Gf wants a light ar, I don't want to break the bank :p

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

bhhacker

Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
645
Location
Juneau, Alaska
My gf is taking some interest in shooting and would like to have a rifle just in case. With the price of ar parts being pretty darn low I figures I'd help her out. I'm an Ak guy though normally and do not know a lot about what's on the market currently. I know I can do a complete upper and lower from psa for pretty cheap but I'd really love to get something relatively light weight so she's into shooting it more. She gets tired and has terrible groups with my heavier guns. What are you guys thinking? I'm not looking for the lightest one in the world, just lighter than usual if that makes sense. Limit of 6 or 700 without sight/optic but ideally less would be nice. Thank you for your time.
 
Faxon lightweight pencil barrel and any of the numerous lightweight buffer tubes on the market come to mind. If you're reluctant to build anything, pretty much any 16" carbine with pencil profile barrel will do just fine, depending on fit, finish and accuracy requirements, of course. It's a bit difficult to recommend any specific rifle because the production and QC variations on cheaper ones aren't necessarily the tightest.
 
I have a carbon fiber AR from Windham Armoury. It comes in at just under 6 without optics. It did have to go back to the manufacturer shortly after I got it; but it is now working fine.

I recommend it with the provision that, depending on when it was made, it may need a single trip back to Windham after you put a few hundred rounds through it for n adjustment. From that point on it will be fine.
 
The two heaviest parts on an AR, which are both customizable, are the barrel and the optics. Have heard nothing but good things about Faxon barrels, but even PSA's lightweight offerings should get you there. Red dots and irons will (almost) always be lighter than a scope. Another thing that makes a noticeable improvement, especially for height-challenged shooters (see: my wife) is the 20-round magazines. Less weight in front of the shooter's hand, easier to bench.
 
I will second the PSA option. I recently aquired a A3 upper to set up a lower for shooting in the CMP Modern Military match.
It has a standard A2 profile 20" 1/7" barrel. On a as new DPMS lower, it's darn near as accurate as my National Match H-bar 14lb AR. $249 plus shipping for upper w/carry handle w/o bolt carrier assembly (already had one).
They recently had a complete A4 lower on sale for $149.
Add a complete upper for ~350 and your in business for under $500.
 
Faxon Pencil barrel with your choice of lightweight handguard. Right to Bear lightweight BCG https://www.righttobear.com/RTB-Complete-Lightweight-Bolt-Carrier-Group-Blac-p/sbn16-lw.htm and GWACS complete lower http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-ar15-polymer-stripped-lower-receiver-black-ar-15/ . You will be well under your budget for this lightweight build. Normally wouldn't recommend a poly lower but this one is legit and really strong being it is one piece. Check out some of InRangeTv youtube videos on it.
 
I built my 6.5 to be light. Used the Joebobs Spartan smooth side upper, 20" barrel was turned down to "pencil", Matrix Victor handguard, lite weight gas block. I never got around to getting a light weight bcg.
It still ended up weighing surprisingly little.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hq
If you don't want to build one, I bought one of the little Ruger's. I've never weighed it, but it feels like a six lb rifle. I don't know the costs to build one, but these can be often found for under $600
 
If you can mate an upper to a lower--PSA daily deals for $450, add your own rear sight or optic.

M
 
The psa option would probably be the better deal as he said above ^. Either way, I don’t know what she intends to do with it, or how. Just in case is vague. However if you keep it at 16in and don’t put on any heavy free floating quads on it (try Plastic handguard with w/ delta ring) and have a barrel that isn’t a bull barrel it should be relatively light and pretty standard. Aero precision is a middle of the road company I like. I have an m5 that would have been light until I put a 24in .9 od inches barrel on it. I use to have a aero ar15 with the similar set up I mentioned above and it was light and cost me a little over $750 but that was awhile ago.
 
AR pistol. 8" .300blk, slim flash can and 9" rail. That's about as light as you can get.

Otherwise, Franklin Armory just released an ATF approved 11.5" "firearm" that's non NFA.

If you gonna cut weight, cut the barrel.
 
i think there's two ways to go, but i wouldn't just consider the light weight but how pleasant it is to shoot.

1. a stock m16 vietnam era style configuration with the good old 20" barrel is both lightweight and a pleasure to shoot due to the rifle-length gas system. they're not super popular anymore for a number of reasons, but it's a great plinker and you don't have the level of noise you get with short barrels, or the harsher carbine length gas

2. if you're going to do something more custom, instead of making the overall gun light, consider just moving the weight to the back. the first light weight gun i built (in '08 long before it was a craze) had a 17" carbon fiber barrel and rifle gas, but a really heavy stock, and was still under 5 lbs. pictured below without the forearm. you could do something similar with normal components and stay in the 6 lbs range. it would make it balance really well. the gun pictured below can literally be shot one-handed like a pistol. it balances just forward of the grip so it doesn't take much hand strength to hold the barrel up. if you used a short barrel, that does move the weight back, but the "pistol" "stocks" suck and imho aren't worth it for a range gun. totally different story if you're trying to fit it in a backpack or something
index.php
 
I built myself a really light AR using the GWACS CAV15 lower and a pencil barrel upper from PSA. If you want a lightweight AR then the GWACS lower is the only possible option for a lower/stock IMO.
 
