New addition to the AR family! Rock River Arms ATH 18''SS 1:8 barrel wylde

[elfster1234]

I have seriously been eyeballing this rifle for the longest time and my local shop just got 3 of them in and they price matched it to Kentucky gun company for $1130 so I said WTF and picked it up. 18'' heavy stainless 1:8 twist barrel, stupid ultra light weight for $1130. Just can not go wrong in my opinion. They even let me check out the upper / lower fit of the 3 they got in and the one I picked is 100% rock solid fit with absolutely no wiggle. Just need to cross fingers that she can shoot now and to be honest I've yet to have a rock river arms rifle let me down yet. So far I'm thinking a 2.5-10 vortex scope with a 2" offset vortex 1pc mount. Might even just transfer my aimpoint pro red dot & iron sights from my elite operator 2 to this rifle and put my elite op2 up for sale. Will keep you all informed!

Rock River Arms ATH Carbine 5.56/223

Rock River Arms: ATH Carbine

 

[Newtrick]

Congratulations Elfster! I love mine, favorite AR. The way you shoot, bugholes coming up.

 

[elfster1234]

Thanks man! I'm going to test out the rifle this coming weekend. Going to transplant my vortex 4-16x50 PST FFP scope with larue QD LT158 10moa cant mount off my LMT and onto this rifle. My bipod mount should be in tomorrow and will put on my 6-9" harris bipod. Just another reason why I like this rifle so much is the small rail is already on the handguard where I want it for my bipod = one less thing I need to purchase. The new advanced RRA handguard is stupid light weight and I think this rifle is the lightest AR in my collection = friggen awesome! My harris 6-9" has been getting a musical rifle workout lately between all of my rifles (LMT, RRA EOP, DPMS 3G1, and now this rifle) short of my CQC red dot RRA elite op2 set up. My other harris 9-13" bipod has been put on the back burner as the accuracy improvement using my 6-9" in comparison to my 9-13" is big time difference. I already have 100 @ 60grn v-max "go to load" reloaded up and ready to rock n roll & I'm really looking forward to breaking in the barrel = shoot the shit out of it. Cross fingers that I get some good results. I just don't see how I can go wrong with a stainless steel 1:8 twist 18" heavy barrel on this bad boy. If I get some good results with this above set up it might just stay on the rifle and might purchase a 6-24x50 FFP PST scope with new mounts for the LMT MWS. Will see. I'm totally up in the air right now if I want to get a 2.5-10 vortex scope, 3-15 SWFA FFP, or just transplant my LMT's scope onto this rifle 24/7. I know I will be shooting all the way out to 600yards with this rifle so it is the only thing holding me back from not getting the 2.5-10 scope and transplanting my 4-16. If it was a 300yard or less rifle I would get the 2.5-10 in a heartbeat, but it isn't... Range on this rifle will be 50yards all the way out to 600yards and further if I get the chance.

Congratulations Elfster! I love mine, favorite AR. The way you shoot, bugholes coming up.

 

[TexasMade]

Thanks man! I'm going to test out the rifle this coming weekend. Going to transplant my vortex 4-16x50 PST FFP scope with larue QD LT158 10moa cant mount off my LMT and onto this rifle. My bipod mount should be in tomorrow and will put on my 6-9" harris bipod. Just another reason why I like this rifle so much is the small rail is already on the handguard where I want it for my bipod = one less thing I need to purchase. The new advanced RRA handguard is stupid light weight and I think this rifle is the lightest AR in my collection = friggen awesome! My harris 6-9" has been getting a musical rifle workout lately between all of my rifles (LMT, RRA EOP, DPMS 3G1, and now this rifle) short of my CQC red dot RRA elite op2 set up. My other harris 9-13" bipod has been put on the back burner as the accuracy improvement using my 6-9" in comparison to my 9-13" is big time difference. I already have 100 @ 60grn v-max "go to load" reloaded up and ready to rock n roll & I'm really looking forward to breaking in the barrel = shoot the shit out of it. Cross fingers that I get some good results. I just don't see how I can go wrong with a stainless steel 1:8 twist 18" heavy barrel on this bad boy. If I get some good results with this above set up it might just stay on the rifle and might purchase a 6-24x50 FFP PST scope with new mounts for the LMT MWS. Will see. I'm totally up in the air right now if I want to get a 2.5-10 vortex scope, 3-15 SWFA FFP, or just transplant my LMT's scope onto this rifle 24/7. I know I will be shooting all the way out to 600yards with this rifle so it is the only thing holding me back from not getting the 2.5-10 scope and transplanting my 4-16. If it was a 300yard or less rifle I would get the 2.5-10 in a heartbeat, but it isn't... Range on this rifle will be 50yards all the way out to 600yards and further if I get the chance.

