Rock River Arms Lar-15 Predator Pursuit Rifle Review
April 22, 2019
Photos by Michael Anschuetz
Rock River Arms (RRA) has a terrific reputation for turning out elevation-notch AR-15s and AR-10s chambered for a wide selection of cartridges, including the standard 5.56/.223, .204 Ruger, 7.62x39, 6.8 SPC, and the .458 SOCOM, a existent thumper, if there e'er was i. RRA fifty-fifty has ARs in 9mm and .40 S&W pistol calibers. Want a left-handed AR, a piston gun in .223 Rem. or .300 Blackout, or fully automatic ARs for law enforcement? No problem: RRA has them, likewise. RRA's 123-page catalog details a mind-boggling selection of merely about anything ane could desire in the AR world.
RRA's large-frame ARs are essentially AR-10 rifles, and they are bachelor in several configurations. 1 of the newest versions is called the Predator HP LAR-8M. Based on features and calibers, information technology would certainly be a coyote'southward worst nightmare. This iteration is available in .243 Winchester and vi.5 Creedmoor, and the very similar Predator HP LAR-8 is available in .308 Winchester.
The Nuts & Bolts
The Predator HP comes securely packed in a sturdy, fitted, difficult-plastic case that has two provisions for padlocks, and the rifle is indeed a formidable piece of ordnance. The lower receiver is RRA's forged LAR-8M, which is marked "multi caliber." It has a forward assist. The upper receiver is forged and is an RRA A4 assembly. Information technology has a flat top with numbered Picatinny rail slots for optics or back-up atomic number 26 sights. The receiver is finished in difficult-anodized black. The front end edge of the upper receiver and the back end of the handguard friction match up perfectly, something that can't be said of a lot of ARs. The chambering is laser-engraved on the upper above the ejection port.
The controls are similar to most ARs. The mag release is ambidextrous, as is the bolt release, which is a lever in front of the trigger baby-sit, behind the mag well. The safety lever is on the left side of the receiver and is not ambidextrous. The trigger is RRA's 2-stage unit, and the trigger baby-sit is the wintertime version for better access with gloves on—patently handy for winter coyote hunters.
Predator HP barrels are fluted stainless steel, 20 inches in length, and bead-blasted. RRA gets its barrels from Wilson Combat in Berryville, Arkansas, and they are cutting from premium blanks, push rifled, and air gauged. Then they're cryogenically treated to remove whatever lingering stress. Finally, they are handpolished before the gun goes off to the customer.
In .243 and .308 Winchesters, the twist is ane turn in 10 inches, but the vi.v Creedmoor has a 1:8-inch twist. Ii versions of the gun are available in each caliber: i with a threaded cage and an RRA Operator muzzle brake installed, the other without threads or a muzzle brake.
The gas system is rifle length, and the gas block is low contour. It sits inside the free-floated xiv.75-inch RRA DLX handguard that also has Picatinny slots on its top and comes with 3 brusk accessory rails. The buttstock is an RRA Operator, and the pistol grip is by Hogue.
The Predator HP comes with ane magazine and an owner's transmission. The rifle accepts RRA's LAR-8 polymer magazines, which are available in three-, 5-, and 20-round capacities.
I take tested other RRA ARs, and they have been pinnacle drawer, and so I was delighted to receive the new Predator HP LAR-8M in .243 Win. for this review. I gotta tell you, it is no pipsqueak! It is a solid piece of hardware. Without a scope and mount, it weighs ix pounds, four ounces.
The size of the magazine supplied with the rifle is not stated in the visitor catalog, but the one that came with my rifle was a 20-rounder. I ordered the shorter v-round magazine because I prefer it for testing and hunting.
The bead-blasted stainless-steel barrel looks elegant, and a peek with my Hawkeye borescope revealed shine rifling and no extraneous toolmarks. In other words, it's a typical RRA butt. The absence of a muzzle restriction was a welcome relief, as in my opinion they do naught just produce horrendous racket. The muzzle is nicely recessed to protect the crown.
The trigger pull registered vi pounds, 9 ounces on my Lyman judge, and the break was very crisp. While this pull weight may seem a mite heavy for a predator-hunting rifle, in testing, I found the rifle to shoot simply fine. A well-baked break trumps pull weight.
Range Results
I rounded upward a baker's dozen of .243 Win. mill loads and headed to my shooting building. I had one breakdown, and it was totally my error. I outfoxed myself. I don't like empties launched into orbit out of an AR dinging up my nicely finished drywall, then I attach a brass catcher to such rifles. This is easy on guns with Picatinny rails, like the Predator HP. Well, right off the bat, the Predator jammed, failed to eject, you lot proper name it. I was dismayed until I realized the empties were hitting the brass catcher and billowy dorsum into the receiver before the commodities could shut. I tried a different contumely catcher but had the same result. After I removed the catcher, the Predator HP never bobbled once in hundreds of exam rounds.
I started each range session with the Predator HP'south barrel clean and cold. I fired one fouling shot, then fired the test rounds and allowed the barrel to cool between groups. I cleaned the bore every 20 rounds. I am delighted to report that the barrel picked upwardly well-nigh no copper fouling. After all the test shooting, I checked the bore with the borescope, and there was almost no pharynx erosion and the rifling looked like new.
