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Posted: 11/28/2010 6:32:36 AM EDT
Here's my rifle (She weighs JUST under 10lbs empty, no glass. Add about 22oz for glass and the LT scope mount.):
Just swapped to the SOPMOD - took the weight from 9.92lbs to 9.23lbs. 
I got to go hunting with the in-laws a few days ago and this thing was a bit of a chore to haul around. I'd love to shed about a pound or more off of her, possible more. What I'm already doing: STOCK - FIXED UBR is coming off - looks awesome, is extremely solid and is great for balance but it's one heavy SOB. I've got a LMT SOPMOD coming in the mail. We'll see how that thing feels. I actually had an ACS mounted on this rifle, but did not like the feel of it. The weight savings was nice, but the stock itself just didn't feel real solid or right for some reason. The SOPMOD should save about 7-8oz. BARREL As soon as I get my 10.5 back from being KAC dimpled, this is going out. We think the dimple job should save about 7-8oz. Don't want to reprofile the barrel. So right there is potentially a pound off, equally balanced. HANDGUARD The DD Lite 12.0 weighs 19.1oz with all hardware, barrel nut and a GEAR SECTOR QD socket. I could go to a Rainer XA10-11, lose an inch of real estate but gain a QD socket, for 17.1oz. A savings of 2oz. I could also go to a DD Lite 9.0 and lose 3 inches, partially expose my gas block, but lose 4oz. I really like the TROY TRX rails, but a no go for 308 platforms, unfortunately. Any other obvious rail options I'm missing? I also know I could go to a fixed set of rings and get rid of the 7.2oz LT QD mount - haven't made my mind up yet. If I did that, I'd also axe the 3.4oz set of TROY BUIS as what's the point, at that point. So, any helpful diet wisdom from the clan? |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 7:41:41 AM EDT
[#1]
Ditch the uber-heavy billet upper & lower for lighter pieces.
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:16:51 AM EDT
[#2]
I am fighting the same thing with my ar 10,
I have a troy 308 13.5" rail on there, and I am thinking of going to a vtac tube, also looking at the rainier 13, but I am not sure how its weight compares to the troy, I think the vtac would be the lightest |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:18:43 AM EDT
[#3]
do you "need" rails? run a vtac on it..
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:21:01 AM EDT
[#4]
Quoted: do you "need" rails? run a vtac on it.. This is probably the best question to ask of any AR platform during a build. I like my carbon fiber handguard. |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:25:18 AM EDT
[#5]
Vtac is 15oz with no top rail. I'm going with the Rainier Arms 16" barrel & 11" rail and the ACS. The rail will save a 2 oz .I think Brahamzy has a Noveske which is afew oz's heavier.
ETA Noveske is 40oz Rainer is 39oz ETA PRI is 18.16oz |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:45:23 AM EDT
[#6]
You could....
-Re-profile the barrel to light wt (skip the dimple) -PRI 12" forearm with light wt barrel nut -Nikon African 1-4X20 scope (or short light wt equiviliant) -1" low or medium TPS HRT aluminum rings -Load 5 rounds in your mag instead of 20 |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:49:22 AM EDT
[#7]
well, in cutting weight, how are you planning on using it, primarly? is it going to be a jack of all trades 308 carbine, is it going to be a intermediate precision rifle, is it going to be a hunting stick.
how long are your shots going to be? right now as i see it you have a pretty much perfect 800 yard precision gun. your gun is VERY close to what i am building as a 800 yard SASS type rofle, only diffrence would be NF optic. for my role wieght is a good thing adds stability, and handles heat well. if it were me, i wouldnt change anything. only change how its configured for the role its serving. here on the east coast, your not taking a shot longer than a hundred yards. you dont need a heavy overbuilt,tactical optic with overbuilt QD mount. if thats the case, run it with iron sights, if you are shooting mountain to mountain, ditch the iron sights, and vertical grip. i noticed that you dont have any sling attachments? have you looked into a good quality 3 point sling? if the SHTF, run it all, have you looked into one of those ruc sacks that has the compartment where you can store a rifle? heres somthing eles to consider, ever thing about a second, dedicated hunting up with light weight barrel? considering how easy it it to change AR barrels, you can get a spare leight weight barrel to run for hunting season, just some thoughts |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:50:03 AM EDT
[#8]
Sell it and buy a Kaiser upper and lower, and start over.
