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Why does Rock River Arms seem to get little love on SH?

Winchester59

Full Member
Full Member
Minuteman
Nov 9, 2013
286
59
Missouri
Just curious as to why I don't see more mention of Rock River rifles here on The Hide. My first AR was a Rock River and I now have them in several calibers. (I also have other brands, eg. Seekins 6.5, Ray-Vin .17 HMR, And. 6.5GR etc. that I shoot personally and enjoy). I have been very happy with the quality, workmanship and accuracy of my RRA's over the years. Granted, I have never shot a Noveske, JP or Larue, so perhaps until I have I shouldn't be asking this question. As a LAR-8 owner in .308 & .243, I am very aware of RRA's proprietary approach to the large frame AR's, but as, in my opinion, as well made accurate rifles, I don't seem to hear much about them. Sorry for a very wordy simple question!
 
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I have seen a few threads here in the past discussing the merits of RRA rifles. I particularly remember Elfster was a fan and had some pretty great 100 yard challenge targets to back it up when the old 100 yard challenge was going on.
 
Shady politics on the companies part. Hear they are accurate rifle though.
 
Thanks, I knew they were supposedly selected by at least a couple of the government alphabet organizations some years back, but wasn't aware of the political aspects.
 
To a large extent, the amount of love a manufacturer receives on this site is directly proportional to the msrp of their offerings. Budget rifles that shoot are regarded as flukes. Boutique rifles that don't "slipped through QC. It happens to the best of them..." Add to that a liberal dose of "if it ain't 'issued' it ain't shit" and you see just a few rifles that consistently get praise.

That said, @elfster1234 , who ran the 6x5 shot group challenge for years here is a rock river fan. From what I know, their 2 stage triggers are very well regarded.

Those that have them seem to be very satisfied with their firearms, they just don't seem to post the glamour shots. They're probably too busy doing stupid shit like shooting them and grinning ear to ear. ("But, muh resale value...")

But, DPMS/SR-25 won the large-frame AR magazine war.
 
Not that much interest in factory rifles around here to begin with.
 
I Googled the political thing. All my rifles were purchased years before the political/PR missteps by RRA. Thanks for the feedback guys. Guess as hlee mentioned, I'll just keep shootin' & grinnin'!
 
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I love my RRA! I have 3 of them and all of them are insanely accurate and way under appreciated in that regard. As far as politics, I have no idea..

As far as what you get for the money. I'd take an RRA all day long. I pulled out a 700 RRA and shot next to my buddy who was so excited about his LaRue , well after we shot he felt screwed for paying $1,300 more for a rifle that couldn't even shoot 1.5 MOA
 
I love my RRA! I have 3 of them and all of them are insanely accurate and way under appreciated in that regard. As far as politics, I have no idea..

As far as what you get for the money. I'd take an RRA all day long. I pulled out a 700 RRA and shot next to my buddy who was so excited about his LaRue , well after we shot he felt screwed for paying $1,300 more for a rifle that couldn't even shoot 1.5 MOA

Spot on!
 
Letter from president of RRA. Seems like a stand up guy to me.
After further review, Rock River Arms, Inc.® (RRA) is immediately severing all ties with the Illinois Firearms Manufacturers Association (IFMA). We feel that IFMA’s integrity is compromised and we will not be a part of the organization. We trusted that contributions and resources provided to IFMA by RRA were being used to promote and uphold our 2nd Amendment values. IFMA’s actions have destroyed that trust.
For more than twenty years, RRA has actively opposed gun control legislation at the local, state, and federal levels. We have supported and provided monetary and product donations to multiple pro-gun organizations including NRA, NSSF, ISRA and countless others. We have attended rallies and spoken at educational events on behalf of gun owners’ rights. Our employees have collected signatures, written letters and e-mails, called legislators’ offices, as well as attended events, meetings and hearings in Springfield, Illinois.
What we learned, however, was that we are better at manufacturing firearms and accessories than playing political games at the state capitol. So, we began to utilize the services of lobbyists, first through other organizations and then in 2009, we partnered with several other manufacturers to form IFMA.
Prior to our further review, we believed that the organization had accurately represented us. We feel that IFMA’s actions have compromised its integrity. While their actions may be standard practices at the capitol, backdoor politics and convoluted deal-making are counter to the way we do business and lead our lives.
I sincerely apologize for my lack of direct engagement in IFMA’s governance and subsequent actions, as well as the abandonment gun owners are feeling.
If you have any questions regarding, or need more information about, this statement or RRA’s position, please contact: Sarah Larson, RRA General Manager at 309-792-5780.
Thank you,
Chuck Larson
President/Owner
Rock River Arms, Inc.
 