For what it is worth, I have this rifle and it shoots factory hornady .75 MOA and better. I put a 6x24 PST on it and shot it out to 700 yards with good results. Congrats

 

[elfster1234]

texasmade, would you happen to have a picture of your rifle you could post on here? I would love to check it out

For what it is worth, I have this rifle and it shoots factory hornady .75 MOA and better. I put a 6x24 PST on it and shot it out to 700 yards with good results. Congrats

 

[Dirty D]

100% rock solid fit with absolutely no wiggle.

Love RRA, the last Colt 6920 I had you could hold it by the pistol grip and shake it and hear the upper rattling against the lower.

 

[elfster1234]

Man, i'm really up in the air on what I want to slap on this bad boy for optics... Part of me wants to transfer my LMT's 4-16x50 vortex PST FFP with larue LT158 mount on this rig, and to purchase a whole new 6-24 vortex FFP for my LMT as I know I'll be shooting this rifle out to 600yards and maybe even more. I know that having my vortex 4-16 would really make this rifle shine for kick ass groups. I was first thinking about getting a 2.5-10 scope for this rifle but I just don't think that power would do this barrel justice out to 600yards plus. Being that my LMT's 4-16 vortex PST FFP scope has a QD LT158 larue mount it will be transplanted for the weekend just for testing purposes to see what this new rifle can do @ 100yards,,,,, and if it really performs well it just might stay on. I've also been eyeballin the SWFA 3-15 FFP for an OK scope for this set up but I do like the illumination for deer hunting when taking those first shots in the morning with the scope set at the lower power. I've found that illumination reticle with FFP scopes is a must if you're going to try and hunt with it on the lowest setting during dusk / dawn. My friggen bipod mount was supposed to be delivered today by USPS but it never showed, figure that! It will be tested on Saturday even if I need to transplant the bipod mount off my LMT. Might have pics and updated info by the weekend. I'm crossing my fingers she is a shooter right out of the gate, but with my past experience there is usually a small ammo round count break in period of about 300 rounds until you start to see really good groups. My DPMS 3G1 just hit about 400rounds and she just hit "sub moa all day long" on the boards in which this rifle wasn't doing such when I first got it.

 

[elfster1234]

Well, here she is! Ready to rock n roll for tomorrow.

Rock River Arms ATH 18" stainless steel wylde chamber 1:8twist heavy barrel & mid-length tube/gas @ $1130
Vortex Viper PST FFP 4-16x50 scope @ $850
larue LT158 10moa cant QD mount @ $200
6-9" harris swivel bipod with bipod adapter (integrated rail on the handguard worked perfect for this!) $100
20round PMAG $15
Grand total all decked out = $2295

RELOADS = 60grn v-max, 23.8varget, 2.25coal, off brand nato brass

Wish me luck that she is a shooter! LOL

 

[TexasMade]

 

[elfster1234]

awesome! thanks for posting the pics! that is the new optic I'm going to purchase for the LMT MWS. vortex viper 6-24 FFP

View attachment 14364

View attachment 14365

 

[TexasMade]

Your welcome! Your set up looks good!

 

[elfster1234]

BTW, im a big fan of the new handguard. It is really light weight and the diameter is really small and fits well in the palm. I'm itching to hit the range tomorrow.

Anyone else with a RRA ATH post your pics!

