Am I the only person who likes Rock River Arms?

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An Entry Tactical was my first AR, and I have been very happy with it. As others said, good value. I have fun shooting it and am considering treating it to a YHM Specter kit to doll it up. Love the trigger. Didn't love the stock; I put a RRA fixed A2 stock on it and am considering a Magpul CTR instead.

I did research quite a bit before I bought. I knew I wouldn't be buying a $1500 AR for my first one. I read about the bolt carrier staking and whatnot, went for it, and got lucky.

I'm contemplating my next AR which will be a full length rifle I can toss a scope on for punching paper further out. A Rock River is still on the short list.
 
Wanta, ARMS has a [well deserved] reputation for making shoddy products*, filing frivolous/false lawsuits against other companies, and donating money to anti-gun politicians in return for continuing weapons contracts.

RRA sells a few ARMS flip sights and includes them on a couple of their pre-pimped rifles.
 
I'm still waiting for someone to bring-up that RRA distribute ARMS products...I thought that would bring some displeasure in the first page.

Wanta, ARMS has a [well deserved] reputation for making shoddy products*, filing frivolous/false lawsuits against other companies, and donating money to anti-gun politicians in return for continuing weapons contracts.

RRA sells a few ARMS flip sights and includes them on a couple of their pre-pimped rifles.

:scrutiny:


Bravo Company, Bushmaster, and STAG also carry ARMS flip sights.

I can see being against ARMS if what you say is true (not saying it isn't, but I have not done any research to know that it is). But I don't see what that has to do with the AR manufacturers.
 
Prolly time to let this one go...Appears as if both sides agree to disagree. I'll just go clean a few more targets and not worry if I can pound in fence posts with my RRA
 
I was VERY impressed with the RRA LRPK I bought from them, to complete my S&W lower, which then went onto my Colt HBAR upper. A LE supply dealer in Austin, three hours away, carries RRA, so this brand is on my short list for a whole rifle, or upper, in the future, if I decide to go back to carrying an AR15 at work.
 
Who said they are not doing 1911's anymore? Mark still does them but they are not listed in their books or on the web site anymore. The hardball gun has not stopped and they are going to do the tactical again but you need to call them to order and you are looking at around 3k for them. they stopped producing the lower end ones if you could ever call them low end. Internet rumors are funny!!

Other rumors are funny also like the carriers and I have stocked and sold hundreds of the carriers over the last 6 years and have never had a bad one. I did send one rifle back to them a few years ago and can not think of why but it did go back.

I sell other ar's also but mainly stock rra's and do shoot them in competitions also.
I also have a few les baer's also and do love them but everyone tells me they are to expensive for what you get? But I do like them none the less.

as far as backorders go at this time just about everything as far as the 223 models and parts are in stock. they have been running some special lately also and now have several type's of wood stocks and hand guards also.

I only change a few parts on my rifles I use in matches every year. never have broken a part but gas rings, extractors and firing pins get replaced every so. OH forgot a few barrels as shooting the berger 75vlds hot the thort erosion does cause me to change them out.
 
I am glad to hear they are producing them again. I wasn't going off of a net rumor, but what I was told by my mom. She used to work for a company in Northern Michigan that made some of the internals for the Rock River 1911's. She was the one who told me they weren't producing them anymore. They used to make the firing pins up north. I was bummed when they stopped producing the firing pins because I wanted a few extras and they were tool steel.
 
I love my RRA ar. It kills lots of paper every year and the occasional critter. I havent shot one that compares, and that is an opinion!
 
RRA All the Way

Well, I do bet my life on my weapons, for 23 years now. I dumped my colts and wouldn't have an other AR over the RRA. Evidently neither will the guys at the FBI or DEA. They did extensive testing on any and all submissions and they both took the RRA as their AR. I have two RRA AR's and seven 1911's. Absolutely love them all. I am a fan of a rod actuated bolt over the gas impingment system but its not an extra $1000 preference for me. RRA is building a rod gun now in .223 but I'm already set there. Next one will be an LAR-8. Bushmaster......junk! My department had to send all of ours back to have the chambers recut then we ended up having RRA retro fit their triggers into the Bushies because the Bush trigger sucked.
 
Evidently neither will the guys at the FBI or DEA.

This ^ for the win.

Used to catch much flack about RRA from the hardcore Colt choir (the same shtick ole' Art was spewing above)...right up until those fed contracts to RRA manifested as a heaping spoonful of ****.
 
Of course, if you only shoot 500 rounds a year with an RRA, you'll never see the difference. But out there, some people have to bet their life on their AR-15, and RRA will not allow you to do that, PERIOD. It's a fact, just a fact.

