Quality ammunition, If you are not reloading then go with a match ammo to judge your weapons accuracy, Black Hills, Federal Match, etc (you get the idea) stay away from Wolf, and cheap surplus to gauge performance. Select a bullet weight that is right for your rifles barrel twist rate. A 1 in 8 twist rate would be better suited with a heavy weight bullet, 68 and higher (before I get slammed with hate mail, this is not to say performance could not be achieved with a 55 grain). A slower twist rate works well with lighter weight bullets, example a 1:12 would shoot a 40-53 grain bullet effectively.

Quality trigger, A good two stage match trigger is a terrific way to make your black rifle perform. While everyone has an opinion we prefer the Rock River Arms two stage. The advantage is that this trigger is a drop in and forget, while many people offer to tune these they are super out of the box. They do not have screws to come out of adjustment and have a CMP match legal pull (4 1/2 pounds min). Check them out here under national match items "Click Me". Also the Chip McCormick drop in unit is excellent.

Free floating, The idea behind free floating is to isolate the barrel from external influence such as sling pressure and input from the handguard. The importance is letting the barrel "float" due to the handguard having a sleeve or aluminum tube securing the barrel at the receiver. If you intend to shoot CMP then we suggest a Rock River Arms barrel sleeve with thermo mold handguards. Check them out here under national match items "Click Me" If you want a different look then we recommend the RB Precision, Hogue, YHM Quad Rail or Rock River aluminum tubes, we will try to add some pictures of the various types.

Get a quality Sling, many shooter start using a sling and cut groups in half. Get a quality adjustable nylon or leather sling and practice solid repeatable holds. Check them out here under national match items "Click Me"

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, this will improve your scores by leaps and bounds.

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Why Rock River Uppers

A Quality Vision: We have shot (and owned) just about every manufacturers AR, I was the Quality Manager/Engineer of the machine shop responsible for manufacturing US Govt. M16's, Eagle Arms/ Armalite Components, Les Baer Major components, DS Arms Receivers, Rock River Arms and the list goes on. We learned that quality is an attitude, an inflexible demand that must be adhered to and never be compromised. Rock River Arms has displayed this and coupled this concept with an amazingly priced product.

Materials: Rock River uses forgings (before I get slammed with hatemail) many of your brand loyal companies (insert your favorite manufacturer here) use forged receivers. In the grand scheme of manufacturing, forgings typically have greater physical strength properties.

Extras: I like the two stage match trigger, it is an excellent "freebie" that would cost you at least a $100 bones in a non RRA firearm, sweet break and doesn't go out of adjustment.

Wilson barrels: Uniform, wear well and air gauged (in stainless) The match/Varmint rifles have Wylde match chambers and our independent headspace studies show an excellent repeatable product.

Aesthetics: They look as good as they shoot. Excellent color match and I feel they are the tightest rattle free AR's on the market.

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I want a long range precision paper puncher..Where do I start?

Determine what you want to do with this rifle, A 24" Heavy Bull Barrel Varmint is not conducive to packing through the woods all day, and in the same light a M4 carbine does not make a great 600 yard competition rifle.

Find balance. I have sold more 20" uppers to guys who liked the looks of their carbines but needed more accuracy or found CMP shooting at their local clubs, striving for accuracy will put you in free floated, longer barrels and type specific rifles. Call or email us with questions we love to help new shooters!

If long range is your game and you want to use a scope, go with a A4 (flattop rifle) if shooting from a bench most of the time a varmint with a bi-pod is the ticket. When in doubt 20" is a great standard, (hey! we love them)

Optics, Spend some time finding a scope for you, eye relief and a solid mount is crucial. Variable power 4-14 is a good start (although we love the 6-24 Leupold or Springfield) While this is a touchy subject most name brands will work great, I have HOWEVER seen some cheap scopes absolutely DRILL! We can get you into a Varmint for $800.00 (ish) without optics.

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Rifling, button and single point what's the deal?

Rock River Arms uses Wilson Arms barrels, they come in both chrome moly (black) and Stainless. RRA uses the button rifling method. We have found this to be extremely accurate and cost effective. another type of rifling is single point cutting. This is a VERY old style and a very accurate way to rifle a barrel, one manufacturer that uses this method is Krieger Barrels Inc. (the following was taken from the Krieger website)

CLEANING

This section on cleaning is not intended to be a detailed instruction, but rather to point out a few "do's and don'ts". Instructions furnished with bore cleaners, equipment, etc. should be followed unless they would conflict with these "do's and don'ts."

