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| Setup to hunt with Aimpoint's H34L Hunter series |
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| For tactical use try EOTech's Holographic sight and 3x magnifier |
In 1996 two brothers Mark and
Chuck Larson started a shop in Colona, Illinois that would bring their 40 years
of firearms experience to bear on what would eventually become Rock River Arms.
Although, since its inception the little black rifle has been praised and denounced.
But with shooters welcoming it with open arms it is flourishing in ways its
inventers never dreamed possible. When George Sullivan and Jacques Michault
brought the idea for a futuristic rifle to Richard S. Boutelle of Fairchild
Engine and Airplane in 1954, none of these 3 men knew that they were creating
an icon that would be around for five decades. Early models of the black rifles
were plagued with problems, but with the work of Robert Fremont, L. James
Sullivan and Eugene Stoner and others on the ArmaLite team; it soon became a
viable rifle. As time moved forward many problems were ironed out and with
advancements in technology the AR or ArmaLite Rifle has become a leader in the
free world arms market only eclipsed by the venerable AK-47.
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| The crown is recessed to protect it from damage |
Currently within the United
States there has been an explosion of owners of the civilian version of the
military’s M-16 rifle. Now imagine an AR-15 on steroids and you have the Rock
River Arms LAR-8. The two major differences is the size and it is chambered in
.308 Springfield / 7.62x51mm NATO basically making it an upscale version of its
smaller brother. On the business end; RRA starts with a 20 inch stainless steel
heavy barrel with a bead blasted finish and recessed crown. It is then
cryogenically tempered to relieve stress in the barrel to prevent it from
bending and warping when heated due to extended firing sessions. The rifling is
a 1:10 twist rate to give positive stabilization to bullets of 220 grains and
lower.
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| The gas block's picatinny rail is ready for iron sights |
The gas block (the device that
taps gas from the barrel during firing to make the action cycle) is fitted with
a 1 3/8” section of rail for mounting a front sight of your choice as sights
are not provided and the receiver rail provides 7 inches of mounting space for
your optics or iron sights. The aluminum, free floated tube that covers the
barrel is a slightly fluted on the surface and a diamond pattern is cut in for
a positive grip while having wet hands or wearing gloves. It is attached to the
upper receiver via a special receiver thread and barrel nut that has holes for
ventilation during firing. It is thick enough to be very stable and should
resist some of the abuse the rifle could see during hunting or tactical use. It
also sports a sling stud for attaching your favorite sling.
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| The hand guard is well ventilated for rapid cooling over the barrel |
The upper receiver is a standard
A4 flat top with a mil spec 1913 or Picatinny rail (the name comes from the
Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey where it was invented) for mounting optics or
iron sights and it runs in line with its smaller mil spec brother as far as
having the standard dust cover, brass deflector, forward assist and charging
handle. The lower receiver also follows along the same lines as the AR-15 lower
with a few exceptions. The ambidextrous bolt and magazine release is in-between
the magazine well and trigger guard and is accessible with your trigger finger
for either left or right shooters. I like this idea as it saves valuable time
with fast reloads, simply drop the empty magazine, insert a full one, push down
on the magazine release with your trigger finger, you’re loaded. When locking
the bolt to the rear, just push upwards while pulling back on the charging
handle. These two features make using the rifle simple, effective and fast.
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| Rock River Arms is American made in Colona, Illinois |
The winter trigger guard is
curved for use in cold climates while shooting with gloves, and while it can be
opened and moved against the grip to allow access with mittens style gloves, it
will not lay flat against the grip. RRA used a Hogue rubber pistol grip in
place of the standard A2 style grip. I feel this is a vast improvement over the
standard A2 type as the Hogue gives very positive control and fits well to your
hand, but can hang on cloths as it is non slip. The butt stock is a standard A2
style with the trap door for storing cleaning supplies, spare parts, skittles
in hot climates and M&M’s in cold or some beef jerky strips. A great
feature of the LAR-8 is that it uses standard FN-FAL metric pattern magazines
and L1-A1 inch pattern as well. These magazines are easy to find and plentiful
from any number of shooting equipment suppliers both on line and around your
local shooting supply retailers. You may custom order your RRA from the factory
with other types of hand guards, gas blocks, charging handles, grips and safety
selectors, to make it personal or fit your specific mission or hunting needs.
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| Your trigger finger releases the bolt and drops the magazine |
The rifle weights in at around 9
lbs unloaded with a 20 round magazine and 10.5 lbs with a loaded 20 round
magazine. The weight with a loaded 20 round magazine and sights is about 12.5
lbs, a little on the heavy side but you must remember you are carrying a .308
caliber rifle. Trigger is a two stage type and broke at around 6 lbs evenly and
is very smooth. Overall length is 40 inches and it comes in a well made and
lockable case with 1, 20 round magazine, instructions manual and warranty card.
Two things I like the most is that it is made in the U.S.A and it carries a
lifetime warranty. That is confidence in your product and that has always been
a determining factor in my choice of whether or not to buy a product especially
a firearm. Another is customer service, and the folks at RRA are a great bunch
of people. When I spoke to the rep at the SHOT Show for a sample rifle they
came through very quickly and were very pleasant to work with.
