Odin Bravo One
07-17-2011, 09:27 PM
OBR/PredatAR
I was recently invited out with a small group of accomplished long range shooters, door kickers, and generally all around good guys to spend an afternoon shooting the LaRue OBR and PredatAR 7.62 and 5.56 rifles.
Freddie Blish, of LaRue Tactical was on hand to give a detailed overview of the rifles, including the history, development, and many of the why’s behind the rifle designs, as well as some insight as to the way ahead with this family from LaRue. The OBR, is intended to be an “Optimized” Battle Rifle, hence the acronym that is the name. The PredatAR on the other hand, is designed to be a lightweight version of the same rifle, coming in at up to 2 lbs lighter than its OBR counterpart.
At first glance, both the 5.56 and 7.62 versions appear to be like every other AR15/AR10 type rifle on the market, with some funky hand guards and unique rail systems. Of course, what you don’t see is where these rifles distance themselves from the rest.
The top rail of the OBR has a built in 20MOA slope to ensure maximum adjustment from whatever optic you choose to mount. The LaRue PredatAR rail/hand guard diameter is noticeable smaller than any other makers out there, and very streamlined. It has threaded holes to which you configure your rail lengths, or covers, or even a sling mount if you desire, but also serves to keep the front end clutter free, smooth, and clean. It mounts directly to the upper receiver, and at no time does the fore-end touch the barrel or barrel nut, providing a 100% true free-floating barrel. Very nice for those interested in long range accuracy.
The bolt and BCG for both rifles are polished chrome plated, and make for a very slick action. The grip is from Magpul, and the stock we tested was the CTR with the ingenious LaRue RISR cheek piece, which allows the shooter to use a higher cheek weld, with the stock extended to any length, yet still be able to run the charging handle as designed. A nice touch for rifles outfitted with high power optics.
While we shot and played with 5.56 versions, it was the 7.62 variants that brought us out, so that is where we spent the majority of our time shooting, and testing. Initial groups from the OBR were right at the advertised 1/2MOA using both M118LR and Mk316LR ammunition. Three leaf clover groups were the norm, with a couple of impressive .40-.45 single ragged holes @ 100 yards, from a bench.
The PredatAR was no slouch in the accuracy department either, with every group fired well under the advertised 1 MOA accuracy standard using the same match grade ammunition as the OBR. Some groups opened up a wee larger than 1 MOA, but that was easily attributed to overzealous shooters going into rapid fire mode for entire magazines and ignoring the 3-5 shot groups.
Moving out to 10” plates at 200 and 300 yards, both rifles banged away at the gong’s with boring consistency from all positions. Every shooter on the line wished the range was 700 yards longer to truly get out and see what each rifle could do at extended ranges.
Finally when the ammunition supply was dry, and the barrels were cooling off, it was pretty obvious to all the shooters that LaRue had developed a very ergonomic, user friendly, reliable, and accurate battle rifle based on a platform that anyone who has served in the military in the last 40 years will be familiar with. There are no drastic changes to the basic Stoner design, just high quality parts, built to the tightest tolerances that allow reliable operation, put together by knowledgeable folks with an eye for detail, and quality assurance.
In this particular group, the PredatAR was the hands down favorite, mostly due to the light weight of the package. Weighing in at 7.75lbs without optics, the 16” barrel version is lighter than a 20” M16. Despite the light weight, recoil is quite manageable, even with the hard hitting 7.62 caliber. While the OBR was more accurate from the bench by ½”, even the seasoned snipers of the group were willing to sacrifice the ½ MOA advantage of the OBR for the lighter PredatAR. Of course, this group was also not looking for a precision rifle either, but a General Purpose Battle Rifle. Talking to others in the group, if a precision rifle was what was desired, the OBR becomes the choice.
Either way, both the OBR and PredatAR rifles proved to be great rifles, and the order for the PredatAR’s is going out once the entire package, final spec’s, and accessories can be agreed upon. My guess is that it will be a cross between the OBR and the PredatAR, taking the desired features from each to get them what they consider to be their own version of an “Optimized Battle Rifle”.