View attachment 14364

View attachment 14365

 

[elfster1234]

Looks like she is a winner winner chicken dinner! Totally amazed with this rifle so far. Didn't even need to touch my turrets transplanting the vortex scope from my LMT to my new rock river arms ATH rifle. Was close enough to the bulls for groups which makes me really happy. Group average would've been totally sick if it wasn't for the first bad group but you can't win them all. Would've been sub-moa all day long if it wasn't for the funky 1.291 group and it had me a little worried at first. For some reason two of my groups are a bit high and I'm wondering if I was positioned behind the scope a little strange maybe? I don't think it was the reloads. hmmmm, not sure. Anyway, I'm totally happy with the results especially for the first rounds down the tube. Works out to .7285 IPHY moa @ 100yards (true moa would be .7285 / 1.047 = .6958 moa average),,,, & .391" IPHY best group. Break in the barrel a little bit more with some load development for this rifle and she should be really kicking ass soon.

 

[elfster1234]

This is the 10shot test group @ 100yards with the new rock river arms ATH after I ran the 30round entry test. 10shots @ .789moa IPHY (actually a true .789 / 1.047 = .7536moa group), and 5 of the shots are in a .182" bughole. Looking good so far!

 

[elfster1234]

BTW, I usually never go cheap with my rifles..... but I figured I would give this cheap $10 after shipping bipod adapter a shot rather than dumping $25 to $30 down for a nice YHM bipod adapter. Other than not having the YHM machine stamp on the side, I can not tell the difference between the two and it works just fine.

YHM GG G Style Harris Bipod Adapter Picatinny Weaver Mount Anodized Aluminum | eBay

 

[elfster1234]

BTW for those that reload. Just like my RRA EOP varmint with a wylde chamber that ejects brass with a headspace measurement of 1.457..... my new RRA ATH with a wylde chamber is also spot on 1.457, which will be perfect when it comes to reload for both with a shoulder bump back of .003 to 1.454 +/- .001

ejected brass out of my new RRA ATH

ejected brass out of my RRA EOP VARMINT

 

[bluto77]

Kick-ass rifle man!!! My first AR was a RRA Tactical Operator 2. I wish I would've never sold it. never did the 6 group 100 yard challenge, but she would've averaged somewhere close to MOA. You got one helluva shooter man! That first 6 group challenge you did is sick. Kicked the crap outta my LaRue OBR's best performance to date, and that's with me putting a substantial amount of effort into it. I'm starting to reach the conclusion that you can just flat out shoot though, and you'll make any rifle you pick up look like a winner. But this one without a doubt is a keeper.

 

[elfster1234]

Thanks bro. It is safe to say ive shot a stupid amount of groups in my day with a semi auto and why i like to make sure i switch it up here and there with my CQC shootout and now getting into 3gun. Getting results when going for groups imo comes from:

1. 100% no movement of your head / cheek weld / consistant scope view during your shots. If you move your scope view or cheek weld the smallest bit during your shots your point of impact will change most likely.

2. The reason why i love and picked this rifle was 100% based on the barrel. For me, looks of the rifle is not as important than the engine of system. As for the 223 / 556 type rifles having a wylde chamber, 1:8 twist, stainless steel, and either a 18 to 20inch barrel is important to me especially if your are going to use a wide range of bullets. Your OBR i think has the same barrel so you will be kicking total ass once you start reloading. Heavy to bull barrel is a must for me. Big fan of bull barrels on ar's if its more geared around punching holes in paper and not so much hunting other than varmint shooting in the prone. The diameter of my new RRA ATH under the handguard is about the same as a bull barrel.

3. Reloading plays a HUGE factor in this game. Ive said before when it comes to 100yard groups its 40% shooter, 40% rifle, and 20% ammo and im squezing out every last bit of 20% with my 5.56 go to reload ammo. I would never get these results with fmj ammo of the shelf.

4. Ive found the lower your bipod the better, and the more level your rifle once in the rear sand bag the better. Ive seen a big time improvement going from a 9-13 to the smaller 6-9" harris bipod.