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| The trigger guard was designed with gloves in mind |
I used two sets of optics in this
evaluation, the first was provided by EOTech and the second was supplied by
Aimpoint. The EOTech model EXPS2-0 Holographic Weapon Sights along with the
G23.FTS 3x magnifier provides a viable tactical and hunting combination. Not
only is this combination being used by our armed forces on two fronts in Iraq
and Afghanistan and by Police SWAT teams, it works amazingly well in hunting
applications. With the LAR-8’s integrated rail they are quickly and easily
attached or remove and the aesthetics of rifle and sights look great. You can
use the main sight for close up game because you scan with both eyes open and
the 65 MOA (Minute of Angle) reticule uses a 1 MOA aiming dot that is adjustable
for multiple brightness levels. If you need magnification for a longer shot,
then you need only flip the magnifier into place from its resting place
alongside the rifle using the Flip-To-Side mount. This gives you incredible
versatility in short to medium ranges and a battle proven sight that can handle
any hunting or tactical condition you may encounter.
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| The safety selector lever is easy to work in all conditions |
If you are going to use the LAR-8
in a more traditional hunting role I would suggest Aimpoint’s Hunter Series
like the H34L rifle scope. This optic offers the hunter an unmagnified 2 MOA
dot housed in a 34mm tube for fast target acquisition in the field. Aimpoint is
very well known in military circles as battlefield ready optics and delivers no
less in their hunting optics with features incorporated from years of
experience on the battle field. Features like multi-coated 39 mm objective
lens, 50,000 hours run time on one CR-2032 battery, 12 intensity settings,
waterproof, and all zeroing adjustment are done with the turret caps so no
tools are needed, and the scope is provided with a pair of low mount 34 mm
Weaver-style rings. The Aimpoint is manufactured by our friends in Sweden and
is backed by Aimpoint’s 10 year warranty so your investment will go a long way
in the field.
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| Hogue's pistol grip adds a great degree of control |
I can sit here and spout nomenclature and specifications all day long and I am
100% positive you the consumer will research your choices wisely. That being
said, your choice of Aimpoint or EOTech will depend on how you plan on using
your LAR-8 and a little on how old fashioned you are. Either one is ideal for
the field but if you flow along the traditional lines you will choose the
Aimpoint. As a bonus you will be thrust into the electronic age with an LED dot
instead of a crosshair. With EOTech you venture into Holographic weapon sights
where the reticule is projected onto the glass commonly known as HUD or “Heads
up Display.” Whatever the choice and for whatever reason you make that choice
either is top notch and right in line with what our age is coming to, the age
of high tech optics. Just remember to always carry a spare battery, but don’t
worry, I’m sure rechargeable optics are coming very soon.
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| All the LAR-8 controls are easy to reach and user friendly |
After initial inspection and lubrication it was time for the firing line. My
friend Mike at McNett’s Doubletap Ammunition sent us some of their high quality
American made .308 caliber Springfield ammunition in 150gr. Barnes TTSX, 180gr.
Nosler Accubond and 200gr. Nosler Accubond. And along with a few hand loads we
ran the LAR-8 through its paces for both functionality and accuracy and I’m glad
to report I was not disappointed. Accuracy was great, the Doubletap grouped well at 100 yards giving consistent
1.5 inch groups but as all rifles are different, and your results will vary. Here are the results.
Factory Loads:
Make weight
/ bullet Velocity
Notes
Doubletap 150
grain Barnes TTSX 2875 consistent
Doubletap 180
grain Nosler Accubond 2588 good load
Doubletap 200
grain Nosler Accubond 2443 average
Federal factory 165 grain
BTSP 2731 consistent
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| Best performer out of this rifle was the Hornady's 150gr SST |
I didn’t get a chance to test a
lot of hand loads and as most of you know, not all rifle barrels are the same
even if they are made on the same day and your chronograph results will show
this. But this load had really low extreme spread and standard deviation, the
down side was it was FMJ and nothing that could be used for hunting, but on the
tactical side it was a tack driver delivering groups under one inch at 100
yards.
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| Doubletap's 180gr Nosler Accubond did well at 100 yards |
Hand load:
Charge Powder
Bullet Velocity Notes
45 Gr 4320 150 grain mil 2882 very
impressive load
In the Tactical market, paired with a precision hand load or tactical
ammunition such a Hornady TAP, the LAR-8 will give you a rock solid platform to
conduct Military or Police operations. This is where the weights of the rifle
play a role in stabilization for a steady shot and successive follow up shots.
The .308 is a very viable and flexible cartridge and is easily found in any
store or gun shop as well as worldwide. In the field as a hunting platform the
LAR-8 is a great all around deer rifle and despite the weight will handle most
of your hunting needs. With the choice of optics and accessories on today’s
market you can customize your LAR-8 to go from tactical to hunter in minutes.
This is why the LAR-8 appeals to me as a complete rifle system; I have always
liked having one rifle that wears many hats.
My conclusion on the Rock River
Arms LAR-8 is it is a rock solid, well built rifle with some good innovations
and I would recommend it or anyone who wants a very versatile .308 caliber rifle.
With an MSRP of about $1,535.00 it will remove a few bills from your wallet,
but you get a solid return for your investment. Remember the old adage, “you
get what you pay for,” and quality is not cheap. There are many companies who
can provide you with accessories to make your rifle perform even better like
Elite Tactical Components in Arizona. They carry iron sights like Troy as well
as EOTech holographic weapon sights like the ones in this article. If you get a
chance to take one for a test fire I highly recommend it and for those who
shoot that smaller AR caliber, all I can say is hold on tight, you’re in for a
exciting ride.
Sources:
Rock River Arms -
www.rockriverarms.com
EOTech -
www.eotech-inc.com
Aimpoint -
www.aimpoint.com/us
Doubletap -
www.doubletapammo.com
Hornady -
www.hornady.com
Elite Tactical Components -
www.elitetacticalcomponents.com
Norman Gray © 2011