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:51:25 AM EDT
[#9]
Go with a five round magazine. That will save you the weight of 15 cartridges.
It seems like a lot of $$ for a little weight loss. Have AR Performance build you a light weight upper or complete rifle and leave this build as it is for precisison and long range shooting. |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 10:00:39 AM EDT
[#10]
Good ideas guys - keep 'em comin'.
I built this as a 400-500yd jack of all trades rifle. I did not want to build a pure hunting stick - woulda prolly just stuck with a 30-06 bolt gun. I wanted a somewhat handy SHTF rifle that I could get an elk with, and I proved I can, just a lot of work hauling it. Not too heavy while shouldering it or taking a shot, but heavy after a mile hike up and down the hills/trees I was thinking about 6.8 builds. I love the 308 cartridge, so that's a whole other caliber discussion I'm trying to avoid. I do have QD sling points and use a 2-point. Obviously, I could have purpose-built a lightweight Hunting stick with rings only, smooth CF FF tube and a lighter barrel/fixed stock. Or, I could have built an 18" SPR tank with huge glass/bipod on it. I had a 800yd 24" LR308 boat anchor bench gun, and it was good for what was, but It simply sat in the closet month after month. I had no need for it. I was hoping I could get somewhere in between with all of them. I'm close - real close. Just need to take a little bit of weight off without sacrificing functionality. |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 10:16:54 AM EDT
[#11]
i would think of the rifle as more of a kit/system, and just run it as needed, dont need to run 100 percent of your kit in all circumstances.
remember based on the rifles role there could be as much as 2 or 3 pounds of dead weight hanging off your stick. if your rilfes is not going to need somthing dump it for the day. also, once again i would consider a second light weight upper, 15 inch LW barrel with pinned FH, standard handguards, push two pins and you would be a 8 pounds with an optic again, nice rifle |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 11:10:58 AM EDT
[#12]
nice lookin rifle. 16 inch barrel? ditching the ubr for the acs would definatly help. for a .30 cal its not that heavy.
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Posted: 11/28/2010 11:53:10 AM EDT
[#13]
Build a 16" light weight 6.8 AR on a Plum Crazy lower with a light weight bolt carrier..
ETA: This is my .308 AR. I dont know hoe much it weighs, but I would guess about 8-9lbs or close to 10 lbs. Its not all that heavy to me and I'm not a muscle man either. 
What kind of hunting are you doing? |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 3:03:44 PM EDT
[#14]
would the rainier 13" fully cover a low pro gas block on a rifle length gas system?
I am assuming the pri would not |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 3:10:19 PM EDT
[#15]
yes i'm somewhat sure it would since the rifle length system is 12"..someone correct me if I'm wrong
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Posted: 11/28/2010 3:27:57 PM EDT
[#16]
well the troy 13.8 does just barely, but I am not sure if they manufacturers measure them the same
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Posted: 11/28/2010 5:47:29 PM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
yes i'm somewhat sure it would since the rifle length system is 12"..someone correct me if I'm wrong My JP rifle length HG is 12.5" so unless you have a 1/2" gas block, I don't think 13" will cover it. ETA: Sorry, I meant to quote the post above yours. |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 7:49:29 PM EDT
[#18]
The goal of a "lightweight" .308 AR is unrealistic. You can shave weight, but it would be VERY difficult to get it down to sub 10 pounds loaded.
I tried with the lightweight Armalite AR-10 (pencil barrel, low weight everything, the works). The BCG, buffer, and receivers have most of the weight, second only to the barrel. If you want a truly lightweight .308 rifle, get a bolt gun. |
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:33:11 PM EDT
[#19]
Get a bolt gun, hunting with a 308 semi is not very fun. I did it once and won't do it again.
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Posted: 11/28/2010 8:45:23 PM EDT
[#20]
Man up and just carry it.......................My freaking 300winmag weighs 22 lbs.
 [URL=http://][URL=http://img257.imageshack.us/i/3[/URL]
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Posted: 11/28/2010 11:03:17 PM EDT
[#21]
The weight is in the optic and mount...put em on a scale. +1 on the UBR removal..ar-10 is heavy enough without adding extra weight.
The most cost-effective solution is to exercise, 10lbs is nothing. |
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Posted: 11/29/2010 6:41:36 AM EDT
[#22]
You probably won't find a stock lighter than an ACE. Ditch the railed forend too. Then find a nice SMALL scope.
