Rock RIver AR15 Coyote rifle

[Lund1700Angler]

I am looking to get an Rock River AR15 coyote Rifle and was wondering if any of you have one. I am going to use it mainly for target shooting. Is there an advantage to the 16" barrel over the 20" barrel. Also, if you could post some pictures of customized rifles that would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[picksbigwagon]

I have an Olympic Arms K8 with the bull barrel. it has the 20 inch barrel and I love it. I have read that 16" barrels are louder than 20 inch barrels, but I have no personal experience. the bull barrel adds weight but I think it keeps me steadier on shooting sticks.

[don62]

I wanted an AR for plinking but didnt know alot about them, there are so many options out there. I asked alot of people who had them what they liked and disliked and decided on a Rock River. I havnt shot any other brands but I love this one, I still have open sights and it hits where its aimed. Its a 16" barrel and yes its loud...

[landscaper]

i am in the dark on the AR scene...

i would like a AR for coyote hunting but i dont know where to start?? It doesnt need to be special or fancy(right Away!)

any help guys?

[picksbigwagon]

what kind of hunting do you do? Do you hike in a long ways? then a 20" bull barrel might get a little heavy for ya. 16" barrels are allegedly loud, but you can get compensators for them too....the biggest thing is to think about how much money do you want to spend. form there you can start narrowing down your choices. The biggest thing to remember is that most of the manufacturers use 3rd party parts, not many companies produce all their stuff in house.

Olympic Arms does much of their own parts, including barrels.

Almost all AR's need a little trigger work or a complete new trigger added to it. The new triggers will run you about 200-250. the quicky trigger job was done by the guy I bought mine from near Bemidji. Mike Milli is his name and he has a HSOforum, dedicated technologies is the name of the business to look up. He just moved to a bigger shop so he is pretty backlogged for custom work. He comes to the state fair gun shows in the spring and fall.

Cripes, I could go on forever, what kind of money are you looking at spending, that will help us

[Lund1700Angler]

I will tell you I decided on the 20 rifle instead of the 16 carbine. It is personal preference. I held a 16 inch carbine and to me it seemed a little tight, the 20" was more comfortable. I am going to use mine for target shooting.

I have decided to top mine with a nikon prostaff 3x9x50 scope. What do you guys top yours with?

[S.D. Ice Angular]

I don’t have a Rock River AR but I do have a DPMS custom built AR-15 (.223) it is an awesome rifle. Bull barrel, Stainless Steel with Pistol Grip Base.

I love it and it shoots ¾” groups at 100 yards on cheap factory ammo.

Could post pics if interested….

[picksbigwagon]

are you looking for a serious target rifle? If so, get a hold of Mike Milli at dedicated Technologies or technology.....he does phenominal custom work and will be a great person to ask serious target shooting questions of....

[Valv]

I am another DPMS fanatic, I had 3 of them and couldn't have been any happier. Right now I reduced my "arsenal" to 1 AR-15 .223 and 1 AR-10 .308 both 20" barrel

(No pics for the AR-10 yet)

They are exceptionally precise guns out of the box. All mine have Armalite triggers, it makes a lot of difference from the stock one.

The concept of the AR-15 rifles is very interesting. These are guns that derive directly from the original M-16 fully automatic rifle built in the '60s and used from Vietnam to current Iraq wars.

The AR-15 (semi automatic rifle) is practically a gun built from 2 separate sections, the Lower (actual mechanism, trigger, and buttstock) and the Upper (receiver, charging handle, and barrel). You can buy 1 Lower section and can swap different Upper sections, they will all work fine, most of the times regardless of brands.

There are numerous accessories and configurations, and it would take a very long post to enumerate just few of the options.

I started with a 20" heavy barrel (like Tom, Picksbigwagon), then upped to a 24" heavy barrel. Precision was awesome without any improvement but....man carrying the gun was getting too much for me.

I decided to reduce it to a standard barrel 20" and I notice a slight drop in precision after 200 yards, but my shoulder is much happier.

If you want to check it out and shoot a couple of rounds, send me a note, I'll be glad to show you mine.

Lund1700Angler , how do you like your ProStaff ? Does it still have good view at dusk or night ? I had a Bushnell Elite 4200 (Bausch & Lomb optics) and loved it at night but I had to return it since it wasn't keeping sight when changing the zoom. I have a Burris Fullfield and a cheap BSA now and they are ok ( actually I like the BSA better, but I don't want to start a discussion...)

[Lund1700Angler]

The scope is still at the gun dealer. I am still waiting for them to get my gun in. I had the opportunity to look through the prostaff and like it, was also in the price range I am ok with.