A guy I train with who has actually shot way beyond 20k rounds a year, for decades, as part of SRT and the training bureau of a major police department, only has RRA AR's. I better show him your post and the chart and tell him that he is betting his life on the wrong rifle when he goes on a call out. Can you please tell me specifically which RRA rifles and components you have had problems with, and the factors which may have contributed to the failure. Thanks.

Boba Fett-

How does that fixed rear sight work with a scope? I really like a fixed rear sight, but I like to put on a scope if I know I'm going to be taking longer shots. That RRA upper seems to really split the difference well. How do you like it?
 
Used to catch much flack about RRA from the hardcore Colt choir (the same shtick ole' Art was spewing above)...right up until those fed contracts to RRA manifested as a heaping spoonful of ****.

You realize Colt got a larger part of that contract as did another company. RRA didn't exactly give the DEA the same guns you can buy off the shelf. I have also heard there are some issues with the guns they purchased but haven't seen data on that yet.

Can you please tell me specifically which RRA rifles and components you have had problems with, and the factors which may have contributed to the failure. Thanks.

Non Chrome lined barrel, 1/9 barrel twist. No MPI testing of Bolt or Barrel. All these and more are problems with RRA carbines. I know a Department that issues DPMS rifles. That must be they are "as good as" as well right? Police departments make far to many decisions based off of budgetary concerns and not data.

But hey RRA "When Fit and finish are what matters" Right?
 
My RRA carbine has been reliable and accurate for 3 years now in all conditions but after reading this thread and printing a copy of the chart I have had tons of issues;

-The front sight base rusted itself to the barrel
-The 77 grain ammo I don't own and shoot keyholes
-My carrier key seperated itself with extreme prejudice
-My reciever extension failed to fit the stock I didn't buy for it that only fits mil-spec tubes
-My bolt and carrier exploded due to lack of shoot peening
-Right before my bolt exploded my barrel melted and exploded because of the steel it's made from
-My rounds all hung up on the rifle feed ramps suddenly
-My hand caught on fire because the single heatshield acould not hold back the heat of semi-auto fire
-My front sight base pins fell out because they are not tapered
-My buffer suddenly was too light causing failures

And to add insult to injury it only cost $950 with tax and shoots an MOA at 100 yards with XM193, piece of crap :)
 
Looking at the chart, some nitpicking is in order. First, it says that RRA's barrels aren't chrome lined. If you order one that's not chrome lined, it won't be chrome lined; if you order one chrome lined, it's chrome lined. They offer you the choice because some match shooters prefer the extra accuracy of an unlined barrel.

Likewise, penalizing them for not having an "H" buffer is a bit odd if you're buying a 16" midlength, because you wouldn't want to use a heavy buffer with a middy. I can see that you might want one if you were running a shorty gas system, but IMO one selling point of RRA's is the ease with which you can get a gas system designed for a civilian length 16" barrel instead of one designed for a 14.5" barrel.

From a discussion of that topic on m4carbine.net:

http://www.m4carbine.net/showpost.php?p=99042&postcount=8

The upgrades that are used to make CAR systems run better are 100% absolutely NOT NEEDED in a midlength. These include the LMT enhanced carrier, heavier buffers (H an H2) nor extractor upgrades. The VTAC FF tube is great, I have a few myself. You can use the LMT enhanced bolt (not carrier) in any length AR.

For the price difference between an RRA and some of the top tier brands, you can buy a regular LMT or Bravo Company bolt carrier group to throw in there and have significant money left over, if you want to run it in carbine classes until the barrel is smoking under the handguards. Even without going that route, though, you can certainly use one with confidence in a civilian defensive role or even an LE role, as you won't be running the bolt to the temps that a select-fire military carbine might see in the extreme case.

The guy who compiled that chart says as much:

http://www.tacticalyellowvisor.net/8343/16001.html

"Oh No! I Bought a BM/RRA/Stag Before I Knew Better!"

I get contacted from time to time by people that are new to the AR in general, or new to this site in particular, that are starting to educate themselves and are feeling a bit of buyer's remorse. The "damn, I bought a $900 Bushmaster when I could have had an LMT for $1k" feeling is nothing new as people begin to educate themselves, and is not unique to the firearms enthusiast.

First of all, it's important to note that the below only really applies to guns intended for defensive, or offensive, purposes. If you really only ever intended your rifle as a plinker there isn't much need to do any of the below because the worst thing that will ever happen if your rifle fails to function will be that it will end your day at the range and several coke-cans will be spared that day. If, however, you envision ever needing to use this rifle for any kind of so called "hard use", then you owe it to yourself to at least do the following.