You should use a good quality straight cleaning rod with a freely rotating handle and a rod guide that fits both your receiver raceway and the rod snugly. How straight and how snug? The object is to make sure the rod cannot touch the bore. With service rifle barrels a good rod and guide set-up is especially important as all the cleaning must be done from the muzzle and even slight damage to the barrel crown is extremely detrimental to accuracy.

There are two basic types of bore cleaners -- chemical and abrasive. The chemical cleaners are usually a blend of various ingredients including oils and ammonia that attack the copper. The abrasive cleaners generally contain no chemicals and are an oil, wax, or grease base with an extremely fine abrasive such as chalk, clay, or gypsum. They clean by mechanically removing the fouling. Both are good, and we feel that neither will damage the bore when used properly.

So what is the proper way to use them? First, not all chemical cleaners are compatible with each other. Some, when used together at a certain temperature, can cause severe pitting of the barrel -- even stainless steel barrels. It is fine to use two different cleaners as long as you completely remove the first cleaner from the barrel before cleaning with the second. And, of course, never mix them in the same bottle.

Follow instructions on the bottle as far as soak time, etc. . . Always clean from the breech whenever possible, pushing the patch or swab up to the muzzle and then back without completely exiting the muzzle. If you exit the muzzle, the rod is going to touch the bore and be dragged back in across the crown followed by the patch or brush. Try to avoid dragging things in and out of the muzzle. It will eventually cause uneven wear of the crown. Accuracy will suffer and this can lead you to believe the barrel is shot out, when in fact, it still may have a lot of serviceable life left. A barrel with a worn or damaged crown can be re-crowned and accuracy will usually return.

The chemical cleaners may be the best way to clean service rifle barrels that must be cleaned from the muzzle -- i.e. M1 Garand, M14, etc. . .-- because this method avoids all the scrubbing necessary with the abrasive cleaners and the danger of damaging the crown. But again, as long as the rod doesn't touch the crown, abrasive cleaners should be fine.

Abrasive cleaners work very well. They do not damage the bore, they clean all types of fouling (copper powder, lead, plastic), and they have the added advantage of polishing the throat both in "break in" and later on when the throat begins to roughen again from the rounds fired. One national champion we know polishes the throats on his rifles every several hundred rounds or so with diamond paste to extend their accuracy life.

Again, as with the chemical cleaners, a good rod and rod guide is necessary. A jag with a patch wrapped around it works well. Apply the cleaner and begin scrubbing in short, rather fast strokes of about two to four inches in length. Concentrate most of the strokes in the throat area decreasing the number as you go toward the muzzle. Make a few full-length passes while avoiding exiting the muzzle completely, but do partially exit for about six strokes. You can avoid accidentally exiting by mounting the rifle in a vise or holder of some sort and blocking the rod at the muzzle with the wall or something to keep it from completely exiting.

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The following was taken from The AR15.com website

The AR-15 rifle has two adjustable sights- front and rear. Zeroing elevation adjustments are made using the front sight, and windage adjustments with the rear.

The rear sight has an elevation knob with range indicators from 300 to 800 meters and two apertures for range. One aperture is marked 0-2 for short range from 0-200 meters and the unmarked aperture for normal range from 300 to 800 meters. This unmarked aperture is used in conjunction with the elevation knob for 300-800 meter targets.

The rear sight also consists of a windage knob on the right side of the sight. Each click of the windage knob will move the strike of the round from 1/8 inch at 25 meters to 4 inches at 800 meters. A windage knob pointer is on the windage knob.

The front sight consists of a rotating sight post with a spring loaded detent. This detent can be depressed using a sight adjustment tool, or using a sharp point such as a cartridge tip.

See our STAINLESS A2 sight tool----->Click here

Establish Zero

The following procedure will establish a zero at 25 meters, and your AR-15 will be set with a 300 meter battle sight zero. This means that all shots will be within a 9" circle at all ranges up to 300 meters.

Establish Mechanical Zero -

Align the windage indicator mark on the 0-2 aperture with the center line of the windage scale (the unmarked aperture is up)

Rotate the elevation knob down until the range scale 8/3 (300-meter) mark is aligned with the mark on the left side of the receiver.

Rotate the front sight post up or down as required until the base of the front sight post is flush with the top of the sight post well.

Carefully aim and fire each shot of a 3-shot group at a paper target set up at 25 meters. If your shots are not striking the point-of-aim, then adjust your sights.

To raise the next shot group, rotate the front sight post in the direction marked UP (clockwise)

To lower the next shot group, rotate the front sight post in the direction marked DOWN (counter-clockwise)

To move the next shot group left, turn windage knob counterclockwise

To move the next shot group right, turn the windage knob clockwise

Continue to fire 3-shot groups and adjust the sights until you have a tight group at the point of aim.

