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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Lightweight build help (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 7/11/2011 2:04:10 PM EDT
| So i'm trying to put together the lightest weight AR in 5.56 i can...i'd appreciate any help/feedback with parts. unlike my cheap build that i did with a lot of polymer parts i want something that will be reliable and a good shooter but super lightweight. So any suggestions are appreciated. Heading off to my local haunts now to source parts will post here when i know what im looking at but in the meantime if you guys know anything or any good deals i'd appreciate it. |
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http://www.del-ton.com/Rifle_Kit_p/rkt103.htm
PLUS http://palmettostatearmory.com/1560.php You're done. OOORRRR, if polymer doesn't bother you: http://www.colemantyler.com/proddetail.php?prod=PCLRC6 PLUS http://www.del-ton.com/AR_15_Barrel_Assembly_p/dt1021.htm |
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can't seem to find the bushmaster ultra lightweight barrel...tried looking here
http://www.bushmaster.com/products.asp?cat=7 anyone point me to it? for a bog standard upper i was thinking this: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=318347 but i might be able to shave off some weight by building myself. |
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Here is a pretty light barrel. I just put it on mine and the balance is great!
http://shop.nordiccomp.com/Lilja-Nordic-AR-Rifle-Barrel-Stainless-16-BBL-223-16M-LN.htm Here is a pic of mine. it was just under 7 lbs sans scope. I know I could have gone lighter but that was not the intent of my build. I really like the finish of the barrel. Have not had a chance to get it out yet, but I am confident it will be a shooter. 
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can't seem to find the bushmaster ultra lightweight barrel...tried looking here http://www.bushmaster.com/products.asp?cat=7 anyone point me to it? for a bog standard upper i was thinking this: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=318347 but i might be able to shave off some weight by building myself. The Superlight barrel is halfway down THIS PAGE. I had one, and it was LIGHT. Too bad the FSB was severely canted on mine. |
You can use a 9mm upper receiver (no brass deflector or forward assist) with a gas tube hole drilled ($30 @ ADCO) and a Young skeletonized bolt carrier:
Those will save a few ounces each. Using those and a Cav Arms polymer lower (out of production but still pretty widely available) and a 14.5" pencil barrel I got this one to come in at 5.0 lbs.: 
But I wasn't completely happy and rebuilt it with a standard lower, Troy TRX, CAR stock and A1 grip (about the lightest grip out there) and an Aimpoint Micro and it is 5 lbs. 3 oz.: 
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4 lbs even. I'll eventually get around to shaving a few more ounces off of it. It's got a titanium bolt carrier from PMT. Barrel is 11.5" pencil weight. CMMG micro gas block, AAC non mount single chamber brake, clark carbon fiber, chopped CavArms lower, 9mm upper with gas tube hole drilled by ADCO. I've got a couple of Coyote Cav lowers as well and a Smith Enterprises aluminum bolt carrier. The next build is going to be even lighter than this one. |
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ok so here is what i'm thinking of so far:
firstly lets talker lowers....why are people recommending the PSA lowers, is it due to lightweight or low price? I already own a pcf lower that i love but i want to avoid polymer if possible because it want something lightweight that i dont have to worry about stress cracks etc. Secondly anyone heard of these guys http://www.vulcanarmament.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product.html&setup=1&ida=254&idp=1&his=0|1&cart_id=8928833.9872 they dont have great reviews but its another polymer lower that could be an alt to the pcf. so still haven't decided on the lower for now. anyway onto the parts i do know: bolt carrier group: http://www.youngmanufacturing.net/product-info.php?pid135.html Young mfg super light bolt carrier price=$260.00 hand guard : http://www.store.christensenarms.com/Carbon-Recon-Handguard_p_118.html Christensen arms price= $375.00 upper: http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=821&cat=1704 price= £125.00 Daniel defense lightweight 16" barrel with gas bloc already installed (laziness issue) https://danieldefense.com/cold-hammer-forged-barrels/16-inch-chf-barrels/16-5-56mm-lightweight-carbine-chf-barrel-w-lpgb.html price= $335.00 standard AR15 charging handle, unless someone knows of a lightweight one, i might upgrade to the bcm gunfighter i can't imagine it adds too much weight. price= $20.00 gas tube: price= $15.00 Muzzle brake: http://www.operationparts.com/Advanced_Armament_Single_Chamber_Muzzle_Brake_5_56_p/101529.htm price: $74.00 Ace skeleton stock?? not sure: http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=760499 price: $89.00 i guess i'll figure out the sights and lower at a later date, i feel like i'm forgetting something, i guess i could include a price for misc pins etc...anyway running total at the mo is: $1168.00 +s&h |
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Secondly anyone heard of these guys http://www.vulcanarmament.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product.html&setup=1&ida=254&idp=1&his=0|1&cart_id=8928833.9872 they dont have great reviews but its another polymer lower that could be an alt to the pcf. Yes, we've heard of them. They also go by Blackthorne, they did go by Hesse and they have yet another website named www.uselessratturdkits.com (or something like that) Pay no attention to the bad reviews. Those are all from a bunch of whiners that expect rifles not to break in half when you shoot them. |
