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An Inside Look at the Rock River Arms AR-15 Factory
An Inside Look at the Rock River Arms AR-15 Factory
A thousand miles west of Connecticut’s “Gun Valley” --home of S&W, Savage, Mossberg, Marlin, and others -- you’ll find America’s “AR Valley.” It’s in Illinois and Iowa, near the Rock River and the Quad Cities, and is home to five major AR-15 makers; Armalite, Springfield Armory, Les Baer Custom, Lewis Machine & Tool, and Rock River Arms. They’re all clustered around the Rock Island Arsenal, home of the U.S. Army Armament, Munitions and Chemical Command, which is responsible for small arms R&D and purchasing for the military.
These gunmakers have been building rifles as fast as they can since last fall. Even before Election Day, the prospect of a Democrat in the White House put gun owners in a panic buying mood. Gunmakers saw this phenomenon when Bill Clinton became president, and they thought they were ready for a similar boom in demand. Says Rock River’s Steve Mayer, director of Law Enforcement and Government Sales and New Product Development: “We were ready for an upsurge in sales. We weren’t expecting a tidal wave. We were getting 2000 orders a day.” Now, almost nine months after the election, demand is finally slowing down, but AR 15s remain the hottest commodity in the shooting sports today. They are accurate, infinitely customizable, good for hunting, target shooting, and tactical use, and just plain fun to shoot.
My son John and I visited Rock River Arms (rockriverarms.com) recently to see how ARs are put together. Here’s a slide show of what we found:
Photo by Philip Bourjaily
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Photo Gallery Comments (19)
Great pics, interesting captions,great subject matter- I wish I'd been there too!!! Keep up the great reports!
Outstanding pictures!!!!!
I love it........
Keep up the good work and like big_sj say I wish I been there too..........
I'd really like to tour a plant like that some day. I've toured the Anheueser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, but they didn't let me shoot any guns.
Ok you got me! I’m speechless because the smiles in pic 19 of 19 say it all! !!
I really need to get my hands on one! I had a Pre-Ban Colt AR-15A2 Sporter 2 back in the early 90's, one week after turning 18, and it was a fine rifle! Today's technology gives us better accuracy and overall performance, along with a longer barrel life, depending on who is pulling the trigger! Nice job guys, and thank you for supporting our troops!
I want one of those guns in .410, do they have a website?
Bourjaily in a RIFLE factory?
Of course he could have been looking for a 410 shotgun one I guess.....
Looks like it was a bunch of fun... like I said before, I do not think I could ever get sick of shooting guns. But then again, it might take away from the natural fun of hunting and shooting... so play would no longer become play, but more like work which would be kind of a turn off.
Looks like they have improved a LOT since the POS I had in 'Nam!! I think I could enjoy one in .308 or larger.
great pics, wish i could get one
Does it look to you like they shoot out of more than one door of that van? I KNOW they're shooting from at least two doors, but is that another shooting lane on the driver's side? Wow, what a tough job. But I guess somebody's got to do it...! ;-)
Phil - so can just anyone tour the RRA plant or were you afforded the right due to your position as a Field & Stream field editor? Great pics and thanks for the "virtual tour"!
Pic 14 Tom & Jerry shirt!!
Great job, looks like you had a blast. That is one of my dream guns, of course I have a champaine taste on a lite beer budget.
How do you get an awsome job as to field test Rifles? I mean, I dont know if i would care about the pay as much as just being able to go out shoot Rifles all day and get paid. Plus imagine the discount on the guns you would get working in the AR15 plant. If there is one in North Carolina let me know and I will be a tester, or even a loader like the one kid in the pictures.
Nice pics, looks a lot like my family room only a lot larger and WAY cleaner. Just shot a .700" 3 shot group at
200 yds. With my 18" RRA bull last week,(hornaday 75gr. TAP, 1-8 twist) think it broke in real nice. Can't wait to try it at 600yds! TMK
hmm the A-team needed those guns because they hit the brodaside of a barn
i mean cant hit the barn
There really is a heaven!!
Thanks for posting Rock River Arms! I am in the market for an AR and have been researching RRA as well as Stag, and others. This helps seal the deal for RRA! I have heard a lot of good things about RRA, but this info has helped me make up my mind to go RRA. Thanks again!
Post a Comment
Great pics, interesting captions,great subject matter- I wish I'd been there too!!! Keep up the great reports!
I really need to get my hands on one! I had a Pre-Ban Colt AR-15A2 Sporter 2 back in the early 90's, one week after turning 18, and it was a fine rifle! Today's technology gives us better accuracy and overall performance, along with a longer barrel life, depending on who is pulling the trigger! Nice job guys, and thank you for supporting our troops!
Outstanding pictures!!!!!
I love it........
Keep up the good work and like big_sj say I wish I been there too..........
Phil - so can just anyone tour the RRA plant or were you afforded the right due to your position as a Field & Stream field editor? Great pics and thanks for the "virtual tour"!
I'd really like to tour a plant like that some day. I've toured the Anheueser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, but they didn't let me shoot any guns.
Ok you got me! I’m speechless because the smiles in pic 19 of 19 say it all! !!
I want one of those guns in .410, do they have a website?
Bourjaily in a RIFLE factory?
Of course he could have been looking for a 410 shotgun one I guess.....
Looks like it was a bunch of fun... like I said before, I do not think I could ever get sick of shooting guns. But then again, it might take away from the natural fun of hunting and shooting... so play would no longer become play, but more like work which would be kind of a turn off.
Looks like they have improved a LOT since the POS I had in 'Nam!! I think I could enjoy one in .308 or larger.
great pics, wish i could get one
Does it look to you like they shoot out of more than one door of that van? I KNOW they're shooting from at least two doors, but is that another shooting lane on the driver's side? Wow, what a tough job. But I guess somebody's got to do it...! ;-)
Pic 14 Tom & Jerry shirt!!
Great job, looks like you had a blast. That is one of my dream guns, of course I have a champaine taste on a lite beer budget.
How do you get an awsome job as to field test Rifles? I mean, I dont know if i would care about the pay as much as just being able to go out shoot Rifles all day and get paid. Plus imagine the discount on the guns you would get working in the AR15 plant. If there is one in North Carolina let me know and I will be a tester, or even a loader like the one kid in the pictures.
Nice pics, looks a lot like my family room only a lot larger and WAY cleaner. Just shot a .700" 3 shot group at
200 yds. With my 18" RRA bull last week,(hornaday 75gr. TAP, 1-8 twist) think it broke in real nice. Can't wait to try it at 600yds! TMK
hmm the A-team needed those guns because they hit the brodaside of a barn
i mean cant hit the barn
There really is a heaven!!
Thanks for posting Rock River Arms! I am in the market for an AR and have been researching RRA as well as Stag, and others. This helps seal the deal for RRA! I have heard a lot of good things about RRA, but this info has helped me make up my mind to go RRA. Thanks again!
Post a Comment