I'm a big RRA fan!! My LAR8 in .308 is one of the best shooting AR's I've ever shot. I've posted several group shots (5 and 10 shot groups) that are just insane. I don't know anything about the politics part of things, but I do know they make a great rifle and 1911!
 
@JesseB81

Appreciate you posting that, seems like they learned their lesson after the backlash from the community. Hopefully they’ve got their stuff straightened out now.
 
My 556 RA barrel shoots very well for a chrome linned barrel.
 
I have one of the original RRA Operators that came with the 2 Stage trigger (about 5 years okd or so). It is by far one of the most accurate gas guns i have ever driven.
 
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Here's one of my 10 shot groups from my LAR8. This wasn't cherry picked either. I've done this on several occasions. Been able to hit small at further distances too.
 
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I do not own a rock river, we have several in our armory.
I consider them a great, middle of the road rifle.
Fit, finish and accuracy are far superior to your typical bushmaster/dpms/remington offerings, cost is far below that of the boutique manufacturers.
The boutique guys tend to have nicer furniture but RRA triggers are very nice indeed and they function just as well as the high priced guys.
I really like RRA because you can semi-customize your rifle from their website.
 
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Stock RRA Rs upper with 77gr. SMK. I was zeroing it in. I should have just left it to see group sizes
 

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I have 2 RRA that I bought. Varmint A4 and the ATH. Both shoot sub-moa with shit ammo. The ATH is a 1/2 MOA gun all day with Hornady 75 gr TAP. I just built an AR-15 using the RRA upper, lower, and BCG. 24" fluted Wilson Arms barrel. It's the most accurate of them all.
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Have 3 RRA'a, and all are extremely accurate. ATH 223, original 16 in operator 308 and a 19 in heavy barrel 308. Accurate for the money, maybe due to the barrels. The 308's are heavier earlier versions. Might pay to check the edges on the bolt carriers, several of mine benefited from breaking the sharp edges. Also had to replace the bolt on the operator, the bolt face went concave pinching the firing pin. The operator is now set up for suppressor, with 1x6 scope. And yes, I stripped the bo jangles off the "operator"
 
I have 3 RR rifles, National Match, chrome lined mid length, and lower with an Adams Arms piston upper. They all function w/o any problems, good fit & finish, and are accurate. Only criticism I have is the non-milspec buffer tubes they use.

OFG
 
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I am totally happy with my RRA in 6.5CM. No regrets. No complaints. I reco RRAs.
 
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My Social Emergency AR is a Rock River Arms.....Vortex Red Dot and 7X, 30 round mags. Mine's not got a floating barrel but it still shoots sub MOA out to 300+ yards. Mine's more designated as a street broom if needed but as AR's go "out of the box" I think it's a pretty dang good gun as I have friends with Colts and Les Baer customs and Daniel Defense, etc, and the RRA keeps pace in it's intended role.

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I could add an upper with a floating barrel if I wanted to move it int the precision rifle role. I'm hot on RRA and highly recommend them 'cause I own one.

VooDoo
 
I have a RRA upper with a heavy stainless barrel. I did some research before buying it and found that there were a lot of people getting really good accuracy out of these uppers. I've been getting outstanding accuracy out of mine. They may not have the cache of LaRue, GAP, Noveske, etc., but if you want a reasonably priced rifle capable of shooting MOA, it's hard to beat a RRA. Of course I also owned an Olympic Arms AR (a rifle that really gets no love on the forums) that I paid under $600 for that shot MOA, but was less than 100% reliable.
 
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Their website states 1 MOA. Here is a pic of my zero target. Shooting Hornady American Gunner store bought 140 BTHP. And a pic of the rifle I bought. Love the price-
 

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Here's mine shooting pretty much rat-a-tat-tat at 100 yards prone from a bipod using a cheapo red dot.
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Winchester 55 gr. White Box 5.56.

VooDoo
 
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