I believe that "The Chart" is having a negative impact in this regard. People are coming here and finding out that the gun they bought is sitting on the middle-to-right-side of the chart and are wondering if they made a bad choice. The answer is "probably not".

I have noticed quite a few threads in which Bushmaster, Rock River, Stag, etc. owners are starting to ask what they should do to their rifle to try to improve it's standing on the chart. Some are even asking if they need to scrap their rifle entirely and buy a new one with more "Xs" on the chart. The answer is "probably not".

Whether you have had the carbine for years with thousands of "trouble free" rounds through it (real-world rounds, not internet rounds) or you just bought the rifle, have hardly fired it, but are already starting to feel that buyer's remorse, don't fret. There are some very basic things you can do to improve your carbine and ensure better reliability.

1) Check the carrier key for proper staking. How do you know if it's properly staked? Go here and educate yourself. If yours doesn't look right, follow the instructions to correct it or send it out to have someone else correct it.

2) Check the extractor spring and insert to insure that the insert is black. Go here to learn about extractor inserts, springs, and O-rings. This is something anyone can install themselves.

3) Check the receiver extension end-plate for proper staking. How do you know if it's properly staked? Go here and educate yourself. If yours doesn't look right, follow the instructions to correct it or send it out to have someone else correct it.

4) Buy an "H" buffer if your carbine doesn't have it. Go here to learn why. Go here to see the different kinds of buffers. This is something anyone can install themselves.

5) Buy a properly tested, staked, constructed bolt carrier group (BCG) with the proper extractor insert. The bolt itself should be Magnetic Particle Inspected (MPI), Shot Peened, and Proof Fired. You can buy a top quality BCG from Bravo Company, G&R Tactical or Lewis Machine & Tool for around $130. You can either change out to this BCG right away, or use the one that came with your rifle until it breaks and then switch it out. The choice is yours. Buying a complete replacement BCG will negate the need for items 1 and 2 above, but those items should still be done to the original equipment if you're going to keep it as a spare.

Hopefully the above is helpful. Obviously, if you have that "thousands of trouble free rounds" DPMS, you may feel perfectly comfortable with leaving it alone. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about, how secure YOU feel in the thought that you may use this carbine for self, family, or society defense.
 
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Non Chrome lined barrel, 1/9 barrel twist.

If you want a 1:7 and chrome, you simply order it that way. They build to order.

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=273

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The carrier key on my entry tactical IS properly staked and looks nothing like the pic from 2007 that is used on m4carbine to show RRA as being improperly done. The interweb can be a good source for info but we should all know enough to look in to it before making any decisions based on info we find online. My RRA works for me, fit my budget, and will be a fun addition to the family for years to come.
 
You realize Colt got a larger part of that contract as did another company.

Sure. I'm also familiar with the term "cost efficiency" too. The fact remains that the same contract that went to Colt went to RRA, which means somebody, somewhere, who knows more and is more important than both of us, puts both manufacturers on the same basic level. But feel free to keep slinging mud.

I have also heard...

:rolleyes:
 
Non Chrome lined barrel,
As benezra said, it is a preference. If you want chrome lined, they will sell you chrome lined. If you want a NM rifle, you wouldn't want it. It is ridiculous to criticize a company for giving you a choice.


1/9 barrel twist.
Again a preference. Get the barrel that matches the bullet you want to shoot, not what someone else wants to shoot.

I would hardly call preferences problems.

I know a Department that issues DPMS rifles. That must be they are "as good as" as well right? Police departments make far to many decisions based off of budgetary concerns and not data.

What is your problem with this? I would rather 3-4 officers have DPMS rifles over one officer having a Noveske. Also, I'm sure that you can explain to the officers that selected those rifles, after probably shooting 20k + rounds a year through every brand on the market, why your favorite rifle brand is so much better based upon real life experiences and not a chart you found on the interweb.
 
Having 2 built AR's that have quality parts on them, and then owning a RRA, I can say the RRA is a decent rifle for the money. The other two were in the $1300-1400 range and are the cream of the crop. I wanted a beater to let my wife and daughter use. I ended up putting a Denny's enhanced M16 BCG in it and changed some furniture. I now have $1300 into it. Did I need to change the furniture, obviously not, but the BCG was a must. Is the RRA now as good as my customs? Maybe, but for the money I would spend a couple hundred more and get something that didnt need upgraded parts before a shot was fired. Just my .02...


Bass
 
Nothing broke, but the gas key wasnt even close to properly staked, and the bolt they use isnt MPI tested. I had a cheap BCG my friend bought at a gun show last year, the bolt snapped in half before he fired 200 rounds out of it.


Bass
 
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