In addition to enhanced production by recognized AR15 businesses, each and every firearm producer that has a pulse seems to be producing some variation of an AR-15 today. Half of those rifles are direct-impingement types with the same solid design envisioned by Eugene Stoner when it was first introduced more than 40 years ago.
Rock River Arms was launched eleven years back by 2 brothers, Mark and Chuck Larson, who worked out of a garage. It has grown progressively ever since and today employs more than 90 folks. Even though Rock River produces weapons for several federal agencies, the vast majority of their product sales are to the civilian market. Rock River Arms offers fifty or so versions of rifles, but customers can make up their own designs, making use of a great number of components substitutions - sights, rails, stocks, barrel length and contour, and more. Rock River will additionally add add-ons like flashlights and red dot sights. Rock River Arms is like an a la carte workshop for weapons. Rock River doesn’t make many components on site. Rock River designs and spec components, then receive them, perform inspections, finish them, assemble them into rifles and ship them out. The Rock River Arms factory is complete with a buffing and blasting area, where raw forgings become finished parts. Rock River Arms is genuinely a family small business with the brothers Chuck and Mark Larson as well as their father and one of their sons working at the plant. Looking about the facility there were many boxes of rifle carrier groups, essentially the bolts of the rifles. Rock River Arms offers an almost countless number of chambering options for the basic AR platform. Once you own a lower half which consists of the stock and receiver, you can purchase upper halves (barrel, carrier group, and gas system) in all kinds of chambering and interchange them freely. There's even a company that offers a .410 shotgun upper half for the AR15 rifle.
Components are measured throughout the production stage. Components are tested for hardness. After testing is finished the come together at the respective assembly stations. Care is taken with every step of the upper and lower assemblies. Uppers are matched with various barrels and lowers are assembles usually are assembled with National Match triggers at 4 lbs and various stock combinations.
As uppers and lowers are joined by a master gunsmith assembler, the firearms are tagged and prepared for the test fire phase of the product.
The shipping area is a flurry of activity. Parts coming in and rifles going out. A literal symphony in action as the Rock River arms factory pushes in raw components destined to become full rifles. Oddly enough, there seems to be no end in sight as the operation continues day after day.
Preparation for the firing test begins with the loading of magazines which is a full time job. The finisher snaps 20-30 rounds into waiting magazines in preparation for the final function test
Several times a day, assemblers and firearm testers load the Rock River vehicle with weapons and take all of them out to the range. Shooting from the back of the van, each and every rifle with sights is sighted in, and then test-fired for function. Testers shoot at least two magazines through the fully automatic guns. Who says semi automatics aren’t accurate? With barrels provided by Wilson Barrel, the main appeal of Rock River Arms rifles is that they shoot much better than advertised.
The fit and finish of the Operator 2 firearms are terrific and emphatically a step above the standard, rack-grade, Parkerized mil-spec AR on the market right now, although they are barely more expensive than those inferior grade types. The Operators upper and lower receivers match together so securely I needed a tool to work out the push pins. While the Rock River Arms Operators don't have pistons or monolithic fore-ends or flip-down rear sights, they have everything you need in an accurate, reliable semiautomatic rifle, at a price that long ago would have been unheard of. The Rock River Arms AR-15 AR15 BB2522 Operator 2 is created with a 16 1/2" Chrome Moly barrel for accuracy, Rock River Arms Tactical Muzzle Break with exceptional signature reduction, Flip forward sight, Rock River Arm Quad-rail hand guard and much more... The Rock River Arms AR-15 AR-15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms Operator 2 also involves such quality enhancements as rugged fixed rear sight and flip forward sight to give you more longevity and aesthetic appeal. With the forward flip sight feature, the Rock River Arms Tactical Rifle AR-15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms is ready for action to further add a scope or red dot.
