Just curious... the ACR intrigues me especially in a SBR format with a shortened and reprofiled barrel.
But I'm curious as to how many of you consider the ACR to be your main rifle?

If you don't mind sharing, what other magazine fed semiautomatic rifles do you own and do you like them more or less than the ACR?
I've got several rifles I'm considering to buy this year, but the ACR is the only one I'm considering that isn't fielded by any country or unit in the world. Kind of worried it'll be a rifle everyone's forgotten about in another 20 years so I'm hoping it's still a great worthy rifle. And did black ACRs vastly outnumber the FDE??

I don't own an ACR, but I did work at the Remington/Bushmaster R&D dept and played a lot around with some full sized and SBR versions; my opinion is more of a "general perception"; I don't have any field time with the ACR

The big thing with the ACR is that it's designed to be a "perfect" assault rifle.  There aren't many aftermarket accessories, and the "quick change caliber" barrels never went to production (don't ask me why, I think it's dumb that we dropped it).  It's heavy, not really customizeable, but pretty cool looking.

The reality is that an AR has the same capabilities and has the advantage of being excessively customized to your preferences.  Additionally, a quality AR costs less than half what an ACR does.  If you're after quality alone, then sure. An ACR *might* be the best, but a PSA govt style AR will likely have similar accuracy, reliabilty, and better ergonomics. At a fraction of the cost.


With all that said, I would totally buy an ACR if I had the money.  Theyre badass.  I just don't think theyre the end-all, be-all in the carbine world.

I have several ARs, MPX, Kriss Vector, and a few precision rifles. With that said, and with some money invested, I have made my ACR my primary rifle for the majority of my needs. Marvin Pitts designed a lock collar that eliminates the quick change function but retains accuracy as the barrel heats up. Nexus Tactical has a carbon fiber handguard that significantly reduces weight and extends beyond the factory aluminum handguard. I shoot 77gr SMK without any concerns and the accuracy is exceptional. Thanks to gunsmiths like Marvin Pitts, the rifle has the reality it should have had.

Got any pics?

I have a 9" mcx Sbr, g36k clone, 2 ar's (one was a mk18 mod 1) and a few other toys.

The Acr is my primary. I've shot so much through it that it just feels off to shoot something else. I tried to run the mcx last winter but I couldn't go back. I kept missing my reloads consistently so I just stayed with the Acr.  

I design and build my own parts/conversions so I pretty much can do whatever length/caliber I feel like plus I work for an 07/02 so that makes it moar better.   Thanks to CJ and his beautiful trunion, my rifle is currently 6.5 pounds with a 10.2" 300blk semi auto setup.

I've been tossing the idea of doing a 9" 5.56 for my new setup.

For those that don't know, he's referring to a lightweight aluminum trunnion I designed and had made at a machine shop...

You know how for some people the answer to every question is as simple as a Colt 6920? And they own 5 of them? I'm not that guy. I like variety and prefer not to have two of the same gun or optic. if you're like the former, it's hard to justify an ACR. If you're like the latter, an ACR should be part of your collection. Although, I feel it should be SBRed as with most guns except some bullupups ;) I realize this doesn't answer your question directly, but in part, it's the variety of my collection that I like. I have a PS90 SBR, Kriss SDP SBR, MPLA / MCR SBR, AUG pinned 14", LWRC IC lower w/ Mr556 SBR, ACR SBR, FS2000 among others. I'd like to get a X95, ARX100, etc. In case it's not obvious, I'm just a shooter/collector, not an operator..

I have one, had Marvin work it over. Will it ever be my 'main' rifle? No.

Why?

b/c it's not my neighbor's, nor yours, nor the mil's. There will always be AR parts/pieces out there. Try getting a spare ACR BCG to throw in your kit and you'll see why.

Main, no. Top 3, yes.

10.5" ACR in 300BLK (form 1 in process)
16" CMMG AR 308
Yugo AK

Different tools for different jobs.

Actually I forgot to mention my M92 AK pistol, which is probably my #1 all-time main weapon. It can cross state lines without ATF approval, unlike my ACR. It's almost as vehicle friendly.