Once this is done, the unmarked aperture is automatically zeroed. Rifle is now combat-zeroed all other ranges on the elevation knob are also zeroed, so to engage target at say 500 meters, turn wheel to 5.

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Co Witnessing (what will and WILL NOT work) More pics to follow!

Rock River Tactical carry handle (on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

An EOtech will not co witness when sitting on the RRA Tactical Carry Handle.

An Aimpoint (ML series) will co-witness when using a Low and Wide X-ring mount.

An A.R.M.S. #22M68 quick disconnect throw lever will attach to this rail, there are spacers available but you will most likely use this without a spacer. This will co witness but the iron sights will be LOW in the sight picture, I do not recommend this.

A Aimpoint Rail Grabber will attach but WILL NOT co-witness.

Rock River Dominator Mount

This was developed to cowitness the built in rear sight with an EOtech, as far as I know nothing else will co witness.

A.R.M.S. 40's flip up rear (on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

Aimpoint ML series will co-witness with #22M68 and full spacer.

EOtech will co-witness.

Ziess Z point will co witness

ARMS #38 Sleeve (built in #40)

Will not cowitness with an EOtech

Will co-witness with Aimpoint with the X-Wide low ring

GG&G flip up rear (on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

Aimpoint ML series will co-witness with #22M68 and full spacer.

EOtech will co-witness. The irons will be low in the sight picture

Ziess Z point will co witness

Midwest Industries flip up rear (on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

Aimpoint ML series will co-witness with #22M68 and full spacer.

EOtech will co-witness. The irons will be low in the sight picture

Ziess Z point will co witness

Ziess Z point (on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

Will not co witness with a RRA tactical carry handle rear sight

Will co-witness with GG&G BUS

Will co-witness with ARMS #40

Will co-witness with Midwest Industries

ATN (American Technology Network...Ultra series 3, 4 or digital 5 reticle)

(on an A4 Flattop Receiver)

This inexpensive optic sits fairly high on a flattop, as far as I know the flip rears all sit too low to cowitness.

Hakko Panoramic (BED) 35 and BED 24

This inexpensive optic sits fairly high on a flattop, as far as I know the flip rears all sit too low to cowitness

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Fitting a Rock River upper to you lower. (Tight fit? We can help)

All of the Rock River Arms lowers are an extremely tight fit, they need to be worked in the following way :

For the love of God make sure there is no rounds in rifle and it is on safe, the hammer will need to be back in the cocked position!!! Our lawyers make us tell you that death is possible if this is loaded when you perform this, we like our customers please do not shoot yourself!

1. Assemble the front pivot pin to the upper.

2. Lubricate the rear lug completely with a light grease (best) or oil, lube the inside of the receiver also.

3. Ensure the rear takedown pin is completely out in the open position (detent is holding)

4. Slowly push the 1/2's together, they will stick (THIS IS NORMAL) it will most likely not close completely at first this is normal.

5. Open and close, repeat being careful to keep the halves aligned, do not slam them together but continue to use increasing force to fit together, when almost completely together use a nylon or soft rubber mallet to tap upper receiver into final position.

6. When they are seated (little to no gap between upper and lower) lightly tap the rear takedown pin into place. This will seem scary to a beginner but it is natural for a tight fit.

7. You may see some of the anodized removed from the rear lug at the corners, AGAIN, this is normal.

8. You may have some difficulty separating the upper and lower, with barrel up and rifle unsupported (hanging in the air) grasp the rifle by handguard and give a "smack" to the top of the buttstock, you may need to do this repeatable, usually 5-10 times will do the trick.

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REBARRELING

The following are guideline instructions to rebarrel an upper that does NOT have a free float tube. This is also assuming you do not have a permanently attached or faux muzzle brake. You must have your work verified by a competent gunsmith who will check that you have proper headspace, failure to do this can kill you.

Tools needed.

Action block, this is a device that surrounds the upper receiver and clamps into vice for disassembly/assembly. (we sell these $35)

Sturdy vise

Barrel wrench (capable of using with torque wrench)(we sell these $30)

Light grease

Good Quality Torque Wrench that tightens in FOOT pounds, typically 3/8" drive

Roll Pin holder 3/32"

Roll Pin punch

Small hammer, brass or Nylon (yep we got em Punch kit and hammer $29.00)

CLP (Breakfree lubricant) or equivalent.

