This info was requested by another member when I mentioned my FAR project in another thread. So here we go.

Barrel is a colt pencil profile 1/7" chrome lined. I shaved the front sight tower off. The last couple of inches are an aluminum muzzle brake.

Lower receiver is a Hesse (OH MY!) Kevlar lower and was the easiest lower I have ever assembled. For the record I have not had any trouble out of it and I take it to the range and the farm every time I go. It has a Rock River drop in match trigger

The buttstock is a fixed postban. Mainly because it is the lightest I could find. It also uses a carbine buffer.

The upper receiver is a Les Bauer <sp?> flat top the did not have a forward assist from the factory. The brass hump was milled off as well as the dustcover hinges. There is a major downside to milling off the brass hump. Unless you have the upper re-andonized, steel cases will dinfg the crap out of the side of the receiver. I went with a couple pieces of paper towl folded up under a length of electrical tape to stop the dings.

It is finished in a Krylon flat black. I have some camo colors I will try out later in the week if I have time.

Bob























This shows the weight on a Pitney Bowes postage scale. This is with the standard AR15 trigger group. The RR is lighter by a tiny bit and is MUCH better than the stock ones.

great pics....I like people who build outside the box...
a couple of questions did you leave that front handguard cap on under the hyperform(its there in a few pic's but cant tell)..& what you doing about a sling....and are you adding optics.
my next project is going on a Hesse (hey it was priced right,and its all I got left).

Hi VarmitGun,

I left the handguard cap off to save weight but it does have a nice look under the Hyperform handguards. I hightly recommend the Hyperform product as it is lighter than standard handguard assemblies and it freefloats the barrel. Heat is never a problem either.

I am currently using a generic nylon sling using the slot in the buttstock and para-cord through the gas block as an attachment point. I have one of the very nice IMI slings that I have not put on it yet.

My next step is to find an aluminum gas block with no sight tower that will fit an M16 profile barrel.

It currently has a Holo sight that I put on there as a contingent sight until I could find something else. But the darn thing works and I found myself buying backup batteries for it the other day, so I guess I am committed. [:)]

Thanks for the kind words,

Bob

That's almost 7lbs. with out the upper?

What does the lower receiver weigh naked?

Can that Hyperform be drilled or slot cut for a sling attachment?  

How much for the hand guard and how difficult was it to put on?  Someone else here said they were a biach to install.

It is 1 lb., 10.3 Oz.

I do not have a weight on the lower by itself. I never recorded it becaus eit used to be listed on the (no longer available) Hesse sight. Maybe the JoKen folks have some data.

The hyperform comes with a big aluminum wrench that you use to mount it. I had no trouble installing it at all but I have done several barrels in the past.

It can be drilled for a rail mount but you ought to ask them about cutting it. Hyperform has a website and the owner will answer your questions directly. He is a great guy to work with and they can do custom lengths.

Bob

What is the total weight?

--LS

I will weigh it tonight.

Bob

What's the address for the Hyperform web site?

[url]http://www.hiperform.com/new_page_1.htm[/url]

On the big bore uppers they have to mill the ejection port out so that the brass will fit through it. You could always send your upper to Marty at teppo Jutsu or to Tony Rumore at Tromix to have them remove more material. It wouldn't be much but I think it would clean the lines up on the upper receiver.

Cruizer

Where did you get the muzzle device?

cruizer

The upper with Holo sight, charging handle, and bolt carrier comes in at 3lb. 9.6 oz.

The lower complete with sling and 2 spare batteries for the holo sight came in at 1lb. 11.6 oz.

So, by my somewhat trusty math the whole rifle comes in at 5lb. 5.2 oz.

Now for the aluminum gas block and opening up the ejection port. What else can I go for??

Bob

The muzzle brake is a home made jobby that the local gunsmith apprentice came up with when he interpreted "get rid of the threads" into "cut the 16" barrel below the legal limit and re-crown it". Utter, complete moron. Anyway, the thing is silver soldered on there and it does reduce weight and it actually reduces recoil quite well. It is just a loud little bastard! [:D]

Bob

Your last option would be to go ape shit a mill holes in the aluminum parts like a Oly OA series pistol. I would call it quits at the ejection port. Ther is a recessed line where the dust cover lines up, that looks like the limits I would go.


cruizer

Is your fixed collapsable stock have the "trough" machined out for the 3/4/6 position pin to drop into?  If not, work on that to save a little.

Oly's FAR-15 is 4.92 lbs, if I remember right.  You might want to study what they did to get the weight under 5 lbs.

I was thinking the recessed line as well. I have thought about trimming on the stock but I would not want to start drilling holes in the receivers. That would look nasty!



The Oly does not include an optical sight, a sling, or 2 spare batteries.

Edited to add: I just went and looked at it and see that they used an A2 upper receiver that is actually lighter than a flat top upper. I have owned A1 and A2 uppered rifles before and they are not for me.

Bob

I completed the camo job. Thanks Home Depot.


[img]www.kf3.org/~bob/lwright.jpg[/img]


[img]www.kf3.org/~bob/lwleft.jpg[/img]


Bob