In the hands of a skilled rifle shooter, the groups from this rifle will shrink dramatically. When I dress Western, nothing beats the classic good looks of my Smith & Wesson (S&W) 586 .357 revolver. The reset on the trigger was smaller than I expected, so it allowed for very quick follow-up shots. Its a direct-impingement (DI) rifle manufactured to all the standard dimensions. The Varmint Special included a standard A2 stock with a trapdoor, and added two half-inch scope riser mounts attached to the receivers front Picatinny rail. Still, the balance of the gun kept it from receiving our highest mark. Remington's Nylon 66 semi-automatic .22 LR rifles have grown from 1950s bargain buys to 21st century collectors darlings. Having shot both cartridges in AR platform rifles, we must agree. This process alone will add another $30 to $50 dollars to the $1325 price tag. The other guns were so strongly right-handed that having an available left-handed model is a big plus for southpaws, which we too-often forget in our evaluations. Well it's me and I cheaped out on a scope and have a $200 Nikon on an expensive gun. The LAR-15 NM features a stainless heavy match barrel with a 1:8 twist. Copyright 2023 National Rifle Association, Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, New for 2020: Rock River Arms BT-9 4.5" Pistol, New for 2020: Rock River Arms LAR-15M 350 Legend, NRA Gun of the Week: Rock River Arms BT9 R9 Competition, NRA Gun Of The Week: Rock River Arms Assurance-C, Product Preview: Rock River Arms M1911 Mainspring Housings, 7 Simple Follow-Through Tips to Improve Your Accuracy (Right Now!) Oh, you want more? Our Sitemap. No other stainless barrel options are offered, although Bushmaster does have a 4150 chrome-moly vanadium steel version of this gun called the Bushmaster Varminter. The LAR-8 Standard Operator is reliable and accurate, and its fine trigger makes it easy to shoot well. The top rail runs the full-length of the fore-end and mates with the flat-top upper receiver. Last but certainly not least, the trigger was the most impressive part of this rifle. In truth Spaarne is canalised and hard to tell which bits of water are canal and which are river. Despite being assembled and disassembled numerous times, we never lost zero on the rigs. The Rock River Arms X-Series LAR-6.8 AR-15 is specifically designed for this bigger brother to the 5.56 NATO. I like shooting rifles its fun and its challenging but I certainly dont feel as though Im capable of producing the level of accuracy todays precision rifles are capable of delivering. The really nice thing about Rock River Arms is that you can order this specific rifle custom-made to your taste and requirements; youre not stuck with a rifle only to purchase your favorite parts later. 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. Caleb Giddings, Marketing Manager at Taurus, introduces the all-new TaurusTX 22 Compact. The Assault Weapons Ban had sunset and I wanted a really nice AR. At each temperature step, Rock River will let the barrels soak at that temp for a specific period of time. Founded by Frank Galli in 2000, Snipers Hide has been offering informational videos, podcasts, and other support to its users in one location. The Fulton turned in the best overall grouping at 0.89 inch, despite some balky performance by the Remington ammo we used that none of the guns could group under 1 inch. The overmold means minimal hand-slip when wearing gloves, and it makes the A2 grip more comfortable when shooting bare-handed. Epic 22 Pocket Pistol: The Beretta 71 Jaguar. All Rights Reserved. Re: Reasonable Accuracy from LAR-15 Predator Pursuit, Re: Reasonable Accuracy from LAR-15 Predator Pursu, Would love to see paper from a RRPP shooting .5 groups at 400yds. Sadly, Nguyen was killed in action in Iraq later that year, so the rifle is particularly special to me and will always remain in my possession. The general idea was that high-velocity ammunition was deemed incompatible, for safety reasons, in areas of flat terrain and denser populations. The included magazine, which is specific to the .350 Legend, boasts a 10-round capacity. The company made its humble start in 1963in Gussago, Italywhen Giuseppe Pietta made a commitment to produce guns as authentic and true-to-original as possible. RRAGE LAR-15 Type: Direct-impingement, semiautomatic Cartridge: 5.56 NATO Barrel: 16 in., 1:9-in. We got a quartet of guns that matched these specifications from Bushmaster, Fulton Armory, Rock River Arms, and Stag Arms, along with some options they felt the varmint/predator hunter would like. What the fuck is going on here? One Magazine, RRA Case, Manual and Warranty Information. The results: Federal Non-Typical, 180-gr. It's outfitted with a 20-inch fluted and cryogenically treated stainless-steel barrel. 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. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. In fact, many experts believe that it is THE most accurate AR-15 on the market. 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. After installing and zeroing a TRUGLO Omnia 8a suitable optic for this firearm platformI set up for ballistic and group size evaluation. Recoil with any AR-style gun is pretty minimal, at least in the .223/5.56 configuration. Customer experience was, and still is, the primary focus, a key to the firms longevity and success. We didnt have any problems with the gun operating at all, but I didnt expect any. Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Ruger's multi-role small frame autoloading rifle - Sear - combines AR-10 power with AR-15 Portability. I use the term "good" loosely because it really is subjective. And I know that he also respects my knowledge about other guns, meaning that I didnt feel like some kind of idiot by asking him to give me a run-down on basic ARs some time back. Guys from my grandpas era (at least in my area of the Appalachians) seemed to cling to the classical deer rifle forms, led prominently by the Winchester model 94 lever action. . In 2003 they got a big government contract to supply the Drug Enforcement Administration with a bunch of AR-15 style guns. My best group this go-around was 1.443 inches. All of these options bring the gun to a wallet-emptying $1994 retail price. Our friends at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine, Texas, graciously granted us permission to use the stores 100-yard shooting tunnel. If a bullet enters the rifling crooked, accuracy will always suffer. The Hornady. Rock River Arms originally designed and patented the system back in 2005. Get the 76th edition of the World's Greatest Gun Book. Rock River started this trend long before it became mainstream. I was impressed, its as simple as that. Second is the bolt stop lever located between the magazine well and the trigger guard. After our article on "Compact AR Carbines" (October 2007) and a related article on "AR-15 Adjustable Stocks" (March 2008), some of you warned us that we had . In the world of .308 Win. Rock River Arms has been making their two-stage match trigger for more than a decade. Next, we researched scopes and settled on the Super Sniper 16X42 Model SS16X42, $300, a brand marketed and manufactured to the specifications of SWFA, a large distributor of most major brands of optics (www.riflescopes.com). You have entered an incorrect email address! For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. It felt comfortable to the shooters, settled in nicely for repeat shots, and turned in a second best 0.940-inch overall average group. Chris Johnson, FN Senior Product Manager, walks us through two new FN striker-fired pistols at SHOT Show 2023: the FN 510 Tactical, chambered in 10mm Auto, and the FN 545 Tactical, chambered in .45 ACP. . The BT-3's furniture includes a Magpul PRS stock and Hogue rubber over-molded grip. 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. We also found the left ejection pattern did not bother righties. If youre looking for a reliable AR-15 manufacturer, Rock River Arms is definitely worth considering. People appreciate the quality of their products and the fact that they offer a lifetime warranty. However, the standard selector lever can be a struggle when a right-handed shooter moves the rifle to the left shoulder and tries to work the selector with the index finger. 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. Think about that for a moment: As a new rifle shooter, I shot a sub-MOA group after pulling the trigger less than a dozen times. The testers preference for the Fulton gun was further enhanced when rounds started being sent downrange. The best grouping in testing at 100 yards was .935 inch with 155-grain Hornady TAP Precision. 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. There are a lot of opinions out there, but when it comes to accuracy, the Rock River Arms AR-15 is often lauded as one of the best. The new RIA 5.0 Sporting Pistol from Rock Island Armory features a patented RVS Recoil system that maximizes barrel mass and linear movement to give shooters super soft recoil. Depending on exactly what kind of gun you want, with all those myriad options I mentioned, you can spend as little as $900. My buddy had a significant amount of experience on several of them, so I value his opinion of the platform. Shot it for the first time today. The barrels Rock River use come from the Connecticut-based company, Wilson Arms (wilsonarms.com). This was a gun that transformed itself on the bench. Once they hit 300 below zero, theyll bring the barrels up (also in steps) to 200 degrees above zero. This might sound ridiculous, but not to the keen ears of a 'yote. In parts of the South, varmint hunters are calling in foxes, coyotes, bobcats and other predators. 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. This website contains many older reviews. Rock River has been around for a long time and they maintain a devoted following because they continue to use quality components while giving attention to the details. As a result, Rock River rifles enjoy significantly improved reliability with all types of 5.56mm ammunition. The muzzle is threaded 1/2-28 and comes with an A2 flash-hider installed. The published bullet diameter for the .350 Legend is .357 inches. We were shooting iron sights only and the gun shot better than I can, in terms of accuracy. Place just the bolt carrier back in the upper receiver and slide it into battery while observing the short section of gas tube that comes into the upper receiver. This rifle also has an RRA TRO-XL extended free float rail handguard and an accuracy of 3/4 MOA at 100 Yards. For everyone else, then: Rock River Arms got into making AR-15 rifles back in the late 1990s after years of doing custom work on 1911s. Time warp? The Judge has been promoted! Being M-LOK compatible, you can fit whatever railed accessories you like or keep it clean. Interestingly, a couple of our shooters who were primarily bolt-gun specialists liked the handle for bring unobtrusive. Rock River Arms is considered to be high end because of the materials they use and the quality of their products. The LAR-8 Standard Operator, reviewed here, also incorporates a number of ergonomic improvements, including an ambidextrous bolt stop and magazine release. 