Best High End ARs

1. BCM RECCE QRF 5.56 : BCM RECCE QRF 5.56

BCM RECCE QRF 5.56

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• Shootability A
• Reliability A
• Ergonomics A
• Accuracy A
• Value A+

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A

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BCM RECCE QRF 5.56 Review

The people at Bravo Company Manufacturing have a keen eye for quality, and their standards are legendary. They make rifles that adhere to a strict level of standards. Anything less than that standard gets tossed. Take, for example, the bolt that sits in the BCM RECCE QRF. It’s made of MIL-SPEC Carpenter 158 steel and is then high-pressure tested and magnetic particle inspected. It’s shot peened, chrome lined, and hardened to USGI specs, with staked grade 8 fasteners. 

That level of quality and adherence to the specifications creates a very well-made rifle. The RECCE QRF features a quad rail with the classic Picatinny layout. M-LOK is great, but a quad rail does provide a simple interface that’s rugged and effective. Sure, it might be a hair heavier, but we still get the same free-floating advantage of an M-LOK design. 

Outside of the quadrail, we get BCM furniture from top to bottom. The stock has a fantastic Gunfighter design, the charging handle is ambidextrous, the brake is super effective, and the pistol grip is comfortable and built for modern AR carbines. The RECCE QRF handles well and, even in my hands, delivers excellent accuracy and total reliability. It’s not fancy, but it will last forever. 

BCM RECCE QRF 5.56 Pros and Cons

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2. LWRC IC-A5 Rifle : LWRC IC-A5 Rifle

LWRC IC-A5 Rifle

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• Shootability A+
• Reliability A+
• Ergonomics A+
• Accuracy A
• Value B

Our Grade

A

Reader’s Grade

TBD

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LWRC IC-A5 Rifle Review

The US Army has a long history of seeking to replace the M4, getting a ton of great guns submitted, and canceling the program. One program called the U.S. Army Individual Carbine program, LWRC, created the IC-A5. While the program was canceled, LWRC knew they had a winner on their hands and turned to the open market to sell their firearm. IC stands for individual carbine, and the weapon is a purpose-built duty carbine. 

The IC-A5 admittedly does away with the direct impingement system of the AR-15. In its place is a short-stroke gas piston system. This system might be a little heftier, but it does provide a very reliable and clean system that keeps the heat low and the upper and bolt cleaner and running longer. It also tends to make the rifle more comfortable when fired suppressed. 

To further aid in effective suppression, the IC-A5 features an adjustable gas block that allows the user to easily switch the gun from standard to suppressor in a fly. The oddly cut handguard is cut that way to allow easy access to the gas block for adjustment. The rail is an SPR rail system designed to help maximize accuracy by avoiding any contact with the barrel. The rail is modular but uses the LWRC system instead of something like M-LOK. 

The barrel is fluted with a spiral twist to reduce weight and encourage better cooling. This makes the barrel about 20 percent lighter than the standard AR carbine barrel. The barrel is cold hammer forged and features the LWRC niccorr treatment. According to LWRC, this doubles barrel life. I don’t think anyone has ever shot the barrel out of a IC-A5 or even got close, so it seems like it works. 

Finally, the lower offers us a fully ambidextrous experience that makes lefties feel almost equal to using right-handed shooters. The IC-A5 provides a top-tier rifle experience that takes the carbine to the next level. It’s expensive but very well made and an excellent option for someone who wants no compromise. 

LWRC IC-A5 Rifle Pros and Cons

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ADM UIC MOD 2 SPR Review

One of the biggest benefits of the AR as a platform is its modularity. The rifle can be used as a home defense carbine, a near SMG-sized CQB weapon, and as a DMR. DMR is a designated marksman’s rifle, sometimes known as a Special Purpose Rifle or SPR. American Defense Manufacturing is an often underrated and underappreciated AR company that strives to make some of the best AR rifles on the market. The ADM UIC MOD 2 SPR gives us an accurized no BS rifle for precision shooting. 

The UIC MOD 2 uses an 18-inch barrel paired with a rifle gas system. The combination of the two results in a combination of higher velocity and a lighter recoiling, smoother shooting rifle. The barrel is stainless for the most accuracy possible, and the end is tapped with a Surefire Warcomp, so mounting a suppressor isn’t tough. 

American Defense Manufacturing went with the Magpul PRS stock to provide a supportive stock system for placing accurate shots at AR ranges. To combine it all together, we have a Geiselle trigger that’s super smooth and provides that crisp and light trigger to prevent sight picture disruption. 

The ADM guns use a custom billet upper and lower designed to enhance ergonomics. ADM takes ergos to the extra with some excellent ambidextrous controls. Lefties won’t feel left out, and if you ever have to switch shoulders, you are covered. 

The ADM UIC MOD 2 SPR went with the awesome Talon safety by Radian, which is an outstanding choice as far as I’m concerned. It’s super smooth, and the user has the ability to customize the size for the right side safety. AT 8.6 pounds, the UIC MOD 2 SPR isn’t an uber-light option, but ADM is known for making bombproof rifles. 