Additional items we suggest

Use a new roll pin, and a gas tube. It is not mandatory but makes life easier. We also suggest getting a couple extra roll pins, they are cheap.

Wood or Delrin dowel to drive in gas tube (sometime needed)

Disassembly

Make sure rifle is on safe, magazine removed and visually inspect there is no round in the chamber, this step can keep you and others alive!

1 Separate the upper from the lower completely.

2 Remove the handguards, this is where a helper (or one of our remover tools) is nice.

3 Remove charging handle and bolt carrier group.

4 Place the upper in the action block, make sure it is seated in the pocket correctly and both halves close flush, failure to do this can cause breakage when you tighten the vice.

5 Close vice on action block, do not go crazy here, snug is good.

6 Using roll pin punch drive the gas tube retaining pin out completely.

7 Pull the gas tube out. Do this by pushing towards receiver until it clears front sight tower, then pull back away from receiver toward muzzle.

8 Using barrel wrench, unscrew the barrel nut (counter clock wise looking from barrel end). This must be completely removed from receiver.

9 Barrel can now be removed from receiver (they can be sticky so you may need to use a little force, I have seen some that need a tap on the sight housing to help break free, again don't go crazy with the hammer).

INSTALLATION:

1. Clean inside of receiver where barrel extension was, make sure all threads on receiver are clean.

2. Install delta ring assembly (if using)

3. Prep new barrel by putting a light coat of grease on the outside of barrel extension.

4. Insert barrel into receiver, tap end of barrel with rubber mallet to insure the index pin is bottomed out in receiver.

5. This is where you need to watch alignment of front sight, if using quality parts the alignment will be built into slot widths and pin locations of mating parts. You are verifying the sight housing is not canted to left or right.

6. Torque barrel nut to 45 foot pounds. Align barrel nut slot for gas tube install.

7. Check headspace at this point, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

8. Install gas tube, gas tube retaining pin, check alignment of gas tube to carrier key.

9. Install handguards.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH PICTURES AND DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS WHEN I GET SOME TIME

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Installing a Collapsible stock

For the love of God make sure there are no rounds in the rifle and it is on safe, Death is possible if this is loaded when you perform this, we like our customers please do not shoot yourself!

All state and local laws apply, YOU are responsible for making sure your rifle complies to your area's laws!

Removing an A2 or Entry fixed buttstock

1. Separate the upper from the lower. Remove your buffer and spring. Do this by depressing detent shown and pulling buffer and spring out together. (Make sure your hammer is in "cocked" position, this makes removal easier, (you will note I am performing swap on a stripped lower, works the same with a complete)

2. The best way to do this is using a vice block. The block is secured in a vice and the lower is positioned on it.

3. Remove the top screw of the buttplate, get a large well fitting screwdriver (like the DPMS tool shown), don't slip on this one if you do life can suck at this point, the screw will look like crap and you may strip it to the point it will require serious effort to remove. These are tight (they use a locking compound on screw) so be patient.

4. BE CAREFUL when removing the buttstock it will slide off tube but there is a spring and detent on the bottom/back of the receiver, this is the number one item we sell due to flying across the room.

5. You will need to unscrew the extension tube, it unscrews counter clockwise. We suggest a RRA tactical Car wrench, it has a cut-out that fits the notch at end of tube. Note: When this unscrews the buffer retainer and spring will fly off (number 2 item we sell) keep hand over retainer when unscrewing so you can "catch it"

ASSEMBLY

6. The receiver is now ready for assembly with a collapsible stock. Position the locking plate and castle nut as shown, apply grease to the threads, we use "Super Lube" a synthetic multi purpose grease. We use a Q-Tip stick. Note: the tab on the lock plate (next to tip of tube O grease) is facing up, and the castle nut is screwed down to the end of the threads. This is important!

7. The entire stock (NOT THE CASTLE NUT) is screwed into the receiver until it is able to retain the buffer detent (make sure detent spring is under that detent!) Do not go too far or the buffer detent will not function.

8. The locking plate is now put into position (tab fits into receiver) WATCH THAT YOU DO NOT BEND THE TAKE DOWN PIN SPRING, this is easy to do and a second set of hands is nice here) It is difficult to see in the picture but the spring is in there, make sure you installed the detent and the take down pin is secured.

9. Tighten down the castle nut snug, some people will say peen the material from locking plate into the small recesses on castle nut, some will say use Locktite, I will leave this to the users discretion, I snug them and peen one detent. The casual shooter may take a different route than a Law Enforcement Person....

10. Install CARBINE buffer and spring, the A2 stuff can not be reused in a collapsible.

11.. And there ya go!