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Secondly anyone heard of these guys http://www.vulcanarmament.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/product.html&setup=1&ida=254&idp=1&his=0|1&cart_id=8928833.9872 they dont have great reviews but its another polymer lower that could be an alt to the pcf. ––––––- Back slowly away. Do not make eye contact. |
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All kidding aside, I am doing a superlight build as well and just posted a thread just like this one a few days ago:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=541565 I really like that muzzle brake you posted a link to. I may have my 16" cut down a bit and have this installed by ADCO when they shave my front sight base. Considering a carbon hand guard too but the one you posted it way too much for me. There are so many choices it is hard to decide and seeing your list throws a monkey wrench into my plans. I welcome all comments and suggestions on my thread as well. Good luck with you build and be sure to post pics as you get it together. |
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All kidding aside, I am doing a superlight build as well and just posted a thread just like this one a few days ago: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=541565 I really like that muzzle brake you posted a link to. I may have my 16" cut down a bit and have this installed by ADCO when they shave my front sight base. Considering a carbon hand guard too but the one you posted it way too much for me. There are so many choices it is hard to decide and seeing your list throws a monkey wrench into my plans. I welcome all comments and suggestions on my thread as well. Good luck with you build and be sure to post pics as you get it together. Thanks for the reply. on second thoughts i think i am going to go the SBR route, although it's been forever since i've done one i'll have to remember which forms to fill out etc, or i guess ill find them on here. In response to your handguard question maybe u can pm on what other carbon guards uve been looking at? in anycase if i get the chritensen i'll let you know how it is. Good luck with your build if i can be of any help just let me know. |
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All kidding aside, I am doing a superlight build as well and just posted a thread just like this one a few days ago: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=118&t=541565 I really like that muzzle brake you posted a link to. I may have my 16" cut down a bit and have this installed by ADCO when they shave my front sight base. Considering a carbon hand guard too but the one you posted it way too much for me. There are so many choices it is hard to decide and seeing your list throws a monkey wrench into my plans. I welcome all comments and suggestions on my thread as well. Good luck with you build and be sure to post pics as you get it together. Thanks for the reply. on second thoughts i think i am going to go the SBR route, although it's been forever since i've done one i'll have to remember which forms to fill out etc, or i guess ill find them on here. In response to your handguard question maybe u can pm on what other carbon guards uve been looking at? in anycase if i get the chritensen i'll let you know how it is. Good luck with your build if i can be of any help just let me know. Hey, There are four brands I found and the names are listed in my OP in question #2 in the link above. Now you have added a 5th option and my head hurts. Still not sure but I may not go with Carbon for two reasons: Cost and I really wanted to get a OD Green hand guard. The Midwest Industries SS-10 will just cover the FSB on a Carbine length gas system after it is shaved down or replaced with a low profile. It only weighs like 10 OZ without any rails so it is not too heavy either and it is aluminum so I am thinking it will be a bit tougher. I had a 15" SS on a 18" barrel once and they are really good quality. Here it is: http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=269 Not quite as light as Carbon Fiber but it is cheaper and it comes in OD green. Then again I could always have the CF hand guard Durocoated... Like I said, my head hurts! /EDIT for link |
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actually that's a good handguard a friend of mine has one of those i just got done building a cheap AR and i picked the yankee hill light weight aluminum handguard for mine:
http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/default.aspx?productNumber=2696166903 got mine as a package deal not from midway but they do good deals there. either MI or YHM hand guards are good and durable you can see it on my other build here total rifle weight on that build is 6.5lbs but it was designed to be cheap not light....this one i'm doing i'd like to get around 5.5 http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/7739/pcf3.jpg |
| Wow great looking build. I'm thinking of swapping my bcg for the youngs superlight one but can't find anywhere how much it weighs so I'm not sure on the weight savings. I chose a non threaded barrel for mine because I didn't want to be tempted to throw a hugely heavy brake on but in hindsight it was a bit silly ah well onto the next build! |
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I would go with the J.P. Enterprises JPBC-3 Bolt Carrier. It is by far the lightest steel carrier currently available. I read somewhere that the Young is only 1/2 ounce lighter than a standard carrier. At this time there are NO NEW titanium or aluminum carriers in production.
