F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15 Review

F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15

There are firearms, and then there are F-1 firearms. They are flashy, unapologetic spitters of freedom that one can only describe as Vegas meets the Second Amendment—true super models of the gun world, if you will. Good news for those out there looking to pick up a hot new side piece, these guns run as good as they look and are relatively low maintenance; a bold statement for a rifle deserving of a rack in the back window of a Lambo. The only downside, at $3,000+, they kind of are gold-diggers, but when they look this good, especially the F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15, is that a surprise?

All-American Rocket Pop BDRX-15

Meet F-1 Firearms’ ‘Merica-clad beauty, the Rocket Pop BDRX-15. Born from a freedom-loving family of AR innovators in Spring, Texas, F-1 Firearms has forged quite a reputation for themselves. So much so, that their rigs routinely land in the hands of celebrities like Bruce Willis, competitive shooters like Lena Miculek, and even the King of Instagram himself, Dan Bilzerian. I’m not saying that buying an F-1 will get you a harem of women like Dan, but it may be a start… that and millions of dollars. Either way, if there was ever a gun worthy of room in your collection, a custom-tailored F-1, in any of their 60-plus finishes is sure to give you all the all-American arm candy you desire.

After the jaw-dropping first impressions of this gun wore off, I asked myself, “Before I even shoot this gun, what makes an F-1 Firearms AR so damn expensive?"

The answer? Each gun is painstakingly built by hand with extreme attention to detail. Unlike many custom AR shops out there, an F-1 rifle boasts matched uppers and lowers. Other builders pull an upper from one bin, a lower from another, drop in components, and call it complete. Alternatively, when you order an F-1 Firearms rifle, it’s like buying a custom-tailored suit.

From order intake to delivery, nothing at F-1 resembles an assembly line. Each gun begins as blocks of Billet aluminum and is subsequently precision-machined into an upper receiver, lower receiver, and handguard. After these aggressively skeletonized components leave F-1’s machining process, hours of tumbling and hand deburring of remaining imperfections follow. Once smooth, F-1 Firearms adds matching grips and foregrips to their rifles. From there, it is off to F-1’s closely-guarded, secret anodizing process. I’m not quite sure what takes place, but when coating work is complete, the finished product is definitely one commanding of a $3G drop. Like they say, there is just something sexy when a little is left to the imagination… and whatever that is, F-1 nails it. To wrap up the production process, accents like a color-coordinated paracord grip wrap and anodized controls complete F-1 Firearm’s stylized touches. Simply put, F-1 rigs are the epitome of bespoke weaponry.

To note, specific to the F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15, it’s also stacked with ultra-sultry components like a spiral-fluted, match-grade barrel; Dragon Slay-AR muzzle brake; HIPERFIRE trigger with a crisp break at 4.5-5.5 pounds, and F-1’s Low Mass DuraBolt bolt carrier group, enhanced with a Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) coating for a highly polished yet durable, corrosion-resistant finish.

Like a hot date, trigger time with the F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15 was also a treat. Let’s just say, an F-1 rifle is a lady on the street but a freak at the range. Rounds made their charge at the drop of HIPERFIRE’s finely tuned trigger and resulted in the kind of tight groups a seasoned shooter doesn’t forget. Even better, the Rocket Pop flawlessly cycled mag-dump after mag-dump of Winchester’s 55-grain 5.56 ammo.

Shifting my pew-pew party to a nearby shooting lane lined with 2-MOA steel targets, I hammered out an increasingly fast and effective balance of speed and precision due in part to F-1’s Dragon Slay-AR muzzle brake’s efficient mitigation of both recoil impulse and muzzle rise. The F-1 fun continued over at the competitive shooting course. At just six and a half pounds, the F-1 Firearms Rocket Pop BDRX-15 was a pleasure to carry as I ran from position to position and shot my way through a number of practice stages, including an array of challenging obstacles and barricades.

My final thoughts? If looks and performance turn you on, look no further.

MSRP $3,190