ADM UIC MOD 2 SPR Pros and Cons

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Knight’s Armament SR25 E2 PR Review

While most people are referring to AR-15s when they say AR, I think it’s fair to toss in an AR-10 in the mix. Arguably, the SR-25 is a bit different than the AR-10, but it’s still a piece of Stoner’s history. When Guntubers asked, “What would Stoner do?” I saw it as an odd question because, in a way, we know. He’d work with Knight’s Armament to push the limits of the AR-10 and AR-15 platforms. The SR in SR-25 stands for Stoner Rifle. 

The SR-25 rifle maintains the same direct impingement design and largely looks and handles like any other AR-10. However, like all of Knight’s products, it’s built to be an extremely rugged and durable rifle. Every little part and piece is held to an extreme standard of quality control. Tolerances are tight, reliability is high, and accuracy is the name of the game. There are several SR-25 models, but the PR variant standards for precision rifles. It’s designed to reach out to 1,000 yards.

The purpose of the original SR-25 was to provide minute-of-angle accuracy, and the rifle has lived up to that promise in spades. My experience with the SR-25 comes from the Marine Corps Mk 11 and a static range cross-training with snipers. The weapon was absurdly accurate and a joy to shoot. The SR-25 has served for decades and was a big part of the GWOT. 

The modern SR-25 comes with a collapsing stock and an M-LOK rail. It’s more modular and lighter but still just as accurate. The rifle uses a 5R cut rifled barrel and a 2-stage match trigger that combines with the free-floating barrel to be a real tack driver. The tip of the barrel features a 7.62 QDC muzzle device, and it’s just begging for a suppressor. 

To top things off, Knight’s went with ambidextrous controls to make the rifle easy to handle and ergonomically inclined for any shooter. The biggest downside is actually trying to get one because they seem to be continually sold out. 

Knight’s Armament SR25 E2 PR Pros and Cons

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JP Rifles JP5 Review

Since we are on a roll of non-AR-15 rifles, let’s look at an AR-9. The JP5 from JP Rifles might flow under a lot of radars. As a guy who likes to dabble in PCC competitions, I find it firmly in my mind. I even tested and reviewed it and, sadly, sent it back. The JP5 is, without a doubt, the premier PCC option. It’s the smoothest shooting, higher quality, and highest-performing PCC on the market. The JP5 is built for competition and designed for speed and accuracy. 

What sets the JP5 apart from most other PCCs is the fact it uses a roller-delayed blowback system, much like the MP5, but it doesn’t have MP5 problems. A roller-delayed system helps eliminate the recoil that’s common with straight blowback operating systems. This results in an uber-smooth shooting rifle. JP5 also uses a massive compensator. It’s seemingly absurd, but the result is ultra-low muzzle rise. 

The comp attaches to a stainless steel barrel, and the stainless barrel helps make the JP5 a very accurate gun. The super light and crisp trigger helps, but it also makes the gun fast to shoot, and speed matters in competition. The weapon handles like a dream. Long and quick strings of fire barely move the gun. When you equip the gun with a red dot, the dot barely moves between shots and stays put. 

The JP5 is also perfectly reliable; a light and crisp trigger usually doesn’t work well due to some companies’ desire to use hard primers. The JP5 utilizes Glock magazines, which is perfectly predictable. The JP5 series utilizes ambidextrous controls that are top-notch and oversized for easy use. Overall, the JP5 carbine is the gun to beat for PCC competition. It can be had in a standard configuration, and JP Rifles offers a custom service for SBR and pistol variants as well. 

JP Rifles JP5 Pros and Cons

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Radian Weapons Model 1 Review

Radian Weapons and the Model 1 find a way to blend style, performance, and modern function to deliver one of the best AR-15s on the market. Radian Weapons shoves as many performance-increasing features as possible in the Model 1, and it’s become one of the premier carbines for serious AR users. The Model 1 comes as a 14.5-inch barreled carbine with a pinned and welded muzzle device to keep it out of NFA territory. The  Model 1 is perfect as a duty weapon, a home defense gun, or a competition carbine. 

It might be tough to believe that one rifle can be used in so many diverse roles. Yet, here we are. Features like the match grade 416R stainless steel barrel with polished crown and the SUB-MOA guarantee (with proper ammo) make it capable of a wide variety of roles. The Model 1 also comes with a Radian Vertex trigger that provides a straight trigger with a 3.5 to 4-pound break and a very short and crisp reset. You can go fast and accurate with the Vertex. 

To no one’s surprise, the Radian Weapons Model 1 uses a ton of Radian products to finish out the gun and help generate the awesome ergonomics it’s known for. This includes completely ambidextrous controls, which include a right side bolt hold open device known as the A-DAC. The Radian Modular ambi safety and the Raptor-SD charging handle top the gun off and make everything big and easy to control. 

The weapon uses billet machine receivers and a proprietary M-LOK handguard. The handguard is quite long and offers plenty of space for accessories. It uses stainless steel anti-rotation pins. It’s stable enough to mount accessories like an IR laser aiming device. The lower features a flared mag well and an integral trigger guard. 

At the range, the rifle proved to be super accurate and light recoiling with its H2 buffer. The ergonomics are on point, and while the rifle tips the scales on the high end, it’s arguably worth every penny. 

Radian Weapons Model 1 Pros and Cons

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