I don't really have a main rifle I guess, they kind of take turns sitting at the front of the safe. I currently own
Tavor
ACR
XCR
LWRC (5.45)
Ps90
4 fal's
Couple krink's and a couple pistol cal guns
I've owned and sold a few Hk clones, a few ar's and ak's, even a scar 17

Right now the ACR, Tavor and ps90 are my favorites

Nice collection!!!!

Not only is one my main home defense rifle, I've been running one hard in major competitions for about 5 years.  I put close to 1k rounds a month through it last year,  about 500 per month this year because of a hurt nerve.  Between the 2 barrels I use for the match gun I'm a bit over 30k rounds.  I could never use anything else.

I also disagree, it's very customizable although not a lot needs to be messed with to be honest.

My HD rifle is a 9" 300blk in black with a Nexus CL3, Templar extended bolt release, Eotech and Mod 1 lightened carrier.  I have a 10.3" 223 in the works.  Both barrels are from Dana at Templar.

My match gun has 2 14" barrels with SF brakes, a lightened factory barrel and a heavy JP Supermatch with Marvin's gas system.  I also have a 16" 6.5 Grendel on the way.  The 2 223s are from Marvin and the 6.5G is from Dana at Templar.  The rifle also has a Nexus CL2 with a CL4 on the way, Mod 1 lightened carrier, Templar extended bolt release,  Nexus safety and extended mag release, Hiperfire 24C trigger, Vortex Razor HD2 1-6x, KAC offsets and I switch between the folding stock and the PRS stock depending on the match.

Like I said I've been using it hard in chrome and local competition and it's never it's been beat to hell but still performs like a work of art.  I wouldn't ever switch.  It's so reconfigurable I wouldn't ever need to.

Another thing Ive got to dispute is that an AR doesn't do what it does.  An AR can be highly modified to be kind of like it or you can buy one thats been made with similar features if you want to pay even more.  But there is no AR that's got the same ergonomics with all the controls being ambidextrous at your fingertips tips, a collapsible stock with adjustable cheek weld and non reciprocating forward charging handle, plus runs as clean, has a QD stock, handguard, trigger, and barrel making it highly configurable, not to mention has a monolithic upper and comes with melonited everything while being a 1moa rifle.  Further it accepts STANAG mags, AR triggers, AR small parts and hardware and AR barrels.  Find me an AR that comes from the manufacturer with all or those features.  Some have some of those features hodge podged into the design, and that gets you a 3k or 4k price tag.  

The conversions weren't available from the factory but that may be because realistically do you want to pay out the ass for factory parts?  My JP gets .5 MOA, while my 10" and 9" barrels are in to $99 range.  I have literally never bought a single factory part for any of my ARs or pistol or shotguns.  Never once.  And from what I've seen caliber conversion from other rifles like the scar approach 1500.  For a freaking factory barrel.

No offense but these are the standard complaints of someone who's never owned and ACR rifle.  Is it an end all be all?  Probably not, it kind of is for me honestly, but it is better than the AR and any other next gen rifles.  The only real argument is that the AR is good enough and doesn't need to be better.  I disagree because I like technological progress and there were always things that bothered me about the AR/M4/M16.  The ACR covered each and every one of those for me.  

To answer your other question, I own a number of ARs in various configurationsizes and I've tested some very high end ARS such as the JPs and still prefer the ACR.  In fact I only take on sponsors that won't interfere with me using the ACR, including rifle sponsors.  As in I've turned down free guns lol.

Not my go to blaster, but I do enjoy it.

Here's my HD setup up minus the suppressor.  I don't have a pic with that here.







This is my standard match configuration



Here's my light weight/hoser match/tac irons configuration.  You can't see it but it has a light profile and fluted 14" barrel.  The barrels do return to zero so each optic is zeroed to it's designated barrel.




Here's for DMR matches or matches with a lot of long range but no tight spaces like cars.  This will be where the 6.5G barrel goes with some longer optics.



This is my hunting configuration in 300blk




Here's some of the aforementioned abuse during competition and training





This one would have murdered most of my ARs.




And if you're wondering what 5 years and 30k does to the aestheticstates of a rifle.  It looks like hell but I can't bring my self to recoat it.