The Operator butts tock is a six-position CAR-type assembly with watertight storage compartments and several sling attachment points. The stock has a ribbed rubber butt pad that slides down with a push-button release to uncover the two storage compartments, sealed with O-rings. Each will hold either 2 AA batteries or three CR123 lithium batteries. As part of the package I had my choice of four rear sights: a traditional bolt-on A2 carry handle; a stand-alone rear sight; a RRA Dominator2 with an raised rail designed for use with the EOTech Holosight; or the RRA tactical carry handle that features an elevated rail just below the level of the sights. The mil-spec magazines supplied with all Operator 2 Models are manufactured by NHMTG (Colt). For range work I equipped the Operator with a stand-alone rear sight behind an Aimpoint Comp ML2, and then tried the Operator with a Dominator2 rear sight from a friend paired with an EOTech 512 (AA battery model). For precision testing I used a Trijicon 4x32 ACOG with no sights.
Now, I know that even without brakes .223s just don't recoil all that much, particularly when versus the bolt-action sporter-weight rifles chambered in big game calibers. That said, these rifles are designed for use in competition or self-defense, where rapid, accurate follow-up shots might sometimes be the difference between winning and losing. And in a self-defense situation, second place is not where you want to be.
Here are the specs when supplied from my on-line dealer.
Manufacturer Rock River Arms
Model: Operator 2 Series
Type: direct-impingement AR semi auto
Capacity: accepts AR-15 magazines of any capacity
Caliber: 5.56 NATO chamber
Barrel length: 16-inches chrome moly, 1:9" twist
Overall length: 37 inches
Weight: 7.2 pounds (Entry and Tactical), 8.0 pounds ()
Hand guard: Half-Quad aluminum free float (BB2522)
Stock: RRA Operator CAR compartment stock, ERGO Sure Grip pistol grip
Sights: post front; wind age-adjustable rear aperture
Trigger: RRA National Match, 4 pounds pull
Sale Price: $1,000.00 , Retail $1,515.00
Load Muzzle Velocity (fps) Standard Deviation (fps) Group Size (in.), Black Hills 55-gr. SP 2,910 12 0.99, Black Hills 60-gr. V-Max 2,880 16 0.87, American Eagle 55-gr. FMJ 2,810 24 1.05, Black Hills Match King 69-gr. HP 2,780 21 1.03, Hornady 55-gr. V-Max 2,935 13 1.11, Black Hills 52-gr. HP 3,042 18 1.12
Notes: Accuracy results are the averages of four five-shot groups at 100 yards from a sandbag rest. Velocities are averages of three shots measured with an F-1 Alpha chronograph 12 feet from the muzzle. Abbreviations: FMJ, full metal jacket; HP, hollowpoint; SP, softpoint.
It is easy to get great groups from a average rifle if it has a great trigger, but put a tack-driver with a gritty eight-pound trigger in anybody's hands, and they will be lucky to stay on paper. The Rock River Arms Operator rifles are not just inherently accurate (that's one plus to the AR design), they are equipped with quality triggers that enable the user to get the most out of them.
Rock River Arms AR-15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms has a list price of 1515.00. I ended up ordering it over the internet for much less. Many dealers in my location wanted list price ... plus which did not set well with my spending plan. I obtained my Rock River Arms AR-15 BB2522 Operator 2 from Class 3 Weapons in Houston, Texas at a sizeable cost savings. Rock River Arms is at the moment offering the Operator rifles as a package deal, with the rifle of your choice equipped with its National Match two-stage trigger, any one of four rear sights, a one-inch or 30mm Hi-Rise scope mount, two 30-round magazines and a case. These bundles start at an incredibly economical price of $1,000 according to the RRA factory website. I ended up purchasing it online for much less. Most dealers in my area wanted retail plus which did not set well with my budget. I purchased my Operator from Class 3 Weapons in Houston Texas at a considerable savings of only $969.00 which included shipping. According to where you live your cost will deviate based on shipping and taxes if relevant. For the time being, thanks Rock River for a awesome firearm and keep up the good work. I'm off to the community firing range to discover what this power house can do again.
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