The RISE Armament 1121XR Is a Serious Heavy-Caliber Precision Rifle

RISE Armament is a name you should get used to hearing. RISE’s 300LE rifle made a lot of waves in 2018. The RISE Armament 1121XR should be no different.

In early October, the 2018 Athlon Outdoors Rendezvous took place just outside of Missoula, Mont. More than 30 firearm companies, accessory makers and ammunition manufacturers made the trip to present their products to Athlon’s top contributors. RISE Armament joined us and I had the opportunity to chat with Garrett Grover to learn the details of the relatively new RISE Armament 1121XR rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor.

According to Grover, RISE Armament introduced the 1121XR in 2017 and chambered it for the .308 cartridge. Just a couple months ago Rise Armament started shipping the 1121XR chambered for the hugely popular 6.5 CM.

RISE Armament 1121XR Precision Rifle in 6.5 Creedmoor

“It is pretty much identical to the .308 version except for the barrel,” Grover said. “We went with the 22-inch 416R stainless with a 1:8-inch twist. The .308 has a 20-inch barrel with a 1:11.25-inch twist. This rifle features our RA-701 stainless steel compensator to tame muzzle rise, and we use a black nitride carrier group. We machine our 7075 billet receiver set in-house. We use our 902 free floating handguard, which is 15 inches in length, and it is M-Lok compatible.

“The slim and ergonomically designed free-floating aluminum handguard provides exceptional weight savings and cooling properties while remaining strong and durable,” Grover continued.

RISE has an incredible selection of AR-15 trigger options, and it went with one of its best here.

“We outfit the 1121XR with our hugely popular RA-535 High Performance trigger. The 535 was kind of Rise Armament’s flagship product, and it is the trigger which many others are measured by. It has a super clean 3.5-pound break, virtually no overtravel and a very short 1/8-inch reset. It is a single-stage trigger. In fact, all of our triggers are single stage.”

Triggers That RISE to the Occasion

Camille Torres, RISE Armament’s marketing director, showed me several demonstration units, basically an AR lower without the magwell or any other parts, equipped with various RISE Armament trigger kits. Impressively, each broke crisply with zero overtravel and a very firm re-set. RISE Armament understands that even the most accurate rifle in the world won’t reach its potential unless it has a great trigger. I’ll be buying some of RISE Armament RA535 triggers for my precision ARs! They are that good!

The RISE Armament 1121XR uses a Magpul PRS stock and a Magpul MOE pistol grip, and the gun comes with an ambidextrous safety/selector. The bolt carrier group is Nitride-coated for corrosion resistance and a low friction coefficient.

Grover claims the rifle is capable of sub-minute-of-angle accuracy, mentioning that he shot a 960-yard group this year with the same rifle I fired that measured about 4.5 inches!

“We stand behind every rifle we build, and if you’re not getting the kind of accuracy we think our rifles are capable of, send it back to us and let us take care of it,” Grover explained. “Even if you sell your gun to a buddy and he’s unhappy with it, we’ll take it back and make whatever corrections are necessary to get the rifle shooting like it should. The rifles come with a lifetime warranty and they are fully transferable to the new owner.”

Shooting the 1121XR Precision Rifle

With Grover spotting me, I sat down at the DOA Tactical portable shooting bench and found the 8-inch steel plate hung at a distance of 1,050 yards. With Grover’s help I was able to ring the steel on my third shot, and after I found my hold was able to hit the target with boring reliability.

It was amazing just how good the trigger on this gun is. Crisp, with no over-travel and a short and very positive reset; I was able to watch my hits and fire a quick follow-up shot thanks to the effectiveness of the RA muzzle brake.

The RISE Armament 1121XR rifle impressed across the board. Assembled with quality components by people who really know how to build rifles, the 1121XR provides the accuracy and reliability needed for just about any use from hunting to competition.

For more information, visit RISEArmament.com.