Also as to the adaptability, this is a combination of mine and BigDogs ACRs.  It only takes a few seconds to switch to any of these confirguations.





The whole point of this is to show that it most definitely does do everything I need it to.  I only buy more ACRs so I can get artsy with them.  For the longest time I didn't need anything else.  My ARs collect dust while the ACR just gets more configurations.  Recently I've been buying more ACRs and rifles based off of the ACR like the MDR and hopefully the FOX 42.  Basically just to collect, except the Fox
But if the world ended tonight,  I'd grab the ACRs without a doubt and leave the ARs or give them to family.  Plus I'm that scenario, the ACR has almost zero wear parts and can run basically dry. (That's what she said.)

I'm not totally locked down on the pistol though.  No one's made an ACR of pistols yet.

Everyone loves 9 inches.

Wow Dustin, those are beautiful rifles. Never heard of Nexus rails before but they look really nice and handy.
Did you just chop the barrel down or did you also reprofile them?

Thanks a lot.  The lightweight barrel has been reprofiled and fluted, the JP is a heavyweight that was just shortened.  The 300blk came that length.

Nexus handguards are great.  They have 4 designs at 2 different lengths all made out of a Carbon Fiber Poly mix and ranging from 3.5oz to 5.5oz.  I've done a lot of testing and they're damn near indestructible.  In competition I've broken 3 other brands of handguards, this is the best I've seen.

ACR really is a great rifle that was shunned by individuals because of
cost. If they could ever get a military contract people would be piling over
each other to get one.

The US will be using the M4 still in 50 years.  It's politics and the only politician that called them out on it and demanded a change died and the program with him.  SOCOM being separate started the SCAR then pulled them.  Honestly if the ACR had been available when they were looking I think that may have been their choice

Several European nations use them with their special forces though, most notably the Polish.  It's also easily one of the most popular movie and video game rifles now though.  For good reason, it looks like what a rifle in the future should look like.

I'll add:  As long as gunpowder is the primary force of small arms, the M4 (or viariations of it) will be the weapon of the US.  Small arms tech has really stagnated and likely won't be replaced until something more powerful than a bullet is feasible.

That's basically an excuse.  The AR was ahead of its time but improvements have been made in ergonomics, cleanliness, durability and even adaptability.  The battle of wanut was a great example of how the M4 system needs to be replaced.  It's too dirty and unreliable for hard "oh shit we're fucked" combat.  It's also too high maintenance for dumb soldiers who can't figure out how important it is to keep it cleaned and slathered in lube.  I know everyone knows someone somewhere who hasn't cleaned they're rifle in 10k rounds blah blah.  But would you want them and their rifle next to you in heavy combat?  Just about everyone in a combat most has also seen one jamb up because someone didn't clean or lube it.  Fact is there are options, like the ACR and even the SCAR, with minimal wear parts, high durability can run dry and don't even seem dirty for 10x as long as the AR.  Is the M4 good enough?  I guess.  But are there better things that have come down the pipe?  Absolutely.  Technology has in fact progressed considerably in multiple ares and there is zero excuse for not taking advantage of it.  Further if we progressed past the bullet the Army still wouldn't switch.  The militarys, specifically the Army's, procurement program has become so screwed up and political that nothing has managed to change without an act of Congress.  The M4 debacle is a great example of the, not just the most recent tests but the XM8 program.  The ACU was even more obvious.  Only a moron would think that blends in to shit.  But that's not what they cared about.  Progressing the US military is no longer a concern of the Army.  So even if Russia adapts mini rail guns, the M4 will still be in service.  Maybe we'll start a new upgrade program lol.  

I think you're exaggerating the fallibility of the M4.  I've only had good experiences with the weapon and I don't know of any soldier that would disagree.  I have had issues with shitty mags, but that's a seperate (and easily fixable) problem.  Understanding that an ACR would be absurdly expensive and would only be marginally better, it makes sense that it's not a high priority.

I agree with the ACU problem though.  Piece of shit camo that might as well have glow belts sewn into it.