Elkins45 said:
I built myself a really light AR using the GWACS CAV15 lower and a pencil barrel upper from PSA. If you want a lightweight AR then the GWACS lower is the only possible option for a lower/stock IMO.
Click to expand...

Do they still make those CAV15 one-piece AR stocks?
 
Mosin Bubba said:
Do they still make those CAV15 one-piece AR stocks?
Click to expand...

Yes, they do. http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-ar15-polymer-stripped-lower-receiver-black-ar-15/

You can get a blem for $85. http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-ar15-stripped-lower-blemmish-ar-15-black/

If you want a truly toy-like AR it's the only way to go. Mine sort of feels like an airsoft gun, or maybe a Crossman 760. The only way I could have made it lighter would have been to use one of those specialized bolt carriers or to start skeletonizing and fluting stuff, and that starts to get outside the optimum point on the cost/benefit curve. My rifle maybe weighs five pounds? And it's fairly pleasant to shoot as well.
 
Elkins45 said:
Yes, they do. http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-ar15-polymer-stripped-lower-receiver-black-ar-15/

You can get a blem for $85. http://www.gwacsarmory.com/cav-15-mkii-ar15-stripped-lower-blemmish-ar-15-black/

If you want a truly toy-like AR it's the only way to go. Mine sort of feels like an airsoft gun, or maybe a Crossman 760. The only way I could have made it lighter would have been to use one of those specialized bolt carriers or to start skeletonizing and fluting stuff, and that starts to get outside the optimum point on the cost/benefit curve. My rifle maybe weighs five pounds? And it's fairly pleasant to shoot as well.
Click to expand...
I linked the lower above as well. This is the only poly lower on the market worth buying. Check out Inrangetv on youtube. They have a series of videos on it
 
Have you considered the ATI Omni? Yes its polymer, but for all you Purists, don't knock it till you try it. I cringed at the thought of poly receivers on an AR till my son bought one of the Omni rifles for my grandson.
The rifle is super lightweight, accurate, has a great trigger and the stock collapses to a very short length of pull. Fits my 6yo grandson fine. Obviously not a first class combat rifle but great for a range toy.
BTW not sure if they all do but his came with a lifetime warranty.
 
ontarget said:
Have you considered the ATI Omni? Yes its polymer, but for all you Purists, don't knock it till you try it. I cringed at the thought of poly receivers on an AR till my son bought one of the Omni rifles for my grandson.
The rifle is super lightweight, accurate, has a great trigger and the stock collapses to a very short length of pull. Fits my 6yo grandson fine. Obviously not a first class combat rifle but great for a range toy.
BTW not sure if they all do but his came with a lifetime warranty.
Click to expand...

The weak spot on poly lowers is where the buffer tube tower attaches. It doesn't take a lot of pressure to snap in off, especially since the buffer tube acts as a lever. I think ATI might have added metal stiffeners at that point, but I still like the GWACS CAV15 solution better: the entire lower and stock are a single assembly. They are in their own league IMO.

20131120_123627__95545.1384975405.1280.1280.jpg
 
PSA has a kit on their website right now that only need a lower for $299. My friend just ordered this kit. He’s getting a Tennessee Valley lower, engraved how he wants it for $54. He will have a complete gun for $354 dollars. 271967B5-ED8B-4011-BD68-B6B77F314FF6.jpeg
 
bh hacker wrote:
What are you guys thinking?
Click to expand...

When confronted with a similar choice (younger son of very slight build) I got him a Smith & Wesson M&P Sport II. Weighs about the same as everything else, but great warranty from a company with a great customer service reputation in case my "less than a gun expert" son has a problem.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

B
  • Locked
Lightweight AR-15
Replies
9
Views
802
only1asterisk
O
E
  • Locked
"But I didn't inhale..."
Replies
24
Views
2K
B!ngo
B
DeepSouth
  • Locked
Recommendations on a light AR upper
2 3
Replies
50
Views
1K
MistWolf
M
M
  • Locked
light weight AR build...
Replies
24
Views
2K
AMerexican
A
Qball16
  • Locked
Do I want an AR?
2
Replies
30
Views
2K
Gtscotty
Gtscotty
Back
Top