If you found this useful, please notify us, if there is other tech articles you would like to see please suggest them!

And if you really liked the article buy something so we can keep Krista in the lifestyle she is accustom to! ;-)

Robert Sales@rbprecision.com

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Cleaning and maintenance (more details and pics coming soon)

Our cleaning supplies of choice:

Break Free Cleaner Lubricant and Protectant (CLP) $6.00 per bottle Or G96 cleaner/Protectant

Rock River Arms Cleaning stand $35.00

Or rifle can be placed on an RBP vise block $25.00

Cotton cleaning patches (squares) cut to .223 size

Absorbent paper towels

Well ventilated area AWAY from open flames i.e.: hot water heaters, furnace, candles, smoking (do not blow yourself up, burned customers are never happy customers)

1. INSURE THE RIFLE IS UNLOADED, MAGAZINE REMOVED, ON SAFE, Place on stand or vise block.

2. Remove rear pivot pin (prevent scratches and use our Delrin pivot pin tool $8.00) Open upper as shown and remove charging handle and bolt carrier group.

3. We always use a bore guide and a one piece rod with a swivel handle (Dewey, etc), we use a Jag and push patch from bore through barrel never back. We like bore guides with an oring and a solvent port, you can see solvent hole through the port door below.

3. We soak with a wet patch (let sit a few minutes) The brass item below is a JAG we use this for all of our cleaning. Also shown is a nylon chamber brush, this is used for the barrel extension and chamber cleaning.

4. Run brush through barrel 3-5 times, we use a brass/copper brush some use Nylon we think Nylon sucks.

5. Run wet patch through 2-3 more times.

6. Run a dry patch through 3-5 times until coming out clean and copper free.

7. Wipe out the receiver with the same CLP, lightly lube when completely clean.

8. We disassemble, inspect and clean the bolt and carrier after each day of shooting.

9. We wipe the barrel, receiver and metal parts down with a light oil down.

YOU ARE DONE CLEANING, GO HAVE SOME FUN!

I have had people ask about the Boresnake. We have used these in the past and feel they are a great way to clean. We recommend them for a fast clean out in the field. We typically will take these to the field and use every couple hundred rounds.

Our price. $17.00

This section has some great tips from the Krieger website...Rifling, button and single point what's the deal?

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WHAT SPARE PARTS SHOULD I CARRY?

Many of our customers ask what spare parts (high wear or subject to failure) should be in their shooting bag, we suggest:

AR0033 Two or three sets of gas rings minimum, (don't be a cheap ass over a $1.50 part) we have a handful in our bag. I have repaired more non functioning guns at the range from replacing these three tiny IMPORTANT pieces. They can easily be damaged in assembly/replacement. $6.00 for three

AR0035, AR0036, AR0037, This is the extraction system of your bolt, if your rifle is not ejecting correctly this is a good place to start. I keep one of the extractors and 2-3 of the springs and inserts. $15.00 for 1 of each part

AR0040, AR0041 Ejector and ejector spring, While most failures are from dirt binding the ejector these are cheap and I have seen the spring fatigue. One of each should be good. (might as well get the retaining pins while you are at it (#AR0038, AR0039) $1.50 for 1 of each

AR0030, Firing pin retaining pins. Have a couple of these on hand I have seen a few failures and experienced one during a match, a $1.00 part ruined a day of shooting, not to mention the 2 hour ride to get there. How many people out of 18 had a retaining pin including me??? ZERO....never again. $1.00 each

AR0027 Firing pin, many will argue not needed in a emergency kit, I disagree, pierce a primer and smoke a tip on a pin and your days over, rare but see once. On a side note a customer emailed that the Titanium pin he used melted on a pierced primer, urban legend? Don't take the chance. $7.00 for one

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Breaking in a barrel (pics coming soon)

THIS IS FOR A RIFLE THAT WILL NOT BE SHOOTING MOLY COATED BULLETS

1. We use the fire three rounds then clean method, we do this for 3 cycles then clean every 10 shots for another 3-4 cleanings. This has worked well for us and MANY of our competition shooters who buy from us, you will hear the advice shoot one clean one for some UN-Godly amount of rounds, I personally think this is overkill and a waste of time. Again, only my opinion. I have tried many methods on different types of barrels, I have noticed no increase in barrel life or accuracy with a clean after every shot approach.