I could see how it sounds like that.  The M4 is a good rifle but it's an old dirty rifle and we can do better.  I also saw quite a few go down for lack of pre oiling and cleaning. But individual soldiers aren't the problem so much as the fact that actual battles and engagements have been effected in major ways.  And most people I know the were didn't want a replacement were officers, noninfantry or new privates that love their cool new rifle.  Obviously no one hates it, allthough I hated cleaning it and hated u fucking privates with malfunctioning weapons.  It's just if we're at a point where this can be fixed then why not.  Plus looking high-tech has an effect on our enemy, it's the reason they surrender in droves.  We're scary.  But at some point we decided looking cool and intimidating was a bad thing.  Probably again because of the stupid ACU crap.

Also the expense is exaggerated especially considering right after the combat rifle comp the Army placed an order for half a million new upgraded M4s (not m4 upgrades, new rifles) and they do so on a regular basis.  So they are in fact ordering brand new rifles and actively replacing the inventory just like they do with uniforms and equipment.  There's no reason it can't be a different rifle, again just like with uniforms.  The money that would be spent is also not a major amount in the overall budget.  It sounds like a lot to us but it's nothing.  As the senator that pushed for the replacement said, small arms is one of the least expensive upgrades we can make and it's already in the budget.  Think about it, Russia is replacing theirs, so is Isreal, China, Poland, Germany, the British, Australia and Austria did not too long ago.  We are way more capable or switching than them especially since Russia and China are technically 3rd world militaries.  There's no explanation why they can do this but the world's richest most high tech military is stumped on how to get it done.  It's a line we're being fed, that's all.

To me it just shows they don't care about the infantry or how corrupt the procurement system has gotten.  If the was the cold war we'd have a new rifle.

ETA:  forgot Italy

Is the bolt life in an ACR longer than an AR?

Yes.  It's melonited but also it's more solid, doesn't have cutouts for gas rings and isn't subjected to heat or carbon.  The carrier is much more solid and again isn't heat cycled and is melonite coated.  The whole system is about as close to wear free as you can get.

Just google ACR bolt and yes it is very solid by the looks of it. How much would a setup cost like your lightweight comp. gun minus optics and trigger?

I agree with much of your post, except I don't believe the carrier is Melonited. It machines easily, is easily cut with a file, and appears to me to be regular phosphate like an AR carrier.

You mean the lightweight version of my comp gun or the standard set up?

Honestly most of the ACR is good to go minus the trigger.  It has most features that most people would add to an AR.

I'll do a breakdown for each.

The light setup

Nexus CL4 CF skeletonized handguard - 550
Factory barrel cut to 14", reprofiled and full length fluted - 4 or 500? I can't quite remember
Mod1 lightened carrier - 125
Templar Precision extended bolt release - 26 (on sale for 12)
Nexus safety - 20
Magpul Mlok sling loop - 18
Surefire brake - 150

My standard match setup

Nexus CL2 CF handguard - 550
JP Supermatch SS barrel cut to 14" - 500
Surefire brake - 150
Used to SJC Titan which I prefer that's 90
KAC low profile offset irons - 200
Nefarious Arms gas system - I'll have to look that up
Only other difference is the optic which is a Vortex Razor HD2 1-6x on a LaRue SPR-E mount
Everything else is the same.

I'm pretty positive it is.  At least it's advertised as such and appears to be the same as all the other melonite stuff I have plus it's a bit smoother answer slicker than all my factory AR carriers.  Pike at Mod 1 and Marvin also said it was difficult to cut.  I wouldn't know that personally lol

Oooh, thanks for the price breakdown! I assume you pinned and welded the Surefire brake onto the 14" barrel? Or did you SBR the rifle?
Would love to know the price and performance of the Nefarious Arms gas system. Can it be added to a factory cut down and reprofiled barrel?
I handled an ACR in the store today and it is definitely more front heavy than I'd like. Thinking if I cut down the barrel a few inches and reprofiled it, it'd be just fine. Trigger was also meh, but I think Geissele makes a ACR trigger.

Thanks!

Yes a factory ACR doesn't balance well because of that front end weight and it isn't exactly cheap to address.

I wouldn't know personally either, but I presented the concern to my machinist before lightening and he used a file to quickly determine it wasn't Melonited.