5. When you first purchase an AR test the upper to lower fit for wiggle or sloppy fit. I was lucky to have 3 in front of me at time of purchase and picked the best out of the 3. One of the 3 actually had a small amount of wiggle but it wasnt too bad but every single bit helps so i picked the one that was 100% rock solid. Hell, my LMT upper to lower fit is so damn tight that i need to apply a serious amount of upper / lower squeeze pressure to get the rear pin out.

6. Using the correct size point of aim target for the yardage and scope power being used.

Kick-ass rifle man!!! My first AR was a RRA Tactical Operator 2. I wish I would've never sold it. never did the 6 group 100 yard challenge, but she would've averaged somewhere close to MOA. You got one helluva shooter man! That first 6 group challenge you did is sick. Kicked the crap outta my LaRue OBR's best performance to date, and that's with me putting a substantial amount of effort into it. I'm starting to reach the conclusion that you can just flat out shoot though, and you'll make any rifle you pick up look like a winner. But this one without a doubt is a keeper.

 

[elfster1234]

BTW, i did absolutely no barrel break in process with my first rounds. I just cleaned the chamber with a chamber brush and one run with my bore snake down the barrel with some CLP & oiled up the the bolt and carrier group. Thats it. IMO, barrel break in is getting 300 to 400 rounds down the tube to see good groups LOL! Thats the truth tho!

 

[Honky]

[MENTION=70537]elfster1234[/MENTION] I've been eyeballing this one, too (I'm after a relatively cheap SPR-ish rifle that's good out-of-the-box.). Got a few questions if you don't mind:

How's the RRA two-stage trigger? How's it compare to Geissele?

How's the stock that comes with it? Is it solid, or is there some wiggle? Cheek weld good?

I'm attracted to this rifle for the accuracy, but I'd like it to be reliable, too. Had any malfunctions so far? There's nothing more irritating to me than FTEs.

Thanks.

 

[elfster1234]

Ive added the answers in your quote

[MENTION=70537]elfster1234[/MENTION] I've been eyeballing this one, too (I'm after a relatively cheap SPR-ish rifle that's good out-of-the-box.). Got a few questions if you don't mind:

How's the RRA two-stage trigger? How's it compare to Geissele?

Trigger is just "ok". Good enough to get you by, but would be the first thing to upgrade. A geissele in this rifle would really put it over the top.

How's the stock that comes with it? Is it solid, or is there some wiggle? Cheek weld good?

It is no sopmod, but its not too bad. I have no issues with it and it will stay on the rifle.

I'm attracted to this rifle for the accuracy, but I'd like it to be reliable, too. Had any malfunctions so far? There's nothing more irritating to me than FTEs.

Im being totally honest here with the 6 rock rivers ive owned = no problems at all. The ATH so far has been amazing. Mid length gas so far has been really nice and smooth.

************as a side note you might want to wait for the rock river r3 competition rifle! That thing is sick!!! Not sure on the fluted barrel tho. So far ive been totally happy with the ATH and im not one to BS people. *******

Rock River Arms: NEW! LAR-15 R3 Competition Rifle


Thanks.

 

[Honky]

Thanks man. I think I like the handguard on the ATH more than the R3, though. Don't need a full quad rail, but the little rails are useful.

 

[elfster1234]

if you do hook up with one I would try to get the new updated handguard and not the old one... it is much much less weight.

Thanks man. I think I like the handguard on the ATH more than the R3, though. Don't need a full quad rail, but the little rails are useful.

 

[elfster1234]

SEE PICS BELOW!