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. Rock River Arms alone lists four different models in its catalog, and thats before barrel and option selections! But that was the point: Im a proficient pistol shooter and, as a professional firearms photographer, I know guns as well as anyone. After mounting the scopes, each gun was given a good general cleaning, carefully lubricated, trigger pull weights checked on a digital gauge, and then it was off to the range. The TaurusTX 22 Compact delivers class-leading reliability, capacity, and shootability in a 22 LR platform, and it's cut for a slide-mounted mini red dot. Rock River seems to understand the hunter when they put together this gun. resulting in 1.5-MOA accuracy at 100 yards. Their rifles are backed by a lifetime warranty, so you can be sure that your investment will be protected. The other competitors were already lapped in at the factory, and required no such break-in. He fired tens of thousands of rounds each year, which made me curious about what firearms he used and how they fared. 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. Aside from being a superb cartridge for deer, hogs, and bear, the .350 Legend and rifles so-chambered, such as the Rock River Arms LAR-15M, may be among the few firearm/ammo matchups in stock this seasonat least for the next month or so. I wanted to do this as by the book as possible, so waiting for calm winds was my only option. Rock River Arms has been around since 1996 when brothers Mark and Chuck Larson founded the company in Cleveland, Illinois. Not cheap, but not horribly expensive, either. We felt the Giessele trigger was the best out of all the guns tested, but was also the hardest name to pronounce. All three exceed the Rock River .75" factory accuracy guarantee. This one was the same. While the location and function of the trigger is identical to what Stoner and Sullivan originally specified, Rock River includes a two-stage trigger of their design, which is superior to the standard semiautomatic trigger found in most ARs. There, review done. The Rock River also turned in the tightest group in our test at 0.57 inch with the Black Hills Ammo. The average velocity of the load from the Rock River was 2,728 fps. Available for both RF and RM licensing. They also like the companys commitment to customer service. They have to improve quality, offer customized options and mark it all at a fair pricesounds like the ideal business model, but no its not. AR1700.V1 Sale LAR-15M R3 Competition Starting at: $1,525.00. SIG Sauer P322 Rimfire Pistol: First Look, Non-Lethal Personal & Home Defense with Byrna, Range Tested: EAA Girsan Pistols & Shotguns, New for 2023: Christensen Arms Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR), New for 2023: All-American RIA 5.0 Sporting Pistol, New for 2023: FN Rush 9Ti Pistol Suppressor, New Big Bore Pistols for 2023: FN 510 Tactical and FN 545 Tactical, New for 2023: FN SCAR 15P Rifle Caliber Pistol, First Look: Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum Revolver With 10.5-Inch Barrel, New-for-2023 Taurus Judge Executive Grade 410/.45 Colt Revolver, Smith & Wesson Equalizer and the Brand New M&P 5.7 Pistol. About the only thing someone might complain about is having to wait for a few weeks to get a custom gun they order. Rock River's LAR-15LH Pistol is accurate, compact and now left-handed. Rock River Arms has a reputation for making high quality AR-15s, but they also have a reputation for being expensive. Rounding out the features were a Krieger heavy 1:13-twist barrel ($390) and a Geissele adjustable two-stage trigger ($200). The author grouped and chronographed Black Hills' 77-grain 5.56 OTM ammo with impressive results. Although Ive shot a few, I didnt really know much about them until a couple of years ago. The choice of the FN-FAL magazine offers some nice ergonomic touches, such as the ambidextrous bolt stop and magazine release, but it also makes for a significantly longer, bulkier and heavier .308 Win. For my scope, I wanted something powerful and sharp. Their AR-15s are made with forged aluminum receivers, chrome lined barrels, and MIL-SPEC parts. Contrary to what youll find on the internet, most rifles are not capable of this kind of performance with factory ammunition. But the best feature is the way it eliminates the gap normally found where the grips frontstrap meets the triggerguard. The dimensions of the barrel extension are different, and the bolt carrier and charging handle are both longer. It weighs 10.2 pounds empty and is 43.5 inches long. They quickly earned a reputation for making excellent guns and components. Their AR-15s are made with forged aluminum receivers, chrome lined barrels, and MIL-SPEC parts. The second part of our testing took place under blue skies at the Arlington Sportsmans Club, one the largest private gun clubs in Texas with over 1300 members and offering a full range of shooting opportunities (www.arlingtonsportsman.com). 