Is there a good lightweight AR 15?

[bfoosh006]

NOTE: starting on the 24th, MI has 20% off all their brand stuff... I don't know if these uppers are included.

Here is a respectable 16" Criterion Barreled upper that is LtWt.
NO BCG or charging handle, but that Criterion barrel is worth the money. About 2lbs 12oz.
https://midwestindustriesinc.com/mi...er-receiver-group-mi-m-lok-223-wylde-1-8-ulw/

And here is a 16" Criterion CORE barreled upper, also from MI. 3lb 40z... but a lot of the weight is "balanced" towards the shoulder end.
Also NO BCG or charging handle.
https://midwestindustriesinc.com/mi...-nf13-5-m-lok-handguard-223-wylde-1-8-barrel/

Expensive for an upper ? Yes, but Criterion makes danged good and respected barrels. And someone could easily waste a ton of money trying to make a lesser barrel shoot to their expectations.

Buy a lower of your choice, and snap them together.

 

[CapnMac]

I don’t have specs or a definition. I phrased it in a way to to get a wide variety of options.

Well, the problem is that just what is an AR-15 spans a wide range.

If a person is 'used to' 8.25# Service Rifle (like an M-16A4 including the bells and whistles), then a 6.5# PSA is going to feel very lightweight. Ditto some of the 8-9 pounders in NRA High Power competition.

There's a pretty decent array of 6.5# examples out there, either in fully assembled, or in parts. Generally, those are likely going to be "16 inch" carbines, nothing wrong with that at all. It's a bit tougher to get a 20 inch barrel down under 7 pounds, but, the heat treatment available for "pencil" barrels offers some very reliable, and lighter-weight options.

Building from parts means the sky is the limit. It's possible to get down around six pounds, which can feel very light.

Now, "light weight" and HBAR are much harder to put together.

 

[Justin]

If you want to build a lightweight AR, you can spend a lot of money on lightweight components to assemble a rifle.

If you want light weight for not a lot of money, look at buying or building a rifle built on one of the KE Arms monolithic polymer lowers. They're the only polymer lowers made that aren't hot garbage. You will lose a bit of modularity; you won't be able to change the stock or grip, but if you want light weight, one of those lowers paired up with a lightweight barrel and a skeletonized or carbon fiber handguard will get you there.

More info here:

WWSD Products

WWSD

www.kearms.com

 

[v8stang289]

Depends on your definition of light and what you're trying to achieve.
This is a cheap PSA kit ($470) on an Anderson lower.
It has the A2 barrel profile with a midlength gas system and an aluminum mlok rail.
A little over 7.5 lbs with the Leupold mount and VX Freedom scope (without the supressor, it adds ~1 more lb)
Not the lightest but It balances, carries, and shoots well.

 

[earlthegoat2]

A little under 6 lbs empty with empty 20 rnd mag.

A lightweight optic and mount may push it to 6.5 lb.

 

[derek45]

https://palmettostatearmory.com/harrington-richardson-653-rifle-with-1-7-twist-gray.html

 

[NuclearMeltdown]

Speaking of Del-Ton lightweight models, here's a good Black Friday deal right now from Primary Arms:

 

[Oklahoma Hank]

Great responses.

 

[herrwalther]

They are all light. Never really understood the quest to lighten the AR when it is already the lightest service rifle we have ever had. And you don't have fattening accessories on it like a grenade launcher, aiming lasers, and other goodies.

There are a lot of options out there. But a basic AR is going to be lighter than pretty much any bolt gun you can pickup off the rack. Lightening an AR shaves ounces off to be a pound or two less. A 7-ish pound AR will shave weight in different areas to make it around 6 instead.

 

[Gordon]

A "slick side" upper without the forward assist is about 4 oz. lighter I believe . That is the way the first Colt CAR 15s were sold as and they weighed 5.5 pound no mag .

 

[CraigC]

They are all light. Never really understood the quest to lighten the AR when it is already the lightest service rifle we have ever had. And you don't have fattening accessories on it like a grenade launcher, aiming lasers, and other goodies.

There are a lot of options out there. But a basic AR is going to be lighter than pretty much any bolt gun you can pickup off the rack. Lightening an AR shaves ounces off to be a pound or two less. A 7-ish pound AR will shave weight in different areas to make it around 6 instead.

Light for a service rifle ain't necessarily light for a rifle in general. They're not all light, some are lighter than others. Some handle like a railroad tie. The good thing about the AR is that the whole thing is built off of relatively lightweight aluminum receiver halves. It's what you attach to them that determine the overall weight in the end. That can be 7lbs like my 16" Grendel, 8.5lbs like my 18" Grendel, or 11lbs like an old configuration of my M&P15. It all adds up, especially at a time when everybody is slapping a 30mm tube scope on their rifle, seemingly without regard for their portly mass.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

Something you could look for is a fluted barrel. It makes the barrel stronger, cools faster & is lighter.

Out of curiosity, but how does removing metal make metal stronger?

 

[AK Hunter]

Out of curiosity, but how does removing metal make metal stronger?

It's the hard coating they put on after they cut the flutes, makes it more rigid because of the larger surface area. It cools faster too.

 

[wesmonster]

I run a 13 year old BCM 14.5" pencil barrel midlength upper w/ pinned flash hider, FSB and B5 poly handguards. Lightweight bolt carrier.
It's been a reliable setup, soft shooter but not what I'd call undergassed. Shoots the cheapest steel case ammo just fine.
Accuracy isn't the best, but that's to be expected with a chrome lined bore and a skinny barrel. Does a good job with heavier bullets. I also run 20 round mags vs 30s most of the time, 10 rounds of ammo