I finally got out to the 600yard range to test my new rock river arms ATH with 18'' stainless steel 1:8twist barrel & some 60grn vmax bullets with 23.8grns of varget behind it. Scope was adjusted to 18moa UP for the following load @ 600yards FYI. The nice part about all of this is,,,,,,, this is the scope off my LMT and I didn't even need to touch the turrets or zero stop! Rather than adjusting 12 to 13moa up for my .308 LMT, I adjust up about 17 to 18moa up for this new 5.56 rock river arms. Didn't need to touch the zero or zero stop! Big thanks to the larue QD LT158 mounts! I absolutely love this rifle and has surpassed all expectations and he is a keeper! Not only that, but I shot one of my best groups to date, 2.75" @ 600yards which works out to about .4377moa! I shot 6 total groups @ 600yards with some rather impressive groups for this new rifle. I think I just went over 100rounds down the tube so far. I wasn't really going for bulls today. I was 100% going for groups and to test the accuracy of this new rock river arms ATH rifle. I adjusted the scope a little on last 2 groups. 5 out of 6 groups was for sure sub-moa, with the one group I'm guessing right around 1moa.

GROUP#1 @ ~2.75"
GROUP#2 @ ~6"
GROUP#3 @ ~6.5"
GROUP#4 @ ~4.5"
GROUP#5 @ ~6"
GROUP#6 @ ~4"

GROUP SIZE AVERAGE IN INCHES = 29.75 / 6GROUPS = about ~4.9583" / 6.282 = about ~.7893MOA GROUP SIZE AVERAGE.

Very impressed with this rifle so far! Absolutely no FTF or FTE with this rifle at all. It just f#cking shoots and for $1130 dollars I just don't see how you can go wrong. An upgraded trigger in this rifle would make it down right sick.

The 600yard range!

The new ROCK RIVER ARMS ATH!

Sorry, this is the best I could get my camera to focus. By no means reflects the quality of the glass!

 

[ss355]

You sure did get a shooter. Sweet.

 

[elfster1234]

Here is a better pic of the barrel under the mid-length handguard & gas tube. The entire barrel is damn near bull barrel thickness under the handguard and the rifle is actually really light weight @ about 7.5ish pounds. I think this RRA ATH might have a small advantage over my DPMS 3G1 in terms of being more light weight. I think the new RRA advanced handguard design over the old design really shaved off a lot of weight.

 

[lennyo3034]

What's the thickness of the barrel at the gas block? .750?

 

[elfster1234]

Yup! Just got done measuring the barrel and it is .75 at the gas block and .95 under the handguard.

What's the thickness of the barrel at the gas block? .750?

 

[SONIC SAAMI]

thanks for the review, this is my next AR

 

[elfster1234]

if you do hook up with one, make sure you get the new handguard model and not the old one as it shaves off a LOT of weight.

thanks for the review, this is my next AR

 

[LtDan]

Nice shooting! I'm hoping my new POF shoots as well as my RRA Predator HP. The Rock Rivers are very hard to beat for the money, at least in my experience with them.

 

[M198gunner]

Going to have to really consider one of these after your report. Been looking for a cheaper AR15 that still shoots. Hate spending money if the rifle will not perform.

Keep the info coming, oh ya that is a nice range.

 

[elfster1234]

I went to the range today and it was damn near 100 & crazy humid outside! Anyway, I wanted to get the new RRA ATH on the 300yard board so I worked through the heat as best as I could for 80shots. No real wait period between groups & the barrel was blazing hot. I ran two more 10shots groups @ 100yards, and 2 total 30shot entries for the 300yard board. I know I can do better than this with some better weather.


over-view of both 10shot groups @ 100yards:

10shot group#1 @ 100yards:

10shot group#2 @ 100yards (group size is 1.194" with 8shots at .6305"):

30shot, 6group, 5shots each entry#1. All shot in a row @ 300yards. Average would've been sick if it wasn't for the two groups over 4". Average ended up being 2.8985" or .922MOA, and best group being .933" or .297MOA:

30shot, 6group, 5shots each entry#2. All shot in a row @ 300yards. Average ended up being 2.7635" or .8798MOA, and best group being 2.014" or .6412MOA:

Going to have to really consider one of these after your report. Been looking for a cheaper AR15 that still shoots. Hate spending money if the rifle will not perform.

Keep the info coming, oh ya that is a nice range.

 

[bogeybrown]

Awesome info Elfster. THANK YOU. I have a female friend who is looking to get into med range AR shooting and we've been going back and forth on rifle options for a little while now. I think THIS is the perfect option for her.
Again, excellent post.