[firep0w3r]

There is a lot of info on the military site about this weapon as compared to other AR...it appears the 20" was found most useful in comparison tests. as quoted

"This is the only rifle of the group that clearly acknowledges its intended purpose — predator hunting. Of the group, it was my immediate favorite out of the box as it has some great features. Like the other two rifles, it sported a flat-top receiver with no sights. But like the M&P it had a front mounting block so iron sights could be installed. It had a similar grip structure to the Smith and Wesson M&P, which I prefer. The semi-custom pistol grip and skeleton stock made for a great combination, especially when combined with the rubber-coated Hogue free-floating hand guard, which is factory-equipped on the Coyote Rifle. The barrel is a 20-inch matte-blued model with a flash suppressor. But the biggest advantage of the Rock River over the other two models is the oversized trigger guard. ARs traditionally have a relatively small trigger guard opening and that can be a problem when the shooter is wearing heavy winter gloves. The Rock River Coyote Rifle utilizes a uniquely formed lower trigger guard plate that significantly helps open extra room. The factory trigger on this rifle was phenomenal. It’s a traditional military-style two-stage trigger with a very definite take-up and secondary stop. Once you get used to it, it’s not only safe, but easy to use. Once the take-up was removed, the trigger broke clean at just over 3 pounds with very little perceptible creep and only minor overtravel — by far the best of all the triggers tested.

Testing

"I based my tests on several quantifiable factors, such as out-of-the-box accuracy, trigger pull, and reliability with factory ammunition. To keep everything standard on the range I choose to use one model of scope, the TRUGLO Infinity Target and Varmint Scope. I have used these scopes on several guns and have been pleased with their reliability, optical clarity and consistency.

At the range, all rifles loaded and functioned the same, and I used one magazine to isolate or minimize any chance of feeding problems using different components. All the guns functioned flawlessly. Unlike AR15s of a generation ago, when GIs bitterly complained about their lack of reliability, modern ARs function just fine. I tested a variety of factory new ammunition (premium hunting loads and standard plinking loads) as well as good quality remanufactured ammunition and experienced not a single failure to feed, or any extraction or ejection problem. With some ammunition, as well as after hard field use and lack of proper cleaning, some jams might crop up, but if the rifle is kept clean and fed well, cycling problems become a moot point.

In the accuracy department, the trio shot extremely well. It used to be a rare bolt-action rifle that would group under an inch at 100 yards, but all the ARs tested did it with at least one style of hunting ammunition. Keep in mind, all rifles were tested with factory ammunition, and no doubt with a little tweaking with handloads, the results could be improved.

Conclusion

All of the rifles performed admirably, with a slight accuracy edge going to the Rock River Coyote rifle. In addition to being a good shooter, it also had other features I liked, such as the skeleton stock, rubber-covered hand guard, large trigger guard and soft pistol grip. If I could offer suggestions, I would lose the flash hider and give the whole gun a camo dip, like the Remington. Not only do I like the look, it does offer an advantage for staying hidden and helps non-black-gun folks see what these rifles can do without letting their misconceptions get in the way."

[Lund1700Angler]

Thanks for that post, I think I made the right choice on a 20" Rock River Arms Coyote Rifle. I am still waiting and can't wait to shoot it.

[Thunderr1]

I personnally don't like buying box guns. So I built my own. SLR15 lower (MN Company and nicest lower out there IMO) RRA 20" Upper which I got a hell of a deal on that shoots same hole all day at 100yds. Put on a Wonders Optics Tac scope (Cheap too) and a DPMS lower parts kit. Building them is easy and fun except putting in the detents. Here is a pic of mine pretty basic but I can knock down yotes at 600 Yds all day.

[Thunderr1]

Also remember that AR stands not for Assault Rifle but Armalite Rifle. Just FYI

[Bandit]

I love my Colt AR it drives tacks and has yet to jam- clean or dirty.

[Lund1700Angler]

Nice rifle Thunderr1. Do any of you guys use brass catcher when shooting? I have been doing a little research and have been finding more negative then positives. I am looking at the type that is the bag with velcro strap that attached around the float tube.

[bigg edd]

I use the bag you are talking about 1700lund. I had to bend the wire in the mouth of the bag a little to open it more and it works fine for me on my dpms. the brass will stick to the mesh when you start running a lot of rounds through it and it starts gettting hot but it beats digging through the dirt and weeds looking for your brass. I think i paid around $10 for mine.

[picksbigwagon]

I use one as well and have bent the wire frame to get all the brass in the bag.....

[LMITOUT]

I've been looking at the RRA Coyote but noticed that they have a Predator Pursuit version as well that has my eye.

Where is a good place to find rifles from RRA in south central MN? I'd love to order one online as they can be found much cheaper there but I don't have a FFL or know anybody who does.

Thanks!

[walleyefey]

Pawn-it in Worthington has RRA new. I bought my S&W M&P15 there last year, great deals, great guy, think his name is Vance.

[LMITOUT]

Thanks for the tip. I gave them a call but they are all out. Super nice fellow to chat with.

Any other places that carry RRA?

[picksbigwagon]

did you try Ahlmans? I haven't been there in a while, but I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have them. Mike Milli who owns Dedicated Technologies in Bemidji carries Olympic Arms AR15's and they are pretty good as well. Mike does custom work on them as well, but he might have a K8 at his shop, mine is a tack driver. Look him up on the ol' internet.....

[LMITOUT]

Thanks! I haven't tried them simply because I really don't know all the little shops scattered here and there in the central and southern half of the state.

If they have any on hand I could make a Cabela's trip out of that one!

I'm open to more suggestions on those who carry RRA.

Thanks again!

[Thunderr1]

Build your own!!! You can make it the way you want it and now that all manufactures have caught up to demand the prices are dropping really low because of the taxes they will have to pay. Check AR15.com

[LMITOUT]

Nothing at Ahlmans.