Recently, Rock River Arms introduced a new series of firearms. The Operator 2 line contains three diverse designs of Rock River Arms revered direct-gas-operated LAR-15 style rifles. They all share some general capabilities, and the weapons take their name from the new Operator stock Rock River Arms has recently introduced. Rock River Arms started out constructing very nice 1911s, years before it was cool, the Corona, IL, company got into the AR-15 field. Its firearms were so well made that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency selected Rock River to produce its issue firearms available currently as the LAR-15 Pro-Series Government Model.

Rock River Arms was launched 11 years ago by two brothers, Mark and Chuck Larson, who worked out of a garage. It has grown continuously ever since as well as today employs in excess of ninety people. Even though Rock River produces guns for various government agencies, the vast majority of their sales are to the civilian market place. Rock River Arms offers 50 or so models of rifles, however customers can make up their own configurations, utilizing countless parts 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 rifles. 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 weapons and ship them out. The RRA facility is complete with a buffing and blasting room, where raw forgings become finished parts. Rock River Arms is definitely a family 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 manufacturing 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 easily acquire 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 as well as examined as they come in to the manufacturing facility and at various stages during production. Tested for hardness, testing is done all the way down to the flash hider. All of the little sub assemblies - sights, gas blocks, carrier groups, safeties, and so on -- come together at the stations where the upper halves and lower halves are put together. Once at a work station the gunsmith assembles the upper half of what will be a future complete rifle. The gunsmith takes special care to assemble the upper with the silver tube running along the top of the barrel which directs gas from the gas block to run the action. During the upper half assembly, the headspace gauges are used to examine the dimensions of the chamber. The bolt of a rifle should close up over the green “go” gauge but not close over the red “no go,” which is slightly oversized. Cartridges can rupture, sometimes dangerously, in an oversized chamber. Rock River offers the choice of a standard trigger or a two-stage National Match trigger for serious target shooting. A two stage trigger is the favorite style for military rifle competitions such as the famous National Match at Camp Perry, Ohio. Pulling a two-stage trigger, you feel slack as the trigger moves a short distance, then a light, clean break. The Rock River Arms gunsmith will check the weight of the trigger pull by dangling a 4 1/ 2 pound weight from the trigger. If the weight doesn’t trip the trigger, he will file the trigger sear to lighten the pull. Lighter trigger pulls are also available from leading Rock River Arms dealers. Lowers also come with options such as an oversized winter trigger guard, originally designed for police officers who needed to keep their hands inside warm gloves but still be ready to shoot in cold weather. Winter trigger guards work perfectly for winter coyote hunters as well. As the final pieces are assembled into a lower half of what will be the final rifle, this lower half could also be matched to an endless combination of barrel lengths, barrel contour, hand-guards and calibers.

All rifles are built to customers specifications and each lower and upper is unique

In the shipping area, parts come in, guns go out. There seems to be no end to the demand. Rifles usually are sitting on dealers’ shelves for a few days before they’re gone. For dealers that take deposits, guns never even make it to the shelves before they are picked up by a local customer or shipped out again.

Every rifle is sighted in and test fired before it leaves the factory. The Rock River Arms finisher loads the magazines prior to every rifle test fire. Using a fast bench loading tool, the finisher snaps 20-30 rounds into a magazine in an instant.

Several times a day, assemblers and rifle testers load the Rock River van with rifles and take all of them out to the range. Shooting from the back of the van, every firearm 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 primary appeal of Rock River Arms rifles is that they shoot considerably better than advertised.

It's not often you unearth a genuinely terrific tactical rifle at a awesome reduced price. Almost all of the time your pushed to sacrifice cost for quality. Looks like things are evolving. A short while ago I finally after a short wait purchased my very own Rock River Arms AR15 BB2522 Operator 2 provided by my nearby transfer dealer. I have been saving up my weapon dollars for nearly a twelve months.Ever since I read articles and other content about the Rock River Arms AR-15 BB2522 Operator 2 and got a opportunity to shoot my relatives at the local range, I was confident I had to have one. I haven't had a opportunity to shoot the Rock River Arms AR-15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms Operator 2 yet, but I have already been amassing a number of accessories for the Rock River Arms Tactical Rifle AR15 BB2522 Operator 2 while I was saving my cash.

All Operator 2 rifles feature flat-top receivers and 16-inch chrome moly 1:9" twist barrels with 5.56 NATO chambers, tipped with the RRA Tactical Muzzle Brake. I purchased the Rock River Arms AR-15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms Operator 2. I found the BB2522 Operator was the most unusual-looking member of the group with its gas system and a unique Free Float hand guard.

Strangely enough, when working the same drills with the Operator furnished with an EOTech, I experienced the same result even though that rifle/scope mix is noticeably heavier. This may be an indication that the rifles weight does not change the felt recoil as much as the RRA brake design does.



Accuracy Results - Rock River Arms AR15 Model BB2522 Rock River Arms Operator 2

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

Rock River Arms Tactical Rifle AR-15 BB2522 Operator 2 has a list price of 1515.00. I ended up ordering it over the internet for much less. Most dealers in my area wanted list price ... plus which did not set well with my budget plan. I acquired my Rock River Arms AR-15 BB2522 Operator 2 from Class 3 Weapons at a significant cost savings. Rock River Arms is at present selling 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 vicinity desired retail plus which did not set well with my budget. I acquired 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 applicable. For the time being, thanks Rock River for a awesome firearm and keep up the good work. I am off to the local community firing range to discover what this power house is capable of doing again.

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