Low prices on the Rock River LAR-15 R3 Competition Rife .223/5.56 start at Champion Firearms-

It's All About Accuracy. Rock River Arms has been in the manufacturing business since 1996, making them relatively ancient for the AR world. Brothers Mark and Chuck Larson are the owners of the Colona, Illinois based company. Between 1981 and 1991, the two worked at Springfield Armory, where Mark was the head armorer. From there, the Larson's then went into business with Les Baer to form Les Baer Custom and specialized in manufacturing premium 1911 pistols. In 1993, the two parted ways with Baer and began building AR-15's for Eagle Arms in Coal Valley, Illinois.

At the same time, they formed their own company, which became known as Rock River Arms. In 1997, the Larson's severed ties with Eagle Arms after the company was acquired by ArmaLite. In 2003, after outperforming 10 other leading manufacturers in rifle testing trials, Rock River was awarded the DEA contract to supply the agency with 5,000 AR-15's. As a direct result of winning the contract, Rock River also began supplying the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service under piggy back contracts.

At the heart of the Rock River R3 Competition Rifle design is its direct gas impingement (DI) system. Even though it is a DI rifle, the Rock River shows no tendency to excessively foul the chamber or bolt carrier, even when hot, dirty and dry. While firing quality rounds, functioning is typically flawless. With DI, gas is tapped from the barrel as the bullet passes by the port located below the rifle's front gas block. The gas then rushes into the port and down a gas tube located above the barrel and into the upper receiver.

From there, the gas tube funnels into the bolt carrier. This gas system unlocks the bolt and begins the cycling process, but only after the bullet has exited the barrel. Direct gas impingement has several advantages over gas piston systems. First and foremost, DI systems are usually lighter in weight. Impingement also tend to be more accurate, less expensive to manufacture and much easier to free- float the barrel.

Unlike other AR-15 manufacturers, Rock River does not build their rifles in an assembly line process. Instead, a skilled armorer is dedicated to building just the lower assembly while another armorer is in charge of strictly building the upper. Once the lower and upper assemblies have been completed, yet another armorer is in charge of fitting them together. Every major component of the R3 Competition Rifle starts out as either bar stock or a forging.

Upper and lower receivers are made from forged and mil-spec 7075-T6 aluminum alloy that is then anodized to a surface hardness of 70 on the Rockwell scale. The upper incorporates a forward assist, which helps force seat a round in case of a malfunction, and a strong spring loaded dust cover helps prevent dirt and debris from entering the action. All components are held to extremely tight tolerances to ensure maximum accuracy. After final machining, each receiver is carefully polished to remove dings, scratches or any other minor imperfections left over from the forging and milling process.

Once polished to a perfect mirror sheen, the receivers are then bead blasted and sent out for hard coat anodizing. This polishing step is unique and the reason why minor receiver imperfections normally found in front of the magazine well on other rifles are not encountered on Rock Rivers. Smaller parts like the bolt stop, safety and trigger components are investment castings made from 8620 steel that are case hardened between 89 and 92 Rockwell.

After installation, the barrel's feed ramp is highly polished and contoured into the upper receiver, thus eliminating the common "step" between the barrel extension's feed ramp and upper receiver that are found on most AR-15 rifles. As a result, Rock River enjoys significantly improved reliability with all types of .223/5.56 ammunition. Once the rifle is fitted, the barrel is lapped and additional touches made to ensure superior workmanship, accuracy and quality.

The Rock River R3 Competition Rifle is equipped with a 18- inch 416-R stainless steel fluted barrel. Built by Wilson Arms, not to be confused with Wilson Combat, the Connecticut based company has been in the business of manufacturing high quality, button rifled barrels for over 60- years. Wilson makes the barrel, then flutes and cuts the chamber.

Rock River hits the chamber with a finish reamer and a "Wylde" chamber combines the tight throat of a .223REM with the longer free-bore and shallower leade of the 5.56X45mm cartridge. The tight throat helps maintain the rifle's extreme accuracy while the gentle bevel on the lead edge of the rifling controls the pressure of hot loaded ammo. Bullet twist rate is set at 1:8" for optimal stability and accuracy when firing heavy 75- grain match bullets, while still extremely capable of shooting standard 55-grain ball ammo.

To help reduce recoil, Rock River's tuned and ported break is affixed to the barrel. The aluminum free-float handguard is a Rock River TRO-STD 15" mid-length length design that dissipates heat efficiently under sustained fire and provides a steady grip for optimal handling. It has a full length Picatinny top rail to mount forward optics. A very comfortable Hogue rubber grip with a textured surface further improves maneuvering and control.

The R3 Competition Rifle includes the best production 2- stage trigger on the market and is a standard feature on most Rock River rifles. While iron sights are not included with the package, a Picatinny flat-top receiver provides a solid platform to mount optics. The Operator CAR collapsible buttstock mounts firmly to a shooter's shoulder pocket, while providing an optimal length of pull to fit the shooter. Rock River's safety selector is unique because it has a tactical Star tip that protrudes from the end of the lever away from the rifle and makes rotation easier.

While many other AR manufacturers insist on MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) and HPT (High Pressure Testing) every part to ensure that parts will not fail, Rock River disagrees. The company feels MPI and HPT fatigues parts and should only be conducted on random parts to ensure batch quality, and those tested parts should never be installed in a customer's rifle.

This attention to detail on every aspect of the rifle, combined with Rock River's renown tight lower-to-upper fit, ensures a solid build every time. Weighing in at 7.6 pounds empty, the R3 is build like a tank and is a steady shooting platform. This rifle carries an impressive 1" accuracy guaranty and is backed by the company's lifetime warranty. Overall, the R3 Compeition Rifle is a heavy duty, extremely accurate and highly reliable AR-15 rifle that is 100% built here in the U.S.A.

Established in 1993, Champion Firearms is a retail gun store and indoor range located in College Station, Texas.

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