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 rail and a Rock River Arms 2-stage trigger. Loves Federal Premium 69g Match. In fact, they even have a testimonial from an FBI agent on their website. Anyway, I was lucky to have someone I could turn to for information. Stay in the know. The Smith flash hider worked very well and the 1:10 twist ratio seemed perfect for the 165-grain Hornady TAP ammo. The two-stage trigger allows for perfect control and a clean break. It really comes down to personal preference. Dependable. Joe Kurtenbach and Caleb Giddings also look at the first-ever optics-ready carry revolvers with the new Taurus 605 and 856 T.O.R.O. Get a fairly basic model as an introduction and rest assured that when you want to geek-out later, youll be starting with a quality platform. Last year, I got to spend some time with a pre-production version of the LAR-15M and managed to shoot sub-MOA groups. Learn how your comment data is processed. Here's what it's like to shoot this classic scattergun. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. It was comfortable, but I prefer a little bigger grip. The LAR-8 will accept metric- or inch-pattern magazines as well as current-production Rock River magazines. In this blog post, we will take a look at Rock River Arms reviews to see what people have to say about their products. OK, I wanted a scope that would make me look good and the Tango6 certainly didnt fail me in that regard. 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. First, is an ambidextrous magazine release consisting of two fenced buttons mirrored on both sides of the lower receiver. Certainly not, considering the quality. And almost all guns are built for a specific orderit is rare that youll find a new one for sale someplace. The safety lever, on the other hand, while not ambidextrous, has a raised dome on the tail that makes it easier to manipulate. In lieu of the standard charging handle, the side-cocking module replaces the bolt cover and fits into the side of the gun by machining away the brass deflector. We spent the better part of two days recording data in what Bass Pro employees affectionately call the Dungeon. Our time there also allowed us to schedule testers to come in and fire away, including a young lady who broke away from her teachers job to school us, by posting the second best group of 0.49 inch in our tests. Using several surplus FN-FAL magazines as well as the one provided with the rifle, there were no failures to feed. If so, you may be wondering which manufacturer is the best. The gun was termed a Sexy Beast by our female tester. Besides helping with accuracy, the lapping makes it easier to clean the barrel. With this in mind, we went to LaRue Tactical (www.laruetactical.com) for the exceptional LT104 30mm QD Lever Mount, $195. Stags first entry into the varminter category sported an extra heavy 24-inch 416SS Shaw barrel that made the gun extremely front heavy, and a rifle you definitely want to shoot off the bench. If you are looking for a high-quality AR-15, then Rock River Arms is a great option. Ive had this rest for more than 15 years and its still my favorite. ), it would have shot gaudy numbers. . Sights: folding front post attached to the gas block, Picatinny rail for attaching opticsTrigger: two-stage; 4-lb., 4-oz. So, if youre looking for a cheap AR-15, Rock River Arms probably isnt the best option. accuracy in the Standard Operator, and our testing, at least with match ammunition, was consistent with that claim. However, on this rare occasion, I had some first hand experience with the question offered. Spent a whole lot of time lurking, listening, and learning on this forum - I know that my knowledge does not offer much compared to most posting on this site. Sometimes, the innovation has been led by the firearm, sometimes by ballistics requirements, sometimes to fill a specific niche that ends up having wider application and acceptance beyond its original intent. The side-cocking module deserves a little more explanation. All that was left was to hit the range. Either way, its clear that Rock River Arms is a reputable company with a history of providing quality products to law enforcement agencies. In comparison, the standard AR trigger has most of its mass as far away as possible from the pin about which it rotates. Last edited: Dec 29, 2021. 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 FALs feed lips are built into the receiver rather than the magazine itselfa feature that, in theory, should offer more reliable feeding. The tight adherence to exacting tolerances of their chamber dimensions and the stress-relieving effort are two of the big contributors that I credit for this brands reputation for accuracy. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Rock River Arms is considered to be one of the most reliable AR-15 manufacturers because of the materials they use and the quality of their products. Our testers felt that the gun had the versatility to shoot prairie dogs off of a rest, but was light enough to tote through mesquite thickets in search of coyotes. One I especially like is the winter triggerguard; its oversized and creates an opening large enough for a gloved finger. My ultimate conclusion is that the Rock River Arms BT-3 is a winner for both novice and experienced precision shooters, though I would change a couple of the accessories. That said, if you dont have to lug it very far, it has a lot of unique features that make it enjoyable to shoot. Accuracy is the average of five, five-shot groups from a rest at 100 yards. Head to the range this week with American Rifleman staff as they discuss a trim little repeater from Savage Arms that comes chambered for the .22 WMR cartridge. Users can access the storage compartment by depressing a button recessed into the ribbed rubber buttpad that slides it down and out of the way.