Hey all... I am new to this forum and have some questions for you AR gurus...

First I have decided to purchase a .223 semi-auto and have deciced to go with the AR format.

After looking around a little it appears to me that the RRA A4 Varmint offers a lot of bang for the buck.
1) is this a good choice? why/why not?
2) what length 16,18,20,24 and why?
3) I would like a scope, what kind would you recommend (not interested in holosights, open sights, etc.)?  How well would it fit on this gun?
4) what does .223 wylde chamber meand?  can I shoot normal store purchased ammo through it?
Remember I am going to hunt with this gun and use for some plinking around.  I don't want to spend too much on the scope (~$300)
Thanks in advance for your help.

Check out Coming to the Call and/or Predator Masters, and the hunting forum here. Byron South uses an AR-15 in his videos (get them they are great) and he knows how to call in those dogs.

My take is get yourself a 2x-7x or 3x9 scope and a rifle with a flat top reciever. I'd imagine in Ohio alot of your shots would be withing 200 yards. Barrel length 16" or 20", doesn't really matter.
Get yourself some 55-60 gr softpoint bullets, Black Hills Blue Box is great. Sight her in and have fun.. Personally I'd go with the 16" in a M4 or lightwieght configuration and I'd also get a good sling.

The Wylde chamber is kind of between a 5.56 Nato spec chamber and a SAMMI spec .223 chamber. It's a bit tighter than the 5.56 thus it has the potential to be more accurate, but it's not as quite as tight as the .223 so you can safely use 5.56 NATO ammo with it (the 5.56 uses higher chamber pressures in it's specs than .223)\

-sc

newguy23,
Welcome to AR15!!!

I purchased a RRA, about 2 weeks ago, for the same purpose you mentioned. h
I love Rock River Arms selections, price and quality. Depending on where in Ohio you're located, there's a gun shop in Sylvania, Ohio (just outside Toledo) called Adco Firearms, that sells RRA and has excellent prices. Check out their web site: http://www.adcofirearms.com and ask for Steve or Gary. They'll treat you right.

I would recommend spending some time on Predator Masters' web site too. Those guys will really help you with the calling, firearms, camo, decoys, etc. http://www.predatormasters.com

I ended up with a 16" SS barrel with a 1:8 twist and a free float tube over it. I don't regret getting a National Match trigger, as it's well worth the money. Also, I got a colapsable stock, which will come in handy when it gets real cold and you have on a lot of clothes, then I can adjust it down a couple of notches to fit, again.

Anything longer than a 20" barrel will become unhandy when hunting coyotes. Guys that have both barrel lengths, tend to pick up their 16" barreled AR to hunt coyotes.

I have a scope that will get replaced with a 3x9 Leupold (friend has it and wants to sell it cheap) or a 3x12 Tasco (44 Mag series). Scopes vary with the taste of the rifle owner. Good hunting, Bowhunter57

go with Bushmaster for the Varmint guns.... best quality...

so bushmaster are better than RRA...  Why don't they offer the same 3/4 moa?

Anyway, thanks for the advice.  Will I be disappointed in the smaller barrel if I ever want to use it for targets?

Is there anything else I need to know?  I really know nothing about AR's, this will actually be my first semi-auto rifle or shotgun.

I have RRA in 18" 1 in 8 SS bull bbl that shoots Black Hills 60gr SP like a dream. It has a Wylde chamber, which I prefer. I am extremely confident with it at 300yrds. I also have a Bushmaster Varminter I use mainly on groundhogs. It is also an awesome shooter---just prefer a shorter set up for song dogs----easier manuvering and quicker aim.

I think RRA is a very good choice. I have one in 20". It's very accurate, funtions well and a damn fun rifle to shoot. However, it is heavy. I also have a Bushmaster Varminter (24") and it's a little lighter. Hard to choose which is better quality, but I think Bushmaster has a very slight edge. I scoped the RRA with a Leupold 6.5X20X50mm and a Zeiss Conquest 4X14X44mm on the Bushmaster, both with mildot reticles. I like the Zeiss better. I used Leupold Mark 4 rings and I highly recomend them.

Tagged!

Got me an RRA 18" varmint upper kit from ADCO as well.  Everything went together nicely.  I also got the NM trigger.  I am used to 2-stage triggers and like them.

It was nice dealing with ADCO.  I ordered on their website, got a shipping confirmation and the parts were in my hands on the promised day.

1. Yes, it's an excellent choice. Fit and finish is excellent. The action is nice and smooth. The factory 2 stage trigger on the varminter I had was a dream. My RRA 18" varminter gave me consistant .75" groups and a few .5" groups. You won't find a better quality varmint AR15 for the price of a RRA varminter.
The only thing to consider is the diameter of the varmint bbl. It can get pretty heavy after walking to and from setups.

2.I would go with a 16" RRA varminter purely because of the bbl weight issue.  My ideal varmint AR has a 20" bbl turned down from HBAR to a medium profile (or fluted).

3. I would go with a leupold VX-II at least with 2-7X or 3-9X mag. You'll probably need an extended mounting base to get an ideal cheekweld no matter what kind of scope you mount.
Like this:


4. .223 wylde allows you to shoot both .223 and 5.56mm from the rifle. Store bought ammo is good.



FWIW, I sold my RRA varminter because it was just to heavy to carry around while hunting. If I were you, I would get a RRA 20" varminter from ADCO Firearms and have them turn down the bbl to a medium weight profile. They advertise the varminter for $838.89 and turning down the bbl would run you another $89 (well worth the price IMO).
Here's a link:
www.adcofirearms.com/

Brewsky...

Thanks for the help!!!  If weight is not a big issue for me ( I won't be walking around with it too much).  Do I need to get the barrel turned down?  I am not really sure what that means.  I understand fluting.  I also personally tend to be more accurate with a front heavy gun.

Thanks again to all you guys!!!

Get a lighter gun trust me....

I lugged my SPR (18" accurized AR15) for a whole day and it sucked.It's barrel profile is somewhere between a varmint barrel and a HBAR, but it's heavy.  I've also lugged a 16 HBAR around for 5-6 hours and that sucked. But my M4 barreled guns are not a problem even though 2 of them have a bunch of 'tactical mall ninja" stuff on them. Also get/make some shooting sticks. (see Varmint Al They are more versitile than a bipod and here in Florida I use them as "snake be cool" sticks. Hope this helps...

-sc

If you're looking at RRA for a varmint rifle, I'd go with the 18", it's lighter and more manuverable. I have the RRA varmint 20" and wish I had gotten the 18", the 18" you can carry through the woods and brush better, or if you use a tree stand, like I do sometimes, it's easier to use.
The 20" is fine, but 18" would be just a little bit better.

Go with a something like a 3-9 power scope, fixed stock and definitly the 2-stage trigger (a must have).

An AR-15 is the best gun for the job.  I have one I use alot and it is nice to have that second shot to follow up if you dont hit right.   Mine is a Colt lower, JP stock, JP internals, RRA Barrel, RRA ff tube, and still a cheap millet scope.  

heres a pic of her




This is my 250yd target   using seirra  69gr HPBT  and Varget

impressive... I love the thumbhole stock... I have one on my TC Omega blackpowder.

What length barrel is that?  Do you find the weight difficult to deal with?

Where is the stock from?

I've got a 20" RRA H-BAR that I ordered from ADCO. I took it out for the first time this weekend. Shot under 1moa with a strong wind. I carried it around in the woods for a few hours and it is definately going to be my favorite coyote gun this winter