No matter how many firearms one owns the fact of the matter is that you can only use one at a time. Not discounting the fact that I generally am wearing a concealed handgun If I were to grab a rifle there is one that I would go to 9 times out of 10. It's an RRA LAR15 with the two stage NM trigger. For sights I mounted an EOTech XPS 2-0 with a GG&G quick release mount and a co-witnessed rear GG&G BUIS. The rifle is light enough to carry all day and bring on target in close quarters rapidly, but has enough heft to make it stable when sighting for longer distance shots.

When first putting my gun together I had considered going with a quick release mounted medium range scope and BUIS, but I'm comfortable shooting out to 150 yards with aperture sights so I went with the Tiny EOTech. It has turned out to be the perfect rifle for me if I have to grab one long gun and go. The RRA NM trigger is nice and smooth. It has proved to be quite reliable and rugged over many rounds down the pipe. There may be other more expensive and perhaps technically better trigger systems out there, but the RRA trigger has performed quite well.

The EOTech XPS 2-0 was also a good choice. It is compact and easy to use. I tend to use my iron sights more often if light permits shifting to the halo sight of the EOTech in lower light situations. The 1 in 9 barrel gives me a decent bullet weight range to work with. It seems to like 62gr so I generally keep it stoked with surplus M855 penetrators. At home for personal protection it will have Hornady 55gr V Max loaded up. There's less chance for over penetration since the polymer tipped Hornady tends to fragment rapidly as it penetrates the intended target. The last thing I need is a 5.56 exiting my home and going into a neighbors house.

Are there better guns out there? I'm sure folks will argue that the RRA isn't the best available, but my rig wasn't horribly expensive to put together and serves me well. It has a companion Stag Arms barrel in 6.8SPC II with a leupold 3-9x40 AR scope mounted to it for long range shooting. Frankly it makes for an excellent coyote gun so the home defense AR goes hunting with me as well. If you'e looking for a reasonable, yet capable rifle you could do far worse than the RRA. For my purposes it is the perfect companion.

You might can only use one at a time, but there are multiple places where different rifles will work better. I'm glad you have found one that suits your specific needs.





 

It would be hard to argue with your assessment, you have a FINE setup. What I liked is the "companion" comment. I live in a wilderness area and my rifle travels with me everywhere on the trail or in the truck in all weather and all circumstances. I also have a CC permit. Mainly all I do is plink with it, and the occasional varmint like a skunk under the shed..2 deer (an AR is a legal deer rifle in WI).but a rifle is a useful tool for a backwoodsman as is a shotgun, and a handy, reliable,accurate tough rifle that will work in a blizzard or blistering hot July day is a comfort to have. I backpack also and truck camp. I have had an AR with me for over 30 years and it suits me perfectly...mainly a COLT A1 carbine which weighs about 6 pounds, which has never failed me, and now a new SIG 516 which is a state of the art sweetheart, but heavier...THIS is what the anti gun folks don't understand, that an AR can be a useful tool and companion.

I have another scoped AR piston gun in 5.56, I also have an HK91 and a M1A Super Match both .308s. It's just that the RRA happens to be my go to gun for personal defense which typically would be in close quarters and with the 6.8 SPC barrel it is also a great little predator gun. I keep a 12GA in the house as well. The Mrs doesn't miss with that.

Pics or it didn't happen.

vmax is a piss poor round for self defense.  you'd have better luck using the gun as a club.  those bullets were designed to shoot RODENTS, groundhogs, 30 pound coyotes - not drugged up 200+ pound criminals.  atleast use the 69 grain OTMs, they fragment too but DO reach penetration requirements in tissue.  the odds of you ever needing a gun for self defense are slim.  if you need to use a gun your primary concern should be STOPPING THE THREAT, not worrying about some 1 in a million chance of a stray bullet traveling through multiple layers of sheetrock, exiting your house, entering someone elses house, going through multiple layers of their walls, and hitting someone with enough velocity to remain lethal.