[JonM]

admitadly im a little bit of a RRA fan. i was curious about where they get some of their stuff and after a quick web search found this:


*excerpt from a longer article* Rock River Arms Quality Review

Rock River Arms is owned and operated by brothers Mark and Chuck Larson. Between them, the Larsons have almost half a century of gun making experience, with emphases on both semiautomatic pistols and gas operated self loading rifles. Indeed, the brothers' collective resume reads like a who's who of the American precision firearms industry: Between 1981 and 1991 the Larsons worked at Springfield Armory, Inc., where Mark was the head armorer. From Springfield Armory, the Larsons went into partnership with Les Baer to form Les Baer Custom, and produced some of the finest custom 1911 style pistols that have ever been seen on the US market. Parting ways with Les Baer in 1993, the Larsons began to build AR-15 type rifles for Eagle Arms in Coal Valley, Illinois. At around the same time, they began their own venture, Tolerance Plus (the name was later changed to Rock River Arms), producing custom 1911 pistols. The Larson brothers severed their connection with Eagle Arms in 1997 when that firm moved to Geneseo, Illinois. At the same time, Rock River Arms began to build AR-15 style rifles, with a commitment to producing the highest quality, most accurate AR's on the market.

[Quentin]

Interesting, JonM! Can't say I'm a fan of RRA but that's good stuff...

[mjkeat]

I'm starting to think RRA makes a nice range/bench AR. They seem to get good reviews on accuracy.

[canebrake]

RRA has got my vote.

[Snakedriver]

Originally Posted by Quentin

Interesting, JonM! Can't say I'm a fan of RRA but that's good stuff...

Quentin, what is it about RRA you don't care for? I've narrowed my search for a complete upper to RRA and Armalite for a 16" 1:9, A4 - mid-length in 5.56.

[Quentin]

Originally Posted by Snakedriver

Quentin, what is it about RRA you don't care for? I've narrowed my search for a complete upper to RRA and Armalite for a 16" 1:9, A4 - mid-length in 5.56.

I know many people here think a lot of RRA so I'm not trying to trash RRA but it seems to me you can get so much more for about the same money. Just looking at their midlength uppers you have to pay $40 extra for chrome lined and you can't get 1:7 twist. I don't have confidence in their BCG because it's an unknown and their barrels are very heavy (like ArmaLite). I know they sell a LW barrel but they don't seem to offer it in other than 1:9. Very easy to get the wrong thing.

I have an ArmaLite upper and it's decent but pales in comparison to my Daniel Defense LW midlength which is about 1 pound lighter and meets or exceeds military specs. Both came in right about $500 but I got more for my money with DD. BCM of course is a great choice and for those trying to save money I'd look at PSA or Spikes.

Now if you don't want an AR that leans heavily to personal protection then brands like ArmaLite, Bushmaster, DPMS, RRA and S&W are worth investigating if the price is right. But for a serious rifle, I couldn't endorse one of those companies when they haven't bothered to respond to repeated attempts to provide information for the new M4 comparison chart. I can only assume there's a good reason they don't want to share their specs.

So it seems much like buying a pig in a poke, a home brewed AR at a gun show or a PC with undisclosed components. Why do it when reputable vendors are falling all over themselves selling good products with known components. And telling you exactly what goes in to their rifles.

[cpttango30]

I'm not trying to trash RRA but it seems to me you can get so much more for about the same money.

That is not trashing them. That is stating your opinion based on facts you found.

I myself LOVE RRA.

Mine will like a house a fire. It out shoots my Remington 700 any day of the week.

It is all on what you like. I got my RRA ( A Predator Pursuit Rifle) for under $1k.

It is all on what you like and what you want. I wanted a lighter weight Varmint rifle that was highly accurate.

You don't need a lot of accuracy in a CQB rifle. You need a light weight quick handling rifle that is ultra reliable.

[Sniper03]

Reference the Bench Rifle question. I do know that the RRA 20" Varmint Rifles I have had have been 1/4 MOA Rifles at 100 yards. Both were 1:8 Twist and even shooting the 55 gr. BT Bullets. Normally they would perform better with a little heavier bullet but they did just fine with the 55's. Where RRA exceed is the specifications and quality of parts they demand from their suppliers. Some of their suppliers run RRA Parts on machines that belong to RRA. If the standards are not met guess who losses the machine? That is another story.

03

[Snakedriver]

Originally Posted by Quentin

I know many people here think a lot of RRA so I'm not trying to trash RRA but it seems to me you can get so much more for about the same money. Just looking at their midlength uppers you have to pay $40 extra for chrome lined and you can't get 1:7 twist. I don't have confidence in their BCG because it's an unknown and their barrels are very heavy (like ArmaLite). I know they sell a LW barrel but they don't seem to offer it in other than 1:9. Very easy to get the wrong thing.

I have an ArmaLite upper and it's decent but pales in comparison to my Daniel Defense LW midlength which is about 1 pound lighter and meets or exceeds military specs. Both came in right about $500 but I got more for my money with DD. BCM of course is a great choice and for those trying to save money I'd look at PSA or Spikes.

Now if you don't want an AR that leans heavily to personal protection then brands like ArmaLite, Bushmaster, DPMS, RRA and S&W are worth investigating if the price is right. But for a serious rifle, I couldn't endorse one of those companies when they haven't bothered to respond to repeated attempts to provide information for the new M4 comparison chart. I can only assume there's a good reason they don't want to share their specs.

So it seems much like buying a pig in a poke, a home brewed AR at a gun show or a PC with undisclosed components. Why do it when reputable vendors are falling all over themselves selling good products with known components. And telling you exactly what goes in to their rifles.

Quentin, where do you find the DD's for $500. I went looking and couldn't find anything for much under $900 just for a complete upper. You must have a secret "in" somewhere if you can get them for $500.

[mjkeat]

Quentin and I got in on a deal from SmartGunner.com.

I ended up w/ a DD lightweight upper, DD RIS II rail, properly inspected BCG, DD stripped lower, BattleComp 1.5 muzzle device (pinned), and rail tool for $1k. The rail itself is almost $400, lower $125, BCG $157, and $155 for the muzzle device. Right there you're looking at $837 making the upper itself only $163. Thats a hell of a deal on a top of the line upper.

Edit: The low profile gas block is pinned as opposed to set screw like some others.