2. We always use a bore guide and a one piece cleaning rod with a swivel handle (Dewey, etc)

NOTE: GO SLOW!!! Watch the crown (end of barrel) and chamber (where cartridge case sets) damage to this area will affect accuracy, treat it with extreme care)

3. We soak bore with a wet (CLP) cotton patch (let sit a few minutes)

4. Run Brush through barrel 3-5 times

5. Run wet patch back through

6. Run a dry patch through 3-5 times until coming out clean and copper free.

NOTE: The best way to get this baby clean is use a solvent made to remove copper (there are 100's in the market place), let it soak for time recommended on bottle, a bluish green frothy gunk will come out, this is the buildup of copper.

This section has some great tips from the Krieger website...Rifling, button and single point what's the deal?

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AR-15 FAQ

What type of AR-15 do I want?

The biggest consideration in purchasing or building an AR-15 is what YOU want in a rifle. Possibilities can be, but are not limited to, target rifles, varmint rifles, budget plinkers, individual tactical solutions, military replicas, etc. Once you have determined what you want in a rifle, you then can consider other factors such as cost and local regulations. If you are not aware of the impact of the Assault Weapons Ban in your local area, please take the time to research this before making purchase decisions. If you are unsure check with your local dealer, law enforcement personnel or the BATF.

Which is better, a heavy barrel (HBAR) or a lightweight barrel?

This question relates to the question of what you want in an AR-15. A HBAR is useful for accuracy, especially when you are making multiple shots. As a rifle is fired, the barrel will heat up from burning propellant and friction of the bullet traveling the barrel. As a barrel heats up, the metal expands and can cause minute changes in the barrel that can impact rifle geometry and possibly change the point of impact on a projectile. A heavier barrel will heat less quickly due to more mass of metal to heat up and more material will resist the changes in geometry.

The flip side to this is a HBAR is simply heavier. This can be viewed negatively if a primary focus is the weight of a rifle. If the rifle is to be carried for long periods, weight may be a factor. Also, some military configurations have distinct profiles and many owners wish to duplicate that look.

Which is better, stainless or blued?

A stainless barrel has the advantage of requiring less effort to keep clean and is more resistant to rust. Especially if the rifle is intended to be used in inclement or adverse weather, a stainless barrel would be a good choice. A blued barrel has the advantage of a classic look and is not difficult to keep clean and blemish free with good maintenance. The other consideration for this choice is simply what "look" you want. Some like a flashy look and others may have tactical considerations that would preclude the use of a shiny barrel. It should be noted that a stainless barrel is often more expensive than a similar blued barrel.

Besides 2 more positions, is there a difference between a 4 and 6 position CAR stock? Typically the 6 position is reinforced and stronger, sling loop position is also different.

What are the advantages to a chrome lined barrel? Extended barrel life, easier to clean, usually a little less accurate than a non chrome lined barrel.

What is the difference between a 223 Remington barrel and a 5.56mm barrel?

.223 is a commercial bullet and can be fired in any rifle .223 or .556, a 5.56 NATO (military) round has higher pressure and should not be fired in a traditional .223 Remington barrel

What advantages are there to an AR-15 as opposed to a mini-14 or other 223 semi auto rifle?

Many, Many more accessories for the AR15

Wow, there are more choices to dress up these rifles than my sister's Barbie doll. Do I need this stuff?

No but it sure is fun! many accessories can improve the comfort and accuracy of the AR15, be careful of Snake oil products claiming to do it all!

I am on a budget, what is the best way for me to get a sweet rifle w/o breaking my piggy bank?

A base Rock River Arms rifle offers a sweet two stage trigger, although maybe a few dollars (sometimes we are less!) this is a great upgrade and these rifles have an accuracy guarantee

I see some other places that offer similar parts for quite a bit less, is there a reason why? RB Precision offers the best quality parts available for the best value. No disrespect to other vendors, but RBP chooses not to offer the cheapest part, but the best value. While many people might have no problems with a less expensive part, our experience is that spending a few extra dollars or even cents on parts translates into a tactical solution that is more reliable. RBP does not intend to be the cheapest, but the best. Best quality, best service. We feel that our clients appreciate our philosophy. Besides, if you compare apples to apples, you will find that for the exact same part, our prices are as good as or better than you will find anywhere else.

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What is the Wylde chamber

The Wylde (Not Wild) was developed by Bill Wylde the chamber is a mix between a match and nato chamber, you are fine shooting 5.56 mil ammo through it. It has a throat designed to accept the larger (77-80) grain bullets. There is a shorter jump to the lands and grooves (rifling).

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Acronyms and Definitions

These are MY definitions, if you think I have it wrong, please Email, I am not to proud to admit I don't know everything, That is why I married Krista, Apparently she knows everything.

I have borrowed some of these extensively from Wikpedia because it saves me time typing.

I hope this helps!