Speaking of examination rounds, how did the Predator HP shoot? Pretty darn well. It averaged 0.ninety inch for the 13 dissimilar mill loads. Just ii loads averaged over an inch—and that wasn't by much.
Acme accurateness honors came from three flyweight varmint loads. The Hornady Superformance load with the 58-grain V-Max bullet averaged 0.67 inch at a sizzling velocity of 3,598 fps. The Nosler Varmageddon 55-grain Flat-Based Hollowpoint clocked 3,580 fps and averaged 0.71 inch. And Winchester's Varmint-Ten with the 58-grain Polymer Tip bullet averaged 0.87 inch at three,527 fps. Any prairie domestic dog within a verst would be in big trouble.
Deer loads did well, too. The Federal ammo loaded with the Nosler xc-grain AccuBond averaged 0.73 inch. This was a fleck nostalgic for me, as I had the pleasance of taking the very first game fauna, a Utah pronghorn, with the 6mm xc-grain AccuBond correct after its introduction in 2011. The Hornady Superformance ammo with the 80-grain GMX bullet turned in a grouping boilerplate of 0.75 inch at iii,149 fps. Not to exist outdone was Browning's new deer round loaded with the Rapid Expansion 97-grain Matrix Tip. At, 2,887 fps, it averaged 0.75 inch.
Equally expected, the measured velocities of the factory loads were somewhat lower than the velocities listed by their manufacturers and varied all over the place. The smallest difference was with the Federal load with the ninety-grain Nosler AccuBond (174 fps), and the largest divergence was with the Remington Premier 95-grain AccuTip (395 fps). Overall, the loss averaged 7.viii percentage for the 13 loads fired. This illustrates the importance of chronographing the actual velocities of a load in your rifle for long-range shooting.
This also ties in with the advantages of hunting with ARs. Most obvious is the instant availability of fast follow-up shots from a magazine. Although I call up this feature is sometimes overemphasized, it tin can be of import. For example, on a recent axis deer chase in Texas, I was hunting with a unmarried-shot T/C Contender G2 in vii-30 Waters; it's a fine deer cartridge and rifle combo. A plump centrality doe and yearling scampered out to the feeder. I shot the doe, but I could not become the Contender reloaded before the yearling vamoosed. With an AR in this situation, I probably could take taken them both.
Many ARs are very affordable and available in a wide multifariousness of calibers and configurations, so there's something for just almost whatsoever hunter and game. ARs are usually very accurate and can hold their own with a bolt gun. They are reliable under extreme environmental conditions and require minimal maintenance. Plus, for do-it-yourselfers, there is an almost endless assortment of add together-on goodies, and so shooters tin customize the AR to their hearts' content.
ARs basically come in 2 "sizes"—the AR-xv and the AR-x—with cartridge sizes to match. The AR-15 is lighter, shorter, and chambered for smaller cartridges, but this doesn't limit them to the v.56/.223. The .223 Rem. is by far the most popular AR-15 cartridge, and it is used by legions of prairie domestic dog shooters. The 22 Nosler and .224 Valkyrie are viable varmint rounds, and the .204 Ruger is a potent prairie canis familiaris buster.
While many hunters apply their .223s on deer, there are meliorate AR-15 cartridges for larger game, such as the .25-45 Sharps, half-dozen.5 Grendel, and 6.8 SPC, among others. Likewise, there are a lot of wildcats for ARs that are strong and fun to piece of work with.
The larger AR platform is the AR-10. These rifles are chambered for rounds like the 6.5 Creedmoor, .243 Win., .308 Win., .338 Federal, and other "medium-sized" cartridges. An AR-x in .308 Win. or .338 Federal is formidable armament for deer and larger game. In add-on, there are also fat .45-caliber thumpers that throw heavy bullets at moderate velocities for big game.
AR-10s have the obvious advantages of more ability and bullet weight compared to cartridges for the AR-15, and while they retain the same reliability and accurateness features of the smaller AR-15, this comes with a toll—and I don't simply mean dollars. The typical AR-10 is a lot heavier than an AR-15, as is the ammo, then these are factors to consider. But if the hunter is essentially a "stand" hunter and doesn't have to tote an AR-10 likewise far, this is non a major trouble.
Almost every AR-15 and AR-10 comes with a cage brake or a flash-hider. To each his own, merely I certainly don't recommend either for a hunting AR (or any shooting, actually), as the increased racket level is considerable.
Overall, I was very impressed with the RRA Predator HP LAR-8M. It shot great with a variety of loads, and information technology never choked. It doesn't take a lot of sharp edges sticking out here and there to snag one's apparel or fingers. The .243 Win. and 6.5 Creedmoor are eminently suitable for varmints and deer, and the Creedmoor is suitable for larger game or long-range shooting, so it'south versatile. Well-nigh the merely downside is its weight, but that'south a subjective thing. After all, it's a full-sized rifle.
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Source: https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/review-rock-river-arms-predator-hp/359728
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