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Posted: 12/12/2010 9:04:08 AM EDT
[#23]
just wondering, you make any changes yet? Loose any weight?
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Posted: 12/12/2010 9:35:23 AM EDT
[#24]
I really believe that the weight is from the rail.
Get a tube and sell me your rail...I'm building a bench gun
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Posted: 12/12/2010 10:00:46 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
just wondering, you make any changes yet? Loose any weight? Yes I did - kind of been updating my original build thread with info and pics HERE. Anyway, I bought a SOPMOD that replaced the UBR - absolutely LOVE the SOPMOD and it dropped the weight from 9.92lbs to 9.23lbs - pretty big difference I can feel right away. My next step is to send off the barrel to Marvin for KAC dimpling (he's doing a 10.5 Noveske of mine right now that I'd like to get back first.) That will get me well under 9lbs without optics. And then I think I may end up doing the RA-10 X11 Rail as I really need front and rear QD sockets on the rail. Problem is that rail is no lighter than the DD Lite I've got after you account for the barrel nut. I have yet to see a picture of the new Samson Evolution rail against an AR10/MATEN/DPMS 308 upper to see how the top rails line up. Quoted:
I really believe that the weight is from the rail. Get a tube and sell me your rail...I'm building a bench gun Find me a super light 11"+ 308 rail with integrated f/r QD sockets and I'll send you my DD Lite 12.0 DIRT CHEAP. 
I've talked to DD extensively about their 308 options and they said they have some things in the works. They would not give details but it sounded like it was quite a ways off. I don't wanna wait a year for a better rail. |
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Posted: 12/12/2010 10:04:10 AM EDT
[#26]
Sling always helps... I use the LaRue branded version of the Viking tactics quit release. I don't think a 10lber is too heavy but then again I'm a 260 lb 6'3" asian. So 10 lbs is nothing lol. If not, shed the rails for a CF handguard, use a 10 rnd mag, CTR stock might shed a couple of ounces, and I hear there there are lighter bolts that you can substitute in but I haven't seen any yet.
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Posted: 12/12/2010 10:55:56 AM EDT
[#27]
Find me a super light 11"+ 308 rail with integrated f/r QD sockets and I'll send you my DD Lite 12.0 DIRT CHEAP.
I've talked to DD extensively about their 308 options and they said they have some things in the works. They would not give details but it sounded like it was quite a ways off. I don't wanna wait a year for a better rail.[/quote] hahaha...right now I'm actually thinking of going plain tube but then again I would love to have a rail... 
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Posted: 12/12/2010 3:04:28 PM EDT
[#28]
The Rainier Arms rail has front and rear QD sockets and weighs 1oz less than the DD. Rainier Rail
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Posted: 12/12/2010 3:25:49 PM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
The Rainier Arms rail has front and rear QD sockets and weighs 1oz less than the DD. Rainier Rail RA didn't count the barrel nut in their 17.1oz weight, whereas DD always counts ALL hardware. |
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Posted: 12/12/2010 5:24:48 PM EDT
[#30]
Have you checked out the PRI tubel
The PRi Carbon Fiber free float forearm rifle length for the DPMS and SR25 uppers in the black finish. The forearm is constructed of light weight, high strength carbon fiber, aluminum, and high strength steel for best combination of weight and strength. The carbon fiber also reduces the amount of heat transferred to the shooter during rapid fire or high volume. Forearm weight is 1.135lbs. overall length 12.75"
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Posted: 12/12/2010 6:08:10 PM EDT
[#31]
Have you checked out the AR-10 rail from SWS? This thing is drop dead georgeous and I've seen it
installed on redtazdog's AR10. (he's posted pictures here before of it) It's 12.5 inches and weights less than 16 oz (including the hardware). Go HERE! -ZA |
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Posted: 12/12/2010 7:58:53 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Have you checked out the AR-10 rail from SWS? This thing is drop dead georgeous and I've seen it installed on redtazdog's AR10. (he's posted pictures here before of it) It's 12.5 inches and weights less than 16 oz (including the hardware). Go HERE! -ZA That is a beautiful rail for sure. I need to talk with SWS. It's a bummer that they have the Noveske patent going with the QD sockets in their rails. I've always loved the N6 rails, just never wanted to buy a whole upper to get one. I think I may call 'em tomorrow. |
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Posted: 12/13/2010 4:39:41 AM EDT
[#33]
Maybe you should quit hunting or carrying a rifle. Perhaps a BB gun would suit you better.
