Making a lighter AR

[OrbitalEllipses]

All that out of the way, there are plenty of ways to attain a rifle full up that's within the 5-pound to 5-1/2 pound range with standard forged lowers and uppers, without venturing into NFA if a shooter doesn't want to. When price differences are factored, the ounce or two can be made up with a lighter bcg, ligter buffer, and adjustable gas.

Go with a JP LMOS carrier riding in a no FA forged upper and you're looking at 5-8oz of savings over a standard M16 carrier and flattop upper. I've needed my FA before and the thought of tuning the gun to a narrow window of performance to use a low-mass carrier doesn't sit will with me.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

Iv always wanted to build a lightweight. My current Delton MOE rig is fairly light but I wouldn't mind shaving 10 ozs off.

On of the things I am concerned with is making the lightweight bolt carriers work with a reasonable buffer. Ive had some real buffer weight mismatches with ARs over the years.

 

[outrider58]

Iv always wanted to build a lightweight. My current Delton MOE rig is fairly light but I wouldn't mind shaving 10 ozs off.

On of the things I am concerned with is making the lightweight bolt carriers work with a reasonable buffer. Ive had some real buffer weight mismatches with ARs over the years.

View attachment 166727

Definitely room for reduction there.

 

[EliteContent]

What is considered heavy?

Is between 8-9 lbs unloaded considered heavy?

 

[Magnumite]

Reading this thread, for reference, I checked the weight of my carbine. It is a flat top 16" Carbine standard weight M4 type barrel, GI fsb, with A2 stock and Phantom flash hider. It has Knights Armament 'drop in' handguard, MI buis and Tasco ProPoint dot sight with 1/2" riser rail. Weighs in about 8 pounds 14 ounces with mag and no ammo. Using this, I can appreciate one of the light weight gems.

An overwatch-esque 18" HBAR with M-223 scope and mount goes over 10 pounds.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

Iv always wanted to build a lightweight. My current Delton MOE rig is fairly light but I wouldn't mind shaving 10 ozs off.

On of the things I am concerned with is making the lightweight bolt carriers work with a reasonable buffer. Ive had some real buffer weight mismatches with ARs over the years.

View attachment 166727

Losing the plastic and aluminum Magpul hand guard, delta ring, steel weld spring, steel retaining clip, and steel nut would save oodles of weight.

A short aluminum DPMS fluted free float hand guard is uber-light.

That hand grip is about 1.5 ounces heavier than a standard grip.

Much weight to be lost in the butt stock area as well.

And some barrel fluting would finish it off.

 

[friendlyhippo]

Go with a JP LMOS carrier riding in a no FA forged upper and you're looking at 5-8oz of savings over a standard M16 carrier and flattop upper. I've needed my FA before and the thought of tuning the gun to a narrow window of performance to use a low-mass carrier doesn't sit will with me.

Going with the AP Customs Rhino BCG saves you more. Also, i don't think anyone here was planning on an ultralight for life-depends-on-it situations. If they are then they need a couple carbine courses in crappy weather.

 

[Boss94]

You could try this !
http://www.mdshooters.com/showthread.php?t=184798

 

[OrbitalEllipses]

Going with the AP Customs Rhino BCG saves you more. Also, i don't think anyone here was planning on an ultralight for life-depends-on-it situations. If they are then they need a couple carbine courses in crappy weather.

Even in competition that's questionable isn't it? You tune the thing to within an inch of its life...it's going to get dirty over the course of the match. You start getting feeding problems (failures of the bolt to chamber the round fully) and you've got no FA to fix that problem for you. On an untuned (or less tuned) gun, running FA-less isn't really an issue because the design of the gun is such that there's always enough gas to cycle the bolt fully.

 

[photoracer]

What is considered heavy?

Is between 8-9 lbs unloaded considered heavy?