Here are some weights for comparison: Old Colt Factory hard chrome carrier 
J.P. Enterprises JPBC-3 
Progressive Machine and Tool Titanium carrier (out of production) 
OLD Smith Enterprises Aluminum carrier (out of production) 
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[snip]upper: http://www.dpmsinc.com/store/products/?prod=821&cat=1704 price= £125.00 [snip] Not a lightweight. Has extra metal in the walls to help support bull barrels. Extra metal on sides doesn't get along with any type of FF rail where it uses tabs to keep it from rotating (tabs that slide over the metal of a standard upper receiver, like a TRX Extreme). I think the 9mm upper receiver with gas hole drilled or an A1 slickside (assuming you want the carry handle) are your best bets for lightweight, reliable upper receiver. |
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Quoted: Youngs has a new ultra light carrier out, not sure what the weight is, but it looks to be lighter than their current lightweight by a bit.
I would go with the J.P. Enterprises JPBC-3 Bolt Carrier. It is by far the lightest steel carrier currently available. |
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Youngs has a new ultra light carrier out, not sure what the weight is, but it looks to be lighter than their current lightweight by a bit.I would go with the J.P. Enterprises JPBC-3 Bolt Carrier. It is by far the lightest steel carrier currently available. Thanks, I just looked at a photo of it. Too bad they don't list the weight of it, I guess I'll have to try one out. EDIT!!! I just heard back from Young Manufacturing - 7.2 ounces. 
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Youngs has a new ultra light carrier out, not sure what the weight is, but it looks to be lighter than their current lightweight by a bit.I would go with the J.P. Enterprises JPBC-3 Bolt Carrier. It is by far the lightest steel carrier currently available. Thanks, I just looked at a photo of it. Too bad they don't list the weight of it, I guess I'll have to try one out. EDIT!!! I just heard back from Young Manufacturing - 7.2 ounces. http://www.youngmanufacturing.net/avactis-images/SLCCOMPCARRIER.jpg Thanks for the info! do you know how much a standard Youngs Semi NM BCG weighs BTW? Anyone how much a mil spec BCG weighs? |
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I'd also like to know about the weigh of the new youngs bcg I just started ordering parts so I guess I could get one and weigh it however if anyone knows I'd appreciate it This is your thread, and you don't have the answer to your question? Did you look at the pics of carriers on scales on page one? |
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I'd also like to know about the weigh of the new youngs bcg I just started ordering parts so I guess I could get one and weigh it however if anyone knows I'd appreciate it This is your thread, and you don't have the answer to your question? Did you look at the pics of carriers on scales on page one? DOH! I saw them and forgot I saw them just like the OP! lol |
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Bushmaster A1 upper receiver Adams Arms 16 inch barrel Spikes hard chrome bolt carrier group Cav Arms polymer lower receiver 2x ACOG optic (about 6 ounces) 6 lbs 4 oz http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02127.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02138.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02106.JPG Warhawk, what's left of your cheek weld with the ACOG up on the handle? Still feel natural enough? |
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Quoted: I got mine from ADCO, had them drill the hole for the gas tube. They use RRA uppers, which have the cut out for the cam pin. I've heard that not all 9mm uppers have that cutout though.About the 9mm upper––-Is it made specially for that caliber or is it just a slick slide without forward assist and brass deflector??? I guess if you need the gas tube hole drilled it probably is different––anyway can someone post up where to get these uppers?? |
| A great starting point for any LW is a .625 .223 barrel or a .700 profile .30cal barrel. The Troy TRXs are hard to beat for price, ease of install, and performance. The new Daniel Defense MFR is a great option, but $100 more. Apparently about the same weight per inch of rail as the Troy TRX. Nearly identical profile as well. |
