My first RRA 20" A-4 that I bought new about 5-6 months ago is serial #17,xxx. My newest RRA 20" A-4 (picked up today) is 21,xxx. It was ordered direct from RRA to my dealer.

Here's the ISSUES with the new one as the first is great.

- Overall poor upper to lower fit. One edge hangs over a considerable amount.

- Much different looking upper compared to the first. Slightly different angles, edges, etc.

- This upper has a small stamped symbol on it. What does this mean? Older/newer/etc.?

- The receiver extension has a shiny cheap blue finish compared to the dull matte black on the first. And the finish doesn't go all the way to the end but stops short and messy.

- This tactical carry handle seems lighter and the new style spare battery cover is cheap looking compared to the other and has a poor finish on it.

- Very rough/poor finish/grind around the ejection cover.

- Completely different bolt carrier. Not much attention to detail on the finish of it either.

- The butt-stock has a very rough finish that collects the rag as it's wiped.

- Much looser fit, almost sloppy.

Has anyone had similair experiences lately?

My overall impression is that it's getting cheap with the various changes in parts and finish.

Can anyone help with any of this?

Thanks.

[peep]

Where were you a week ago when there was a thread called "Who can say anything bad about RockRiver ???

But, on a more sympathical note, sorry to hear that a fellow AR'er got "bad goods" from a top tier company.

Send it back, for what you pay, you deserve the best.

Could your dealer have pulled a fast one and swapped RRA parts for cheap ones? How well do you know this dealer?

Call RRA and give them the s/n and see if it left there as a complete weapon or a stripped lower/complete lower. If it left as a complete weapon ask them to fix it. If it left as a component your bitch is with the dealer.Sounds like a parts gun to me.

Grind marks, cheap blue finish not matching... Dead giveway.  These mfg's need to start marking their uppers the way Colt or Diemaco does, so you know for sure what you're getting.   No more "keyhole" mystery meat.

Legal Transfers guarantees satisfaction and he doesn't send out junk.....if this came from him he will take care of it, if it didn't come from him it should have.....newer or older all my RRA stuff has been so black that it even photographs BLACK, not blue, purple or other off color.

Check with Pete.....HTH...

I agree with what everbody posted above. Could it be your dealer wanted to get around the FET? I hate that you can not tell who manufactured your upper-of course the barrel should be easy to Identify who the maker is. Please Let us know if your receiver left the factory as a built rifle. I am gulity of talking very highly about RRA products from my past experiences and observations.

I got a RRA in last week with a 20*** serial and couldn't be more pleased with fit and finish on mine. Here would be my observations

-Great upper to lower fit no out of place edges whatsoever.
-I have no small stamped symbol on my upper, which is also an A-4. Where is your symbol located?
-No problems around the ejection cover with the grinding or finish.
-The fit on my rifle is tight, no slop at all really.

Please post back the exact location on your upper where that symbol is. If we both have RRA A-4 uppers one would think they would stamped alike. The earlier post might have been correct about someone switching out the upper.

Thanks all for the comments/ideas/suggestions.

The ONLY area of finish I'm not satisfied with is the receiver extension. When I remove the fixed stock it's a blued type finish and not the nice black matte like my other.

The symbol/stamp is on the right side top rear of the upper. It looks like a crown or even a forward and reverse "R" attached facing opposite.

I ordered the rifle direct from Steve and it was then shipped to my dealer. Ordered it July 14th and received it August 9th.

NEVER A PROBLEM talking to or having issues answered by Steve at RRA. Will call him Monday morning and discuss these issues.

Would really like to hope I just received one that happened to slip past QC ina few areas and not that my favorite dealer is doing something funny.

I'll keep you all posted on this. Look for an update Monday evening.

Hexe9,

I too just took delivery of my new RRA.  I ordered the lower about 2 weeks prior to the TASC 16" M4 upper.  My ser# is also just into the 21xxx range.  Being an small time FFL, I took direct delivery from RRA.  I notice a very small overhang on the left side, the upper being wider than the lower.  Not enough to bother me.  

Where is the small stamp on the upper?  

I do notice a small amount of wiggle between the upper and lower.  Again, doesn't bother me.  Accuracy has been just great for me.  Fifteen consecutive shots of Fed Gold Medal 69gr SMK into 1.9" at 100 meters using my 2x compact ACOG with amber triangle reticle.

Not saying anything about yours.  Just that mine is just fine to me.

Big Al

hexe9 are you talking about Steve at ADCO ?I was planning to possably buy ar RRA 24 inch varrmit from him and would realy like to know what the out come of your story is. If they do'nt offer a 30 warranty like J&T does I may have to rethink my AR brand.

"..are you talking about Steve at ADCO ?"

Steve at RRA not ADCO.

Call Pete with legal transfers.........can't go wrong....I've purchased 2 from him and have no complaints....

ok, I have one------RRA took a long time to ship a 9mm upper to Pete....

My 2 uppers and 2 lowers all had the same fit and finish (excellent). If I were to by another I would buy RRA.

I still find it odd that I have no such stamping on my upper.