I was recently invited out with a small group of accomplished long range shooters, door kickers, and generally all around good guys to spend an afternoon shooting the LaRue OBR and PredatAR 7.62 and 5.56 rifles.
Freddie Blish, of LaRue Tactical was on hand to give a detailed overview of the rifles, including the history, development, and many of the why’s behind the rifle designs, as well as some insight as to the way ahead with this family from LaRue. The OBR, is intended to be an “Optimized” Battle Rifle, hence the acronym that is the name. The PredatAR on the other hand, is designed to be a lightweight version of the same rifle, coming in at up to 2 lbs lighter than its OBR counterpart.
At first glance, both the 5.56 and 7.62 versions appear to be like every other AR15/AR10 type rifle on the market, with some funky hand guards and unique rail systems. Of course, what you don’t see is where these rifles distance themselves from the rest.
The top rail of the OBR has a built in 20MOA slope to ensure maximum adjustment from whatever optic you choose to mount. The LaRue PredatAR rail/hand guard diameter is noticeable smaller than any other makers out there, and very streamlined. It has threaded holes to which you configure your rail lengths, or covers, or even a sling mount if you desire, but also serves to keep the front end clutter free, smooth, and clean. It mounts directly to the upper receiver, and at no time does the fore-end touch the barrel or barrel nut, providing a 100% true free-floating barrel. Very nice for those interested in long range accuracy.
The bolt and BCG for both rifles are polished chrome plated, and make for a very slick action. The grip is from Magpul, and the stock we tested was the CTR with the ingenious LaRue RISR cheek piece, which allows the shooter to use a higher cheek weld, with the stock extended to any length, yet still be able to run the charging handle as designed. A nice touch for rifles outfitted with high power optics.
While we shot and played with 5.56 versions, it was the 7.62 variants that brought us out, so that is where we spent the majority of our time shooting, and testing. Initial groups from the OBR were right at the advertised 1/2MOA using both M118LR and Mk316LR ammunition. Three leaf clover groups were the norm, with a couple of impressive .40-.45 single ragged holes @ 100 yards, from a bench.
The PredatAR was no slouch in the accuracy department either, with every group fired well under the advertised 1 MOA accuracy standard using the same match grade ammunition as the OBR. Some groups opened up a wee larger than 1 MOA, but that was easily attributed to overzealous shooters going into rapid fire mode for entire magazines and ignoring the 3-5 shot groups.
Moving out to 10” plates at 200 and 300 yards, both rifles banged away at the gong’s with boring consistency from all positions. Every shooter on the line wished the range was 700 yards longer to truly get out and see what each rifle could do at extended ranges.
Finally when the ammunition supply was dry, and the barrels were cooling off, it was pretty obvious to all the shooters that LaRue had developed a very ergonomic, user friendly, reliable, and accurate battle rifle based on a platform that anyone who has served in the military in the last 40 years will be familiar with. There are no drastic changes to the basic Stoner design, just high quality parts, built to the tightest tolerances that allow reliable operation, put together by knowledgeable folks with an eye for detail, and quality assurance.
In this particular group, the PredatAR was the hands down favorite, mostly due to the light weight of the package. Weighing in at 7.75lbs without optics, the 16” barrel version is lighter than a 20” M16. Despite the light weight, recoil is quite manageable, even with the hard hitting 7.62 caliber. While the OBR was more accurate from the bench by ½”, even the seasoned snipers of the group were willing to sacrifice the ½ MOA advantage of the OBR for the lighter PredatAR. Of course, this group was also not looking for a precision rifle either, but a General Purpose Battle Rifle. Talking to others in the group, if a precision rifle was what was desired, the OBR becomes the choice.
Either way, both the OBR and PredatAR rifles proved to be great rifles, and the order for the PredatAR’s is going out once the entire package, final spec’s, and accessories can be agreed upon. My guess is that it will be a cross between the OBR and the PredatAR, taking the desired features from each to get them what they consider to be their own version of an “Optimized Battle Rifle”.