ($80), and a side-cocking module ($125). Rob has a troublesome habit of pulling guns and things apart to see how they work; occasionally, he manages to get them back together With its plug-n-play simplicity, environmentally adaptive technology, and low-profile desi. It took me a bit of time to properly install and set up my scope and rifle for both length of pull and eye relief, but once I had it, I was ready to roll. But the Rock River Arms guns have a very solid reputation for reliability. The rifle weighs in at approximately 12 pounds and is fairly easy to carry but heavy enough to absorb recoil from the .308 Win. As young hunters, those were the rifles we aspired to own as soon as our apprenticeship time was up working with the hand-me-down lever actions.