Want to see some definition? EMAIL US......

AR15 This is what all semi Auto AR type rifles are basically called, an AR15 was Colts Civilian version of the military's M16 which is full auto.

Bolt This is the part of the rifle that the cartridge is seated in that locks into battery

Bolt Carrier Group This is the complete group including carrier, bolt, cam pin, firing pin, firing pin retaining pin.

BTHP (Boat tail Hollow point) A hollow point, also called a hollow tip, is a bullet that has a pit, or hollowed out shape, in its tip, generally intended to cause the bullet to expand upon entering a target in order to decrease penetration and disrupt more tissue as it travels through the target. As a side effect,hollow-point bullets can offer improved accuracy by shifting the center of gravity of the bullet rearwards. Jacketed hollow points (JHPs) or plated hollow points are covered in a coating of harder metal to increase bullet strength and to prevent fouling the barrel with lead stripped from the bullet. The term hollow-cavity bullet is used to describe a hollow point where the hollow is unusually large, sometimes dominating the volume of the bullet, and causes extreme expansion or fragmentation on impact.

Cartridge: A cartridge or round packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. You will see many designations when discussing ammo below are some of them

Cartridge, Ball, L2A1 (United Kingdom): 5.56x45mm FN SS109 equivalent produced by Radway Green.

Cartridge, Tracer, L1A1 (United Kingdom): 5.56x45mm tracer compliment to L2A1, also produced by Radway Green.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Ball, M193 (United States): 5.56x45mm 55-grain ball cartridge.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Grenade, M195 (United States): 5.56x45mm grenade launching blank.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Tracer, M196 (United States): 5.56x45mm 54-grain tracer cartridge, red cartridge tip.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Ball, M202 (United States): 5.56x45mm 58-grain FN SSX822 cartridge

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Ball, XM287 (United States): 5.56x45mm 68-grain ball cartridge produced by Industries Valcartier, Inc. An Improved version was also produced designated XM779.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Tracer, XM288 (United States): 5.56x45mm 68-grain tracer cartridge produced by Industries Valcartier, Inc. An Improved version was also produced designated XM780.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Grenade, M755 (United States): 5.56x45mm grenade launching blank specifically for the M234 launcher.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Ball, XM777 (United States): 5.56x45mm ball cartridge.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Tracer, XM778 (United States): 5.56x45mm tracer cartridge.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Ball, M855 (United States): 5.56x45mm 62-grain FN SS109 ball cartridge.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Tracer, M856 (United States): 5.56x45mm 64-grain FN L110 tracer cartridge

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Armor Piercing, M995 (United States): 5.56x45mm 52-grain AP cartridge, black cartridge tip.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Tracer, XM996 (United States): 5.56x45mm so-called "Dim Tracer" with reduced effect primarily for use with night vision devices.

Cartridge, Caliber 5.56 mm, Special Ball, Long Range, Mk 262 Mod 0/1 (United States): 5.56x45mm 77-grain Open-Tipped Match/Hollow-Point Boat-Tail cartridge. Mod 0 features Sierra Matchking bullet, while Mod 1 features either Nosler or Sierra bullet.

Cartridge, 5.64 mm, Ball, MLU-26/P (United States): Early USAF designation for 5.56x45mm ball cartridge produced by Remington.

CAR (CARBINE): By the 1990s, the US had adopted the M4 Carbine, a derivative of the M16 family which was lighter and shorter (in overall length and barrel length), resulting in reduced range and power. Typically in conversations about AR's the carbine is a shorter handguard and 16" or less barrel length.

Deflector: This is the raised portion of the receiver that the brass hits, it typically "deflects" the brass away from shooter.

Ejector: Part in the bolt that pushes the spent cartridge out the port opening, I recommend keeping a couple in your shooting bag, I have seen these and the spring fail on the range ending an otherwise happy day early

Extractor: This is a part in the bolt that rides over the rim of the cartridge upon entry into the chamber, then pulls the brass out after firing, if you are having failure to extract the spring and extractor are something too look at first. Dirt built up under the extractor can cause malfunctions.

Free Float: A Free-floating barrel is a specific design technology used in highly accurate rifles, particularly match grade rifles, to increase the accuracy of the weapon.

With normal rifles, the barrel rests in contact with stock. In particular if the stock is manufactured of wood, environmental conditions or operational use may shift alignment of the stock, which may cause the barrel to shift its alignment slightly over time as well, altering the projectile flight path and impact point.

