How would I lighten up my AR?

[turnerdye1]

The pencil barrels run in the $160 range. No real way around it because they aren't as popular as "m4" barrels. I looked around for a while and that's about all I could find anywhere.

Where did you find that price at?

I have two AR's and both have 16" barrel. One has a heavy barrel, and one has a low profile barrel. I have not weighed them, but you can tell a significant difference in overall weight.

Is the low profile barrels the same as the M4?

 

[the1kidd03]

Where did you find that price at?



Is the low profile barrels the same as the M4?

DPMS 16" Sportical/Oracle 5.56 LW Barrel AR15 NEW : AR15 Parts at GunBroker.com

There's a few other on that site and I believe Bradis did have them for $169

 

[Classic]

I built a superlight AR recently. I have it at 6.6 lbs., very light. Lightest barrel, metal upper (integral handle and rear sight like original) and lower, skinniest handguard, Small ATI Collapsable butstock, standard GI front sight and side mounted nylon sling with GGG mounts. Portable and durable. No tacticool laser/holograph/illuminator/range finder or bipod.

 

[karl77]

would ditch the magpul gear (yeah i know it's blasphemy) and go back to mil spec equipment. would also use 20 round mags.

 

[turnerdye1]

DPMS 16" Sportical/Oracle 5.56 LW Barrel AR15 NEW : AR15 Parts at GunBroker.com

There's a few other on that site and I believe Bradis did have them for $169

Ill have to check at Bradis next time I'm in there. They have the I'm wanting so I might just get the barrel too if my finances can handle the extra cash.

Thanks for all the help guys.

 

[tradertator]

would ditch the magpul gear (yeah i know it's blasphemy) and go back to mil spec equipment. would also use 20 round mags.

What would that accomplish, other than making the rifle less comfortable?

 

[Tydeeh22]

or.. or.. hear me out...

SBR THAT NOISE.

 

[spyder]

I built a superlight AR recently. I have it at 6.6 lbs., very light...

Really? I mean that as in... Is that all you could pull off? I had mine down to 5.7. Of my four other friends, mine was the heaviest (only by mere oz of course, but still heaviest). With what you have, either buy a new barrel, or have a gunsmith turn yours down. Take a look at your gas block, is it big, or a low profile one? What muzzle brake or flash hider are you using? Taking that off if you have more than 16" of barrel would save some weight. Just run your AR with no muzzle device. What optic do you have on there? You can more than likely drop weight with a socom stock.

 

[lucky4034]

The only thing on that list that I might get rid of the the vertical grip. The optics and light is what I consider to be NEEDS on a rifle.

balance might make a difference.... Try moving your light and optics as far back as tactfully possible. If you have all your weight positioned at the end of your rifle its going to feel much heavier than it is.

Even if you can move things back just a few inches, you will probably notice the difference.

 

[LukeDuke25]

Magpul Vertical Grip
Magpul BUIS
Yankee Hill Folding Front Sight
Vtac Light Mount
Streamlight PolyTac Light

Get rid of all this. Unless you are LE or actively in the military in a hot zone.

I would never get rid of backup sights. Otherwise any other "tacticool" accessories should be removed if you want to save weight!

 

[lucky4034]

Another temporary solution would be to drop the vertical grip and learn how to use a sling properly. (I'm assuming the rifle is heavy shooting off-hand)

 

[turnerdye1]

balance might make a difference.... Try moving your light and optics as far back as tactfully possible. If you have all your weight positioned at the end of your rifle its going to feel much heavier than it is.

Even if you can move things back just a few inches, you will probably notice the difference.

Thanks I might try that and see how well it works for me. I do plan on getting rid of the vertical grip when I get my new rail.

 

[Classic]

Really? I mean that as in... Is that all you could pull o[STRIKE][/STRIKE]ff? I had mine down to 5.7. Of my four other friends, mine was the heaviest (only by mere oz of course, but still heaviest). With what you have, either buy a new barrel, or have a gunsmith turn yours down. Take a look at your gas block, is it big, or a low profile one? What muzzle brake or flash hider are you using? Taking that off if you have more than 16" of barrel would save some weight. Just run your AR with no muzzle device. What optic do you have on there? You can more than likely drop weight with a socom stock.

I'm happy with the 6.6. Not really lookin for advice. Just giving an example for the OP.

 

[Zephri]

Magpul stuff is heavy compared to the stock furniture but if you don't want to remove all of that then a lighter barrel as others have said is the way to go. A different flashlight possibly a pistol light may help out also, as those weight a decent amount too.

 

[Tombs]

Get one of the troy alpha rails or the TRX extreme rails. The freefloat tubes. Getting rid of the handguards and the front sight makes a considerable difference.

Since you're free floating now, a pencil barrel isn't going to hurt you as bad, so get yourself a pencil barrel.

Ditch the stock for the most basic of basic collapsible stocks. Ditch the muzzle device for a thread protector. Lower mass bolt and a lighter buffer would be about the last things I can think of before you're going to be drilling holes in the receiver. I suppose some grips could add fractions of an ounce though.

 

[millsusaf]

Send your existing barrel to ADCO to get turned down. Save dropping the v-grip and replacing the Y-Hill FS I don't see where you can drop much weight.

Shop/Machine Services at Adco Firearms

 

[mikefraz]

To me, the flashlight set up and the vertical grip are tacticool added weight and can be dropped. That'd help a lot.

 

[Echelon]

Send your existing barrel to ADCO to get turned down. Save dropping the v-grip and replacing the Y-Hill FS I don't see where you can drop much weight.

Shop/Machine Services at Adco Firearms

+1 for ADCO. I literally just had a barrel delivered to them this morning, and I had an email just over an hour ago saying they were done, and it was back in the mail. It was so fast, I emailed to confirm it wasn't a mistake. Nope, Steve said it was done.

I expected a week or two turn-around, so I was VERY happy to hear I got same day service.

 

[rhino]

Ah, that makes sense. So if I wasn't using it for that purpose, just for sport, I should still have back up sights?

Don't mean to hi-jack the thread. I'll stop.

Red dots die in 3 gun matches too. I've completed courses of fire with backup iron sights when it happened to me in the past.

If a rifle is intended to be used for defense, it needs a light. If a rifle might be used for defense, it needs a light. If your only potential application is recreational shooting, ou don't need a light.