Before I start this review I first must say that because of all the negative media coverage that the ”little black rifle that could“ gets, we here at Femme Fatale Arms and Training have decided that we will no longer refer to the Armalite rifle version 15 as simply AR, we have decided to instead use DR (defensive rifle) as this better represents one of the reasons a lot of us have purchased these rifles.
There are hundreds of DR-15 pattern rifles on the market today from just as many manufacturers. Everyone from Adams Arms to Wyndham Weaponry makes at least one model; some are great while others are just ok. We here in Central Florida have a few local manufacturers that make them as well. Again, some are fabulous while others are not even worthy of me mentioning their name. One of the best local companies that we carry is Live Free Armory just down the street in West Melbourne.
I have previously reviewed one of their DR pistols and it was my experience with them that led me to purchase one of their LF-15 rifles for my wife for our anniversary. Their base rifle comes with a 16 inch black nitride finished 1 in 7” twist barrel, one of their 15” inch full float Key Mod hand guards, a Rogers six position adjustable stock, a 30 round Magpul windowed magazine, and a fabric carrying case, all Cerakoted to your choice of a wide range of colors plus the option of a battle worn finish. The M-16 style bolt carrier group is also Nitrided for proven reliability.
Live Free Armory also offers a few upgrades to add to your rifle and I picked and tested a few of them. The first is the Ergo lower parts kit which features Ergo’s Beavertail pistol grip, no slip trigger pins and a trigger as smooth as any high dollar custom rifle on the market today. Another upgrade I decided on was the MRE muzzle break. This is, in my opinion, the best upgrade you can do to the rifle. The decrease in felt recoil plus the almost absence of muzzle rise over the birdcage flash hider is worth every bit of the extra $45 that it costs.
At the range, I fired both .223 and 5.56 ammo in several different grain weights at distances from 50 to 200 yards. The rifle worked perfectly with no malfunctions, all together I ran 400 rounds through it. I was extremely pleased with both the accuracy and operation of this awesome rifle.
As always thanks for reading
DenDgunGuy
Dennis