 

[gunsmithcat]

That's some good shooting. That ks for the detailed review, definitely peaked my interest.

 

[elfster1234]

Not a problem my friend. I'm glad you enjoyed the information. I got some 68grn & 75grn BTHP loads worked up for this Thursday 600yard test run. I got a feeling its going to be stupid hot outside, but oh well. It is what it is. It hit 100 here in Wisconsin today. Uhhhhgggg.

Awesome info Elfster. THANK YOU. I have a female friend who is looking to get into med range AR shooting and we've been going back and forth on rifle options for a little while now. I think THIS is the perfect option for her.
Again, excellent post.

 

[elfster1234]

Also, one of my best kept el cheapo secrets in order to smooth out the factory trigger until you can upgrade to a better one. I'll take the lower off the rifle and manually push the hammer back with my left thumb and dry-fire the trigger catching the hammer with my left thumb so it doesn't hit the receiver (damaging the hammer or worse the lower receiver) about 500 times while watching TV. Prob takes all of 10minutes. I found that it will make the RRA factory trigger more smooth until you can upgrade. Just to be honest with you. I prob will not upgrade & is good enough for me unless it get some money to burn.


The JP trigger that came with my DPMS 3G1 is really really nice. Matter of fact, it has the best trigger of all my AR's. It's sick! The DPMS 3G1 is one of the most under rated rifles on the market. ITS A WHOLE LOT OF RIFLE for the money.

 

[elfster1234]

Went to the range again today just to do some more tests with some standard spray and pray 55grn FMJ. Lets just say the RRA ATH 1:8twist barrel didn't like the 55grn full metal jacket at all @ 100yards. Yes, the ammo is spray and pray ammo fodder, but this really goes to show how important ammo is if you want good groups out of your AR.

Switched back over to my go to load of 60grn VMAX, 23.8varget, & 2.25"coal and pumped this out @ 300yards. Works out to 2.7282" average or .8686MOA, with a best group of 1.972" or .6278MOA.

 

[elfster1234]

Ok, so I went to the 600yard range today when I should've just stayed home. It was seriously pushing 95 with sporadic winds all over the place well over 10mph. I'm on vaca this week and I was soooo looking forward to hitting the 600yard range today so I said F#CK it and still went. It wasn't until I started shooting & checked out the first couple sets of groups that I realized I was wasting my time & money but oh well. Wind was soooo UP & DOWN that it was hard to read and my groups were all over the 4'x8' board & had to take my 5shots as fast as possible for a consistent wind variable. Anyway, in defense of any bullet used & the rifle, am amazed I even got as good of groups as I did with the ungodly heat / mirage / sporadic wind. My rock river arms barrel was on total fire after taking all of these shots with such heat and as you can see with the grass in comparison to previous pictures the heat is & dry weather in Wisconsin is getting really bad. I think it has been 1-1/2 months since I mowed my yard! LOL

Anyway, enough with the excuses & on with the pictures. I'm pretty much discounting all of this info due the bad conditions for 600yard shooting. I figured I'd still share this info even though I felt like I was totally wasting my time. Wasn't really going for bulls & just group size testing out the new grn weight bullets. I'll give this another shot with better conditions some other time. Oh well. All shot with my new rock river arms ATH rifle:

 

[James n TN]

Get you some 69 grn or 77 grn Sierra match bullets and put that 1:8 twist barrel to good use. My JP rifle likes the 69's moly coated with 24 grns Varget

 

[elfster1234]

For those thinking about getting this rifle..... This rifle is beyond amazing! Just some more info for you all:

*****************************************************************

First and foremost, I can't even believe I'm about to share this info as I honestly thought long and hard about keeping this ace up my sleeve with the shootout forums & other BS from misc dick heads here and there.... I should just keep this info to myself but WTF! Especially for those that give me so much crap, so you can take my OCD and shove it up your A$$!!! LOL JK!! (LOL, I know most of you are just joking & it is funny)... I just wouldn't be myself unless I was to share good info with good people = YOU GUYS!!!... This $hit cost me money to test this stuff out & to share this info with you.... $50 for the new front sand bag, $30 for 101rounds of reloaded ammo, $5 in gas, and obviously my time. I'm obviously having fun doing all of this stuff anyway... All shot with my new rock river arm ATH rifle with an 18" SS heavy 1:8twist barrel @ 100yards.

