As a fan of pistol caliber carbines and retro guns, my nickers were thoroughly in a twist when a Rock River Arms LAR-9 with a fixed carry handle popped up at my local auction. I wanted it so bad, and for some reason, I was one of the few in the crowd who cared. I fended off a total of two other bids to snatch up the LAR-9.
After I paid so little for the gun, I felt the need to exit the auction before someone realized their mistake. I had the perfect mix of my two interests for very little money. The Rock River Arms LAR-9 looked and felt slick and delivered that retro 9mm SMG look. It vibes like an old Colt SMG, and it’s clear where Rock River Arms came from when they produced the gun.
Rock River Arms History
Rock River Arms has a reasonably long AR-15 history. It was one of the few AR companies to pop up before the end of the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Rock River Arms began producing AR-type rifles in 1997 and continues to make modern rifles. It’s tough to find much history on this early LAR-9.
Rock River Arms has quite a reputation. In 2003, they outperformed ten other companies to gain a 5,000 rifle contract with the DEA. Shortly after, the FBI and US Marshals purchased ARs, specifically the 5.56 LAR-15. Rock River Arms was chosen to arm the Iraqi Special Forces in post-Saddam Iraq. I learned all this, but I could not find much on the carry handle variant of the LAR-9. The LAR-9 is still produced as both a pistol and rifle with the modern flat top upper design.
What Are We Looking At With The LAR-9
The Colt SMG was the first widely produced 9mm AR design. The LAR-9 takes cues from the Colt SMG and later Colt 9mm rifles. It’s not an SMG, and it doesn’t have a 10.5-inch barrel but a 16-inch barrel. The gun features a six-position stock and old-school plastic M4-style handguards.
We have the dual aperture peep sight in an A2-like configuration. The A2-style sights with the drum below the rear sight seem unnecessary for a 9mm rifle. This is likely because they used the same carry handle upper for the LAR-9 as they did for the LAR-15. Mass-producing one upper rather than a new one for a 9mm carbine is easier.
One benefit the LAR-9 had over older Colt SMGs was the dedicated lower. Old Colt SMGs used a magazine block pinned into the receiver. Rock River Arms machines the lower with an adequately sized magwell. As you’d imagine, this thing doesn’t use a Glock magazine.
Instead, it uses the classic Colt SMG magazine, which is just a modified Uzi magazine. Unlike a Glock magazine, it’s a double-stack and double-feed magazine. People more intelligent than I say these magazines are more reliable than a submachine gun. I doubt it makes a difference in a rifle.
They are easier to load and shorter than Glock magazines. Plus, they are all metal and rather hefty. They always fall out when you press the magazine release button. These days, most Glock carbines have some form of last-round bolt hold-open device, but it’s not guaranteed. Colt SMG mags and guns have an LRBHO device.
Shooting the LAR-9
In the AR world, the most common method of operation is direct blowback. In 1997, direct blowback was all we had. No fancy radial delayed stuff. Predictably, the LAR-9 gives us that direct blowback experience. Direct blowback guns tend to have recoil that’s roughly on par with a 5.56 rifle, which often makes 9mm ARs a tough sell.
The LAR-9 isn’t quite that bad. You can improve the recoil impulse with a direct blowback AR by adequately balancing the buffer, buffer spring, and bolt weight. Rock River Arms did a fantastic job of smoothing out the LAR-9’s recoil impulse. It’s not as smooth as a CMMG Banshee, but it’s not as violent as other blowback 9mms.
Through the 16-inch barrel, there is no concussion. It’s super comfy to shoot, including at indoor ranges. Indoor range use is one of the most significant benefits of a PCC. The LAR-9 has soft recoil and minimal muzzle rise, so it’s an easy shooter. It’s controllable, and putting six rounds into an A zone takes less than two seconds from the low ready.
All The Accuracy
The A2 sights are famed for their over-the-top nature. They are kind of insane for an infantry rifle. They are target sights more than combat sights. However, I flipped up the wider aperture, did a quick zero, and embraced the carry handle iron sights. It’s been a while since I did the carry handle dance, but once you’ve learned the steps, it’s easy to slide back in.
I trotted 100 yards downrange and did what I call the “minute of bad-guy” test. I do this with shotgun slugs and PCCs. It’s simple. I set up a Sage Dynamics printed target on standard letter-sized paper and fired five rounds. If the five rounds hit the target at 100 yards, it’s a “minute of bad-guy” accurate.
The LAR-9 landed all five rounds onto the paper, three of the five hitting in the center of the paper and two hitting a little lower on the paper. For a PCC, that’s quite good. The 9mm round isn’t made for 100-yard usage, so you can’t expect a true 1 MOA PCC. With the LAR-9, I swapped to the precision aperture and aimed at the top of the paper. The rounds lobbed themselves right into the target.
I can create one ragged hole in a target at 25 yards from the off-hand position. This is certainly accurate enough for the close-range shooter. The iron sights aren’t optimum in 2024, but they still get the job done.
Slapping Steel
Reliability wasn’t a problem. I had some Colt SMG mags from ASC, and they work well. They are hefty, black, and damn reliable. The magazines keep up with all my rapid-fire shooting. Colt magazines insert straight inward and drop as soon as the magazine release is pressed.
All my shooting was done with 115-grain FMJs. It’s the most basic of 9mm ammo and works well through the gun. The LAR-9 eats it up and spits it out. The old beast still delivers high levels of reliability. Blowback guns might not be optimum, but they are dang sure reliable.
READ MORE HERE: The Best PCC Optics Out There
The Little LAR-9 That Could
Admittedly, this isn’t a fancy little thing. The plastic M4-style handguards and plain Jane six-position stock wouldn’t ever be considered fancy. It’s just a simple gun from the late 90s, and it shows. I don’t intend to try and tacticalize it, but I’m considering some period-appropriate upgrades.
If I can find one, I’ll grab a Surefire M500 handguard with integrated light. A gooseneck mount with something like a COMP 3 Aimpoint would also be perfect. I’d give it that early 2000s appeal without covering it in M-LOK.
I snagged this rifle for cheap, and it’s a solid platform. I’ve looked at the modern Rock River Arms 9mm rifles and pistols, and I find it challenging to justify the price RRA wants. In a world where these things are everywhere, asking over a grand for a blowback 9mm seems nuts. Lots of companies are producing high-quality, modern 9mm ARs for a lot less than that.
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