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Rock River Arms LAR-15 Rifle in 223 Remington

Rock River Arms LAR-15 Rifle in 223 Remington

Classification: Long Guns
Category: Rifles
Model Name: LAR-15
Manufacturer: Rock River Arms
Model Number: LAR-15

GunReports.com

GunReports.com - -(AmmoLand.com)- The other name for this gun, as marked on the box, is CAR A4 Rifle ML, and it regularly sells for around $750. But the only designation to appear on the rifle receiver was LAR-15. In fairness, the “Shorty AK” moniker didn’t appear on the Bushmaster. Right off the bat we noticed the Rock River didn’t quite have the nice balance of the Bushmaster.

The Rock felt muzzle heavy, which was understandable looking at the two barrels side by side. The Rock River didn’t have fluting on its 16-inch barrel, and the barrel was an inch-and-a-half longer. The Rock River also had almost two more inches of forend length, which gave a two-inch-longer sight radius.

The muzzle brake of the Rock River was more intricate looking than that of the Bushmaster, though they worked about equally well in reducing felt recoil. Both had about the same blast effect, which was not obnoxious with this cartridge, despite the short barrels.

The Rock River rifle was almost the same overall setup as the Bushmaster. The description of the Bushmaster would closely match that of the Rock River, including fit and finish. Differences include the grip, which on the Rock was by Hogue, finger-grooved and rubber-textured.

Also, the Rock had two swivels at the front, one beneath the front sight mount and a removable one on the left side. Another big difference, the detachable rear sight of the Rock River was carried in a second rail, not a handle.

Courtesy, Gun Tests

That’s a Hogue grip. Workmanship of the Rock River rifle was at least as good as that on the Bushmaster. These two makers put out some of today’s best-valued AR-15s, in a wide variety of styles.

This meant you could attach some accessories, like a scope or night sight, without having to remove the rear aperture sight from the rifle. This, however, made for a poor handle, and most of us would prefer a normal carry handle over this setup.

The range session began with the first shot hitting dead center on the paper. Clearly, Rock River spent a little more time getting the sights looking where the barrel looked than Bushmaster. Despite the longer sight radius, the Rock River’s front sight was not a whole lot sharper looking than that of the Bushmaster, to a few of our shooters’ eyes anyway.

The Rock’s trigger was a delight, though, breaking cleanly at 4.8 pounds, a big improvement over the Bushmaster setup. Accuracy was about the same with either AR-15, though the Rock didn’t have the gaping flyers with the Malay ball that we got with the Bushmaster. There were again no unhappy surprises with feed or function with the Rock River rifle. These two manufacturers seem to have the AR system fairly well sorted out.

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Louisiana Governor, Ducks Unlimited to Restore Coastal Wetlands

Ducks Unlimited

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana - Tuesday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) is signing a cooperative agreement with Ducks Unlimited, a leading conservation organization, to restore and protect nearly 2,500 acres of coastal marshland in Southwest Louisiana. A combined $3.26 million in state funds, federal grant money and private donations will be used to construct 250,000 linear feet of marsh terraces in areas that were once healthy marsh, but have become open water due to the effects of saltwater intrusion and wave action, largely from Hurricanes Rita and Ike.

Governor Jindal said, “This project shows what we can accomplish when we work hand-in-hand with private organizations who share our mission of rebuilding coastal wetlands and our essential natural habitats – while helping to better-protect our people from future storms. We will continue to work closely with local communities to address their needs for protection while also working side by side with conservation organizations including Ducks Unlimited to ensure the sustainability of our coastal ecosystems.”

Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice President Don Young added, “Today’s agreement with the State of Louisiana represents yet one more tangible example of Ducks Unlimited’s commitment to protecting this vital coastline for wildlife and people. Conservation of the Gulf Coast’s wetlands is one of the key priorities of Ducks Unlimited’s continent-wide Wetlands for Tomorrow Campaign. This noteworthy undertaking will protect vital energy and social infrastructure as well as the wildlife and recreational opportunities the coast of Louisiana is so well known for. We thank Governor Jindal for his strong leadership in making this project a reality.”

Don Young and Gov. Jindal seal the deal.

Ducks Unlimited received a $1 million grant from the federal government through the North American Wetland Conservation Act and CPRA is allocating $2.1 million from the coastal protection and restoration fund. The balance of the $3.26 million total is made up of a combination of public and private contributions. Other partners on the project include BP America, the Pennington Foundation, the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, Miami Corporation, Curt Marcantel, Jim Bel, Sempra Energy, Shell Oil, NOAA, Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The funds will be used to construct marsh terraces – long, narrow ridges – which will limit saltwater intrusion, break up waves that can cause additional coastal erosion, improve water quality and spur plant growth.

The project will also restore and protect the natural habitat for the nation’s waterfowl that migrate to Louisiana each winter. Louisiana’s coastal marshes host up to 10 million of the nation’s wintering waterfowl every year.

Governor Jindal was joined by CPRA Chairman Garret Graves and Ducks Unlimited Executive Vice President Don Young – who both signed the agreement authorizing the release of state restoration funds and making state coastal scientists, engineers and equipment available to build the project.

“The state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Master Plan not only aims to restore wetlands and protect communities, but also preserve and protect the cultural heritage and wildlife that make our coast so important and unique,” said CPRA Chairman Graves. “A project like this one, in which the state works with a conservation organization like Ducks Unlimited to provide better protection, better habitat for waterfowl and to preserve the resources that make our state such a tremendous place to hunt and fish are exactly the kind of projects we will be building.”

About:
Ducks Unlimited is the largest wetlands conservation organization in the world, with close to 700,000 members in the U.S. and nearly 17,000 in Louisiana. The top priority of Ducks Unlimited is to preserve essential habitat for ducks and geese.

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