Honestly you don't notice the balance during use, if anything it seems to help keep the rifle stable and speed up follow up shots.  That said a 14" barrel is very noticeable.  It may be a good bit cheaper to just buy a lightweight barrel and have the gas port resized then swap over the gas ports and sell the factory barrel.  It is a really nice barrel.  I believe mine sold for 150 or 100.

Ive never heard of testing with a file.  I just did the same to a melonited barrel and it scratched.

I'm looking for 9"300 and 9"556 barrels complete, hoping BigDog can get those sorted out soon.

Can some one tell me what the shortest barrel length a Nexus rail can handle without going underneath the rail itself?

Toyz

Which nexus?  I have a cl3 on tap I can get measurements from now.

9" is directly in front of the receiver, 9.7 is pretty close to the end of the Nexus iirc.

Here's 9" under a CL3 which is the same length as the cl1.





And here's a suppressor under it.





Honestly I've probably put more rounds unsuppressed  than suppressed and it's fine.  Probably my favorite length.

Perfect. Mine should be here in a week!!!

Again, I'm no expert, but supposedly Melonite treated carbon steels are harder than a common file. Using one will determine which is softer. Additionally, there's file sets of different hardnesses used to test the hardness of a material. It's also worth mentioning, brand new, test fired only carriers show wear similar to ordinary phosphate.

I'd really like to get to the bottom of this as I'll want to retreat my carriers like the factory part after lightening.

Dana, good question on which Nexus. I don't know... Truthfully I'm not in love with the look of the Nexus myself but they seem to be the only good option. I've got enhanced and airsoft rails now, not happy with either. I know I would like to have the rail as long as possible without worring about having my hand singed when I don't run a can. I'm leaning toward 9" for both barrels if you can make them work. I'm running 9"ers on my mcx and really like it so far. Surprised that I did in 556 honestly.
Are you able to do constant on with that Elzetta set up??

The Nexus is one of those things that looks way better in person, especially the cl3 and cl4.  Those look great.  Overall it really is worth it.

As for the Elzetta, you can select the type of tail cap and basically build your light but even with the remote switch like I have you can twist the tail cap for a constant on.  Even if the tape switch is broken or cut off.

Here's my Remington Rail versus a CL3.  The CL3 is slightly longer and needs a little sanding to fit a N6 under it with a 9" barrel.  My 9.7" barrel works great with both rails.  The 9" with any extended rail sucks to remove, with the Remington, I have to use a punch or something like that to disengage the latch.

This is the exact CL3 that I've been running on my work's machine gun.



I can build a 9" 5.56 barrel right now for an Acr.  I have the entire build figured out already.  I have a complete 9" barrel set for 300 but I gotta tune it more.  It's being a pain in the ass to tune.

Here it is on my Acr with an enhanced rail to give you an idea of how close it sits

Like the Nexus handguard look, but I also really like the Remington. D'oh!

Let me guess... the Remington handguards are unavailable at reasonable prices?

Lol they are just unavailable.  If you find one, chances are it will sell for 4 digits.

Very nice collection!

I particularly like your pistol caliber carbines.  I've got the PS90 and an MP5 clone (MKE Z-5RS SBR), both of which I love.  I have had my eye on the TP9.  How do you like it?  Prices seem a bit steep for one, though.

To get back to the original point of this thread, I have an ACR.  I like it, but I prefer the SCAR 16 and Tavor.  The ACR has a great stock and is well-built, but in its standard configuration it is front heavy.  That problem is particularly pronounced when you hold it side-by-side with a SCAR or regular AR.

Here are two of my 3 go to rifles.  

Scar 17 with cut and pinned MAMs
Basic folder with Geiselle, DD Carbine 14.5 barrel with Marvin's gas system.

I have a SCAR 16s, too, but I like the ACR for 556 more than the SCAR.  The recoil impulse on the 16 is..... uh weird.  The ACR's handguard is much more conducive to my shooting style, too.

My ACR is my go to. It travels with me everywhere to include hunting and a recent two day carbine class.

The nexus CL5 handguard, how long is it?
If i cut down a acr barrel to 14.5 and pin a flash hider, will I still be able to slip a suppressor like the griffin m4sdk onto? It requires being able to move a big ass latch.
Great looking ACRs by the way.