My recent production RRA National Match has a stamp similar to what Hexe9 describes.  To me it looks like an old fashioned keyhole with three dots inside.

I received a 24" Varminter a few weeks ago. I have zero complaints as to fit and finnish. It is every bit as good if not better than the Colt M4 I bought in June. The RRA will put five rounds of the right load into .5-.6MOA on a very regular basis. The person who posted he was going to have to rethink his choice on a 24" Varminter would be making a mistake IMO. When it comes to Varminters it is very easy to pay more money for less rifle.

I am still waiting patiently for my 20" varminter ordered APRIL 15th. Yes, I know, this is bullsh#@. Today I am planning a little hell raising to get my stinkin rifle. After I receive it I will tell all my fellow board members about the crap I have gone thru and my thoughts on customer service.

Doug  

The mark you are talking about is a "keyhole" forge mark from the people who forged the upper. I have these on 4 RRA uppers and know of them coming from Bushmaster,J&T,and probably others.It is put there during the raw forging process.

Well here it is.

RRA's customer service is again been outstanding. Called this morning and talked with Robert, he very professionally answered all my questions and concerns. Here's the scoop. I'll answer them in the order of my original post.

- After looking at the upper/lower fit again and speaking with Robert, I believe it's within tolerance. Not as "perfect" as my other may have really been my issue on this one.

- RRA has two forgings for there uppers. This explains the differences between the two.

- The "keyhole" is also because of the fact they have two forgings. One has it and the other does not.

- The receiver extension is blued looking but he explained that sometimes they gets variations in the finish due to the many variables in the process of finishing. Said if I wasn't happy he would replace it for me. Since it's under my stock and only cosmetic it will stay.

- The tactical carry handle hasn't changed. They have always had the same type spare battery cover like the one on this new rifle. So this mystery we couldn't resolve. But again Robert offered to replace it if it bothered me. This one I'll most likely take him up on since it has a poor finish on it.

- Forgot to ask about this :o(

- This is the new style bolt carrier that offers 180 degrees of protection and is not milled out. No problem as I was just curious about it being different from the other.

- The butt-stock is ice-blasted during the process of molding/finishing it. Some variations are expected. I prefer the smooth finish on my other rifle but I'll get over it.

- The loose fit to the upper/lower surprised him as he said they have very high standards in tolerances. To fix this problem I just switched uppers and now they both are acceptable. Robert also told me to always "...keep the bolt carrier dedicated to it's upper because of the headspace..."

Bottom line. If I wasn't so friggin' anal about everything in my life I would have never looked twice at any of this or wasted my time posting/calling/worrying etc. I've gotten better but obviously have a long way to go. Until then I'll be saving for a RRA A2 carbine for X-mas.

Note:

Stopped by a well stocked local shop today and after looking at the Bushy's, Armalites, and Colts....came home and kissed my Rock Rivers!!

Getting Customer Support like this anywhere else is highly unlikely.

This post makes my day. I am a big fan of RRA, because I like "best bang for the buck"-- you know, that sweet spot where you have to spend a LOT more for just a little improvement.

I admire the Colts and Armalites, and someday I may buy a new Bushmaster if I get too much more P.O.ed about stupid lawsuits.... but I LOVE my RRAs. Just right for what I want to pay.

So, I've been almost holding my breath for the day when RRA collapses under their own success. It's a tough transition, when a biz gets to a certain size.

I'm just glad that day is not THIS day, and I'm glad they continue to hold on to excellent customer service. It's nice to see some good guys doing a good job and getting the reputation for it.

Pete

All my Rock Rivers are extremely tight compared to the Bushmasters I have.  Maybe you just got a bad one.  Give them a call and I'm sure they will make it right.  I've seen what you describe on some newer colts but not RRA.

Bill3508

I have ordered direct from RRA four times in the last couple of years: fit, finish and accuracy have been outstanding. A couple of orders have needed follow up calls, the ladies in the office seem familiar with the RRA line but they seem to be disorganized.

Glad to see they took care of you .

What is the normal wait when ordering a rifle from RRA?

The one I just received took ten weeks.

The one I just got in took about 13 weeks but  I ordered it chrome lined and that apparently made it take a little longer.

Mine is a box stock 20" varminter with a hogue fore grip. This week is 16 weeks and still no gun. I have been told that houge grips are backordered. Four months! I offered to go to Wallyworld and buy one myself and ship it to them. Like I said before, when my gun is in my hands, I will let you all know how this sh@# went down. It is enough to really piss off a man.

Seems it took 8 weeks total time, thats me ordering via snail mail and receiving back via UPS.  

I ordered a lower w/ NM trigger and the following week, ordered the TASC rifle upper w/ chrome lined bore and chamber.  They told me at week 7 the hold up was the NM trigger parts were back ordered when I called the week before it came.  It all came the same day in different boxes.

Big Al

Ya had me worried!!  After weeks of researching all of the forums here at ARFCOM I planned on stopping at my local ffl tonight to ship off an order to Steve (at ADCO) for a RRA lower.  Sounds as though the only real issue with RRA is getting them quickly.  Hopefully be ordering the upper (16" chrome-lined M4 flat top) shortly.