Borderline. Like I mentioned previously my 3-gun AR with fluted Stag 18" barrel and Burris 1.5-6x40 scope weighs about 9 lbs even with a carbon fiber handguard.
If you really want to save weight think about the barrel first. Except for CF wrapped barrels which are $$$ then a middle weight profile fluted barrel is a decent compromise. Pencil barrels weigh less but don't hold their accuracy under sustained fire. Lightest lower is the MagTech magnesium alloy lower (lighter than polymer). There are no magnesium uppers although someone makes polymer and possibly carbon fiber uppers. As for handguards CF and open frame alloy ones weigh close to the same thing, under 10 oz or less depending on length. I like CF because it is not affected by heat or cold like aluminum is but I have both types. There are some lightweight stocks out there like the Magpul Fixed Carbine. Actually a CF buffer tube would lose more weight than a lightweight stock. Of course all of this would make the AR cost $$$ as this is the kind of stuff you might find on 3-gun competition ARs if the parts are durable.
Also why I went and built a 7 lb. competition AR. But if I had not lucked into the CF wrapped barrel I doubt I would have made the effort to build it.

 

[friendlyhippo]

Even in competition that's questionable isn't it? You tune the thing to within an inch of its life...it's going to get dirty over the course of the match. You start getting feeding problems (failures of the bolt to chamber the round fully) and you've got no FA to fix that problem for you. On an untuned (or less tuned) gun, running FA-less isn't really an issue because the design of the gun is such that there's always enough gas to cycle the bolt fully.

Two points I'd like to make clear:

1. At what point (please quote my post directly which will provide a link to it) did I mention anything about competition?

2. At what point (again, please quote) did I mention anything regarding "tuning within an inch of its life"?



Both of my lightweight guns (one around 6.5 pounds with full weight bcg, the other about a pound lighter with the AP) run all sorts of ammo flawlessly and accurately, both clean and dirty.

Perhaps inexperience is leading you to overanalyzing?

 

[RoadDawg]

Holy! How do you keep the oil in it?

That thing looks like a face full of hot gasses on every shot.

 

[Vile Shadow]

That thing looks like a face full of hot gasses on every shot.

That's kinda what I thought.

 

[friendlyhippo]

That's kinda what I thought.

Looks like a few of us had the same mindset.

 

[OrbitalEllipses]

Two points I'd like to make clear:

1. At what point (please quote my post directly which will provide a link to it) did I mention anything about competition?

2. At what point (again, please quote) did I mention anything regarding "tuning within an inch of its life"?



Both of my lightweight guns (one around 6.5 pounds with full weight bcg, the other about a pound lighter with the AP) run all sorts of ammo flawlessly and accurately, both clean and dirty.

Perhaps inexperience is leading you to overanalyzing?

Both points are within the realm of discussion in the thread. A LW carrier needs to be tuned for, period. Don't see your point there. Talking about LW Rifles in general brings up gaming, so what's your point?

Username is inappropriate too.

 

[1time]

JP's lmos is extremely reliable, in my experience. My JP has been shot in matches in down pours, swampy ranges, muddy ranges, and ranges so dusty that you're blowing brown snot 3 days later and has been extremely reliable. I shoot everything from steel case wolf to Black Hills 77 grain without readjusting the gas system and clean the rifle 2x a year whether it needs it or not. I burned out the first barrel in 7 or 8 thousand rounds without a malfunction. I wouldn't take an unreliable gun to a match any sooner than I would carry one on patrol.

 

[friendlyhippo]

Both points are within the realm of discussion in the thread. A LW carrier needs to be tuned for, period. Don't see your point there. Talking about LW Rifles in general brings up gaming, so what's your point?

Username is inappropriate too.

Actually i did specify, sir/ma'am, that my lightweight rifles were built as range toys. If you draw incorrect conclusions that's on you.

What's inappropriate about my username?

 

[vgplayer]

That thing looks like a face full of hot gasses on every shot.

In the winter it's a feature.

 

[Merlin593]

Check out these skeletonized grips and foregrips
http://tacticaldynamicsllc.com/store/grips.html

 

[OrbitalEllipses]

What's inappropriate about my username?

Not all that friendly, now are you?