Building a Lightweight AR15

fivepointstar · Nov 11, 2008

I can use some advise, my next build will be a lightweight AR15 for my wife. The ARs I have now are just too heavy and bulky for her. She's fairly petite.

-Just want some advise on what type of 16" upper I should be looking at?

-Does the lightweight barrell really make a difference?

-Recommendations on a lightweight collapsible stock?

-My thoughts right now are something similiar to the DPMS Sporticle and mount a lightweight scope. The Flat top carbine with gas block looks fairly light.

ps...no pink furniture. I want to take it to range too.

squirrels · Nov 11, 2008

A lightweight barrel is probably the biggest difference you can get in weight. The barrel is the only part of the gun that is essentially a solid hunk of steel. The receivers are usually aluminum. A lightweight, low-profile barrel, or even a fluted one, will take a lot of the material off and lighten the load.

Most collapsible stocks are relatively light. They're just plastic. The Magpul CTR would be a good one if you want aftermarket, but if you don't mind it, the stock 6-pos you get with most rifles is adequate.

I don't think there's much more you can do to tinker with the weight of the rifle. I think some companies offer lighter-weight receivers and such. Bushmaster did some made of carbon-fiber for a while, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Just don't add a lot of components...heavy rails, flashlights, etc...that's what weighs down most people's AR15s.

pauln · Nov 11, 2008

squirrels said:
Bushmaster did some made of carbon-fiber for a while, but I don't know how reliable they are.

They still do. http://www.bushmaster.com/catalog_carbon15_AZ-C15M4PRE.asp
A friend of mine has one. The one time he used it to shoot a match we had, he had some reliability issues. Not sure if it was the gun or his mags.

Numidian · Nov 11, 2008

Having a bit of weight at the rear of the rifle isn't a bad thing... It helps balance the gun...and a balanced gun is always going to feel lighter then one thats heavy at one end. But if you really want a light collapsible stock, just get a cheap one, it'll probably be lighter then most anything else as far as collapsibles go... Something like the 4-position one for $29.99 on this site http://www.tickbitesupply.com/stocks.html

Think of it as holding a broom parallel to the ground...First hold it by the very end of the pole, then hold it in the middle... And thinking about it like that, I wonder if it might also help if you gave her a foregrip.

But yes, I'd definitely go with a pencil barrel and a flat top.

E.Shell · Nov 11, 2008

The light barreled flat-top is a very quick package to deploy. Recoil recovery suffers, but I think it's offset by that first shot advantage.
I have one built with a Bushy Superlight 16" barrel with an EOTech and it's a great cat & rat rifle.

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