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Bushmaster A1 upper receiver Adams Arms 16 inch barrel Spikes hard chrome bolt carrier group Cav Arms polymer lower receiver 2x ACOG optic (about 6 ounces) 6 lbs 4 oz http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02127.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02138.JPG http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/IMG_02106.JPG Warhawk, what's left of your cheek weld with the ACOG up on the handle? Still feel natural enough? Sorry, I didn't see this until tonight. I've got a big noggin, cheek weld is no problem. |
| building a LW as well, Cav-15 MkII lower w/ spikes battle trigger, bushmaster carbon 15 flatop upper w/ 14.5 inch CL barrel turned to skinny profile by ADCO. Moe handguards. Currently waiting for the upper to get back from duracoat to match the lower (green). Been a work in progress for about a year. Hoping to get into the 4-5.5lb range |
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IN REGARDS TO MMcfpd'S POST WITH THE PICTURES––-
Great pics and info––Thanks––And your rifle looks better with the standard lower in my opinion.. Couple of observations and questions if you have the time... It looks as if you have both a RRA and Model 1 9mm upper. Is that the case? There is about a $40 difference in price between the two with the Model 1 being the less expensive. Is the quality of the Model 1 good in your opinion? Also the Model 1 would need the gas tube hole drilled also? |
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IN REGARDS TO MMcfpd'S POST WITH THE PICTURES––- Great pics and info––Thanks––And your rifle looks better with the standard lower in my opinion.. Couple of observations and questions if you have the time... It looks as if you have both a RRA and Model 1 9mm upper. Is that the case? Yes There is about a $40 difference in price between the two with the Model 1 being the less expensive. Is the quality of the Model 1 good in your opinion? Yes Also the Model 1 would need the gas tube hole drilled also? Yes Trifecta! |
| According to the prints I have the gas tube hole should be 1.408" from the upper/lower mounting surface. There is also a reference measurement given. From the center of the pivot/takedown pin hole to the center of the gas tube hole shows 1.658". I will do this myself because playing with machining centers is my daily routine. I would think this could be done at home with a drill press with the proper mounting and measuring. |
| How hard could it be to drill??? If it were me I would mock up my barrel, gas block and gas tube and see right where its going to land. I honestly dont think it has to be all that precise as long as the tube goes through without touching the sidewall of the hole. I have seen some pretty jacked up looking clover leaf holes that have worked no problem. |
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How hard could it be to drill??? If it were me I would mock up my barrel, gas block and gas tube and see right where its going to land. I honestly dont think it has to be all that precise as long as the tube goes through without touching the sidewall of the hole. I have seen some pretty jacked up looking clover leaf holes that have worked no problem. The measurements are there ^^^ Why half ass the project??? |
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How hard could it be to drill??? If it were me I would mock up my barrel, gas block and gas tube and see right where its going to land. I honestly dont think it has to be all that precise as long as the tube goes through without touching the sidewall of the hole. I have seen some pretty jacked up looking clover leaf holes that have worked no problem. The measurements are there ^^^ Why half ass the project??? I suppose my point was dont be scared to drill a single hole. I see allot of people scared to try things that are very simple and easy because they are intimidated. |
| Well Im not a machinist so I was thinking of making a template from one receiver on cardboard or sheet plastic. I also though about clamping the 9mm to the front of a standard receiver using a picatiny riser then somehow scoring or marking through the gas tube hole onto the face of the other receiver. Im no stranget to sending stuff to Adco but I would kinda like to try this one myself. |
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I also intend to copy Josh Aston's build very closely however I would like to avoid NFA hassles so I am thinking 14.5 with a permed phantom or a 16in with no muzzle device.
I wish to hell I could get my hands on one of those Smith aluminum carriers like he found. I want one of those reeeeeal bad. In the mean time I will make do with a Colt half-C carrier. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Lightweight build help (Page 1 of 2)
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