A free-floating barrel is one in which the barrel and stock are designed to not touch at any point along the barrel's length. The barrel is attached to its receiver, which is attached to the stock, but the barrel "floats freely" without any contact with other gun parts, other than the rifle's sights. This minimizes the possible mechanical pressure distortions of the barrel alignment.

Alternatives include using a stock manufactured from composite materials which don't deform under temperature changes or humidity changes, or with a wood stock using a fiberglass contact area (so-called glass bedding). Stocks which contact the barrel are still popular for many utility weapons, though the most accurate have largely moved uniformly to free-floating barrels.

Flash Hider: A flash hider typically reduces the visual bright flare at the end of the barrel, while some reduce muzzle rise they all direct gasses in certain ways. many make claims about which is best, we like the A2 because it is cheap and effective. Probably one the Best flash Hiders is a Phantom or YHM-50 series. (And they look cool). Typically a muzzle break is used for greater control of barrel rise (or flip) directing gas in directions to minimize the recoil.

FMJ (Full metal jacket): is a bullet encased in a copper alloy such as gilding metal, cupronickel, or a steel alloy shell. This shell can extend around all of the bullet or often just the front and sides with the rear left as exposed lead. The jacket allows for higher muzzle velocities than bare lead without depositing significant amounts of metal in the bore. It also prevents damage to bores from steel or armor piercing core materials. This bullet type distinguishes itself from hollow point bullets.

Gas Block: A gas block can usually be substituted for any front sight on an AR, it typically has the ability (by a rails system) to accept a front sight, it can be aluminum or steel.

Gas Rings: Installed on Bolt, like a piston ring in your car they are used to seal the gas chamber in the carrier, resulting in the propulsion and action of the bolt releasing and extracting the round. If the rings line up they can result in a loss of pressure in this chamber and failure to function. these are cheap and the fail, keep at least one set in your shooting bag. RRA has a new type that reduces pressure loss if they line up. We have used one piece rings but were unimpressed.

HBAR: HEAVY BARREL this relates to Barrel Profile

A1: Also referred to as the "lightweight" or "pencil" profile. Original barrel profile where barrel diameter is between 0.675 and 0.575 inches

A2: Also referred to as the "government" or "Govt" profile. Barrel profile for which the portion of the barrel in front of handguards is thickened to 0.715 inches

HBAR: A barrel that in some portion is thicker than government-profile, usually underneath the handguards

M4: Government barrel profile with small portion reduced to 0.575 inches to mount M203 grenade launcher

M4 HBAR: M4 barrel with portion under handguard thickened for sustained automatic fire

Super Heavy: Special Colt bull target/match barrel

SFW: Special Forces Weapon profile, A2 profile with "fat" portion forward of the sight triangle

NATO:The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. With headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the organization established a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. You will see NATO referred to in chambers and in discussion on Ammo.

NATO AMMO: 5.56x45mm NATO, standardized under STANAG 4172, is a rifle cartridge. It is a standard cartridge for NATO forces, and for several nations not part of NATO. It is derived from, but not entirely interchangeable with, the .223 Remington cartridge. This is due to, among other things, the greater gas pressure of the 5.56 mm military round.

Picatinny :The Picatinny Arsenal is an American military research and manufacturing facility located in northern New Jersey. The Arsenal is the headquarters of the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center. It is known for inventing the ubiquitous Picatinny rail, among other things.

The rail is a system to connect telescopic sights and other accessories to rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery bows, etc.

The slot spacing in the Weaver rail is 3.8 mm, while the slot spacing on the Picatinny rail is 5 mm. Therefore, although they look similar, devices built for the two are not entirely interchangeable. While it is often possible to attach a Weaver mount device to a Picatinny rail, the dimension mismatch in the slot is large enough that a robust attachment is impossible for devices that click into the slots. Devices fastened to the rail by side screws or grips are usually interchangeable.

RB Precision: A friendly place to buy all your shooting equipment! (OK here is the Scoop on RB), RB was the first initials of the original owners, Robert and Ben. Ben moved on and my wife Krista became a board member, some say the "B" is now because she is beautiful, some say because she is bitchy...I will let you decide........

Weaver (Rail):The rail is a system to connect telescopic sights and other accessories to rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery bows, etc. (See also Weaver rail)

Wylde chamber:The Wylde (Not Wild but is pronounced the same) was developed by Bill Wylde the chamber is a mix between a match and nato chamber, you are fine shooting 5.56 mil ammo through it. It has a throat designed to accept the larger (77-80) grain bullets. There is a shorter jump to the lands and grooves (rifling). Its larger body diameter aids in extraction.

X: X Pert (a retired drip)

Y: because we like you

Z:What the hell can you say about Z?