Seriously though, you're discussing spending hundreds of dollars to shave a few ounces. You're not climbing Everest, 3 oz on a rail and a few oz on BUIS won't make that big a difference. Just carry it and shoot it. |
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Posted: 12/13/2010 7:39:35 AM EDT
[#34]
thats a kick ass rifle and the weight that was added.....well its an ar 10 with a bunch of stuff. leave it the way you got it and just sling it on your back,when your hiking in and out of your hunting area.
btw .....suggesting he get other rigs,gains him what??? |
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Posted: 12/13/2010 9:19:17 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
Man up and just carry it.......................My freaking 300winmag weighs 22 lbs. [URL=http://][URL=http://img257.imageshack.us/i/3[/URL] No pic? |
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Posted: 12/13/2010 6:00:45 PM EDT
[#36]
btw .....suggesting he get other rigs,gains him what??? it gains him a lighter gun that wont be on his back when that big buck busts out of the thicket and stands broadside at 50yds for a few seconds then flicks its tail and dashes off, never to be seen again, except in his nightly dreams of the "one that got away"
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Posted: 12/13/2010 9:51:04 PM EDT
[#37]
Make it 16" OAL, reprofile and dimple? That's what I would do..
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Posted: 12/14/2010 9:04:32 AM EDT
[#38]
Quoted:
right now he has a awesome assault rifle, that shoots a big round. I use to hunt with an Hk91,it weighed almost 11 pounds with no scope and mags,IIRC. I would sling it over my left shoulder,while hanging on to it,in hands. fn fal's weight 10lbs bare bones. so my point is,if you want a 308 "assault rifle", its going to be heavy. obviously he could and probably already has plenty of fud guns,but thats just not cool btw .....suggesting he get other rigs,gains him what??? it gains him a lighter gun that wont be on his back when that big buck busts out of the thicket and stands broadside at 50yds for a few seconds then flicks its tail and dashes off, never to be seen again, except in his nightly dreams of the "one that got away"
 . which makes me think about my ma 10 build that I am currently doing, perhaps a basic carbine set up,would be awesome. say 16' armalite barrel with just regular forearm,and irons,and m4 collapseable stock. how much does the ma ten reciever add,to the weight vs a regular armalite combo,I would think not much more.a trade off well worth it considering how rugged and innovative the set up is. probably an 8 pound rifle. sounds like the winner of them all to me,if a light weight 308 assault rifle is desired.
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Posted: 12/14/2010 11:36:09 AM EDT
[#39]
Quoted: Make it 16" OAL, reprofile and dimple? That's what I would do.. Thats what I am planning on (minus the reprofile and dimpling) with a Kaiser barrel cut to 13.7" with a YHM mount permed. |
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Posted: 12/14/2010 3:50:30 PM EDT
[#40]
On the subject of reprofiling:
I had a LONG talk with the guys at Noveske about my particular barrel. Noveske has worked long and hard to come up with their med. weight 7.62 profile. They went through a lot of R&D trying lightweight contours and heavy contours with each barrel length they offer. They said do not reprofile the barrel if I care about rigidity and accuracy. They already cut the med contour below what they found was perfect for that length, to save weight. They said I could flute it or dimple it all day long, each of which can take the weight off without affecting rigidity even close to what a reprofile does. It basically changes the whole integrity of the barrel metal. How it heats up, how it cools, it's harmonics, everything. He said this was especially true with larger calibers - less of an issue with 556. They have their Rogue Hunter lightweight barrels in 5.56 & 6.8 but not 7.62. The lightweight Rogue Hunter in 6.8 is known for being a 1/2MOA barrel. To my knowledge, no well known barrel makers make a truly lightweight 16" 7.62 barrel, they've all stuck with a med. contour, and for good reason it sounds like. Fluting, or specifically Marvin's dimpling will take 6-8oz off the front of this rifle, which I will feel. That, with maybe a few oz lighter rail and I'll be golden me thinks. I would have to take a look at what 13.7" would do to 7.62 ballistics/trajectory. I still want to take things out at 300-400 yards with good velocity and energy. |
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Posted: 12/14/2010 7:02:53 PM EDT
[#41]
FYI, I did some weighing for my upcoming build. This may help you figure out what you can target for a weight reduction:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=121&t=516132&page=12 |
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