Anyway, I got a killer deal on some 250ct boxes of 55VMAX bullets for $42 bucks & I have never used them before. My typical go to round for my AR-15's is the 60VMAX so I figured I would run my M.E.O.C.W. GAUNTLET TEST developed for the shootout threads to see what works best with this new 55grn VMAX bullet I've never used before while developing 3 total entries. If I get such results with a 55grn bullet out of a 1:8twist, then just imagine what I'll get once I run my 60grn VMAX PET LOAD, or 68 / 75grn BTHP with this new front BAG..... Anyway...... I've been doing tons of research using an alternative to a bipod..... Bipod jump was driving me nuts and after much research I decided to order in this mega-benchbag... WOW! I'm SOOOOOO glad I did!! 100rounds, 20 total 5-shot groups, with different varget drop rates during a F#CKING test of all things, ALL SUB-MOA ALL DAY LONG! EVERY SINGLE BULLET! So for all of those that say I have OCD, then you can take my OCD and shove it up your A$$$ !!! (LOL, totally kidding).... You better be rocking a 20round PMAG and not 30rounds as it will hit the bench or ground if you're using a 30round mag = reason why I'm switching to all 20round pmags from here out..

This is how I took my shots today with about 3mph wind & 87ish degree weather. New mega bag in the front, and canvas type owl ear bag in the rear. I actually had to use a jacket out of my trunk to elevate the front bag about 1"... NOTE that with SOPMOD type stocks I run ears front to back & with A2 type stocks I run the ears left to right. As for the new front bag, I obviously took the bipod off & used the synthetic side of the bag & not the leather side of the bag. The dead still accuracy out of this set up IS JUST F#CKING STUPID CRAZY!!... OCD is not a bad thing when it comes to reloading and rifles! LOL! JK...:

The new front sand bag!! & the bullets used today:

The different varget drops used today. 100 total, with 1fouler round:

100 shots, 20 total groups @ 5shots each, every single bullet & group sub-moa all day long, at different varget drop rates during the test:

Entry#1:

Entry#2:

Entry#3:

The last 19th & 20th 5shot groups & other info:

Best group of the day. Not the best out of this rifle, but still not too bad.. Can't wait to try my go to PET LOAD with this new bag set up:

**********************************************************
EDIT:

S.O.B! LOL! I just realized there was a mistake on my target! One of the groups is actually not sub-moa as I thought one of the bullet holes was a decimal point!! oh well... Still 19 out of 20 groups is still not too bad for being all shot in a row. At least I found the mistake just to be fair to others on the shootout thread. Still, this front bag is amazing and I'm stoked to try it out with my other rifles & their pet loads.

 

[bogeybrown]

Again, awesome post Elfster. We got my friend's rifle ordered (she went with Fred Eichler LAR15). That front bag looks badass for someone having bipod issues. What did you choose to fill it with?

 

[elfster1234]

It came already filled. The eichler is an awesome rifle! Youre going to love it and keep us updated!

Again, awesome post Elfster. We got my friend's rifle ordered (she went with Fred Eichler LAR15). That front bag looks badass for someone having bipod issues. What did you choose to fill it with?

 

[bogeybrown]

It came already filled. The eichler is an awesome rifle! Youre going to love it and keep us updated!

Even better, the label said to fill it with aquarium gravel or sand, and the review I found on Amazon the guy was bitching about how much sand he had to put into it and how it leaked sand all over. If they shippped it filled I'm guessing it's some type of poly pellet?

I'm still brow-beating my friend into joining the Hide. She is absolutely STOKED on the Eichler rifle (she's a K9 Handler, so on top of the accuracy she got the dog-paw forend). If she doesn't join I may end up posting her progress by proxy.

 

[elfster1234]

yes, I would NOT use sand... use the fish tank gravel as it has been cleaned and it gives a nice texture to the medium for rifle adjustment.... Sand is too dirty and will leak if you have the smallest slit & the guy with the amazon review just doesn't know any better im sure.... The fish tank gravel that is pre-filled in this bag gives it a nice weight and holds the rifle really nice once pinched into the H-style bag, but isn't soo darn heavy like you're actually lugging around a bag full of dirty sand. I think you can get this bag both filled and non-filled. I purchased it local so it was already filled, but if you had it UPS'd to you, then I'm sure you could hook up with some cheap fishtank gravel from walmart or pet store if you got the non-filled version. This is my first test with this bag. I'll keep you updated with future info with my pet loads and other rifles used. I'm not saying this bag is the end all and to throw your bipod in the trash.. Still keeping the bipod and will still use my bipods, but so far as in this test = UBER good performance.

EDIT: bag is filled with white color plastic beads.

Even better, the label said to fill it with aquarium gravel or sand, and the review I found on Amazon the guy was bitching about how much sand he had to put into it and how it leaked sand all over. If they shippped it filled I'm guessing it's some type of poly pellet?

I'm still brow-beating my friend into joining the Hide. She is absolutely STOKED on the Eichler rifle (she's a K9 Handler, so on top of the accuracy she got the dog-paw forend). If she doesn't join I may end up posting her progress by proxy.

 

[bogeybrown]

On the LT158, no issues with head position/height? no stock riser or anything needed?

 

[elfster1234]

IMO the LT158 is just about perfect. My 50mm scope just clears the rail with the scope cap by about 1/8 of an inch. Some of this has to do with the fact its built in with a 10MOA cant which is a good thing. I would actually like to find a mount that is just a hair lower for better cheek weld but i dont think that would be possible with my AR's as the scope objective would hit the rail. So far the quick detach has been awesome for switching between my many rifles and is really close to zero... Atleast two shots away from true rezero. One trick i do tho with my LT158 is put it on the rifle and then ever so slightly snug up the mount even more by turning the nuts just a hair..... Not too much tho so you dont damage your rail.... Just enough so i know the mount is 100% secure and the QD is acutally kinda hard to take off. Got to be careful not to over do it as you can damage the rail. Tighten the QD nuts to the point they are hard to snap on and off, but still doable. If memory serves me correct a standard height is 1.5 inches.... I think the LT158 is 1.44 ish?? Check out the website.

Thats if you want a QD mount.

On the LT158, no issues with head position/height? no stock riser or anything needed?

 

[bogeybrown]

Great, helping my friend with her Fred Eichler LAR15 project (she's on the Hide now as K9Molly). She's going with the Vortex as well, so your setup seemed like a good guide. I just had her order the Lt158 with the VFZ mount since she's not going to need QD anytime soon, but the 10moa will probably be handy with the 16" barrel.

You, as usual, are the man. Thanks for the info.

 

[elfster1234]

Not a problem and im glad i could help. Have her send me a friend request and to send me a PM with any questions she might have.

Now, for your new rifle... And any AR for that matter.... Once you get a kick ass set up, its all about hunting down the ammo that works well in that rifle. Its the never ending quest and im still on it,,, and im sure it will never end! Thats have the fun and gives you a good reason to go shoot a kick ass rifle.

Really good reviews on the rifle she puchased and she should start her own thread based on her rifle... It will make it more fun and would be nice to get a womans perspective on the sport.

Great, helping my friend with her Fred Eichler LAR15 project (she's on the Hide now as K9Molly). She's going with the Vortex as well, so your setup seemed like a good guide. I just had her order the Lt158 with the VFZ mount since she's not going to need QD anytime soon, but the 10moa will probably be handy with the 16" barrel.

You, as usual, are the man. Thanks for the info.

 

[bogeybrown]

Funny you should mention that, as we're taking our best guess on ammo right this moment. Reviews say FGMM 77gr, but as she's BRAND new to the AR, no sense "wasting" match ammo in the beginning so looking for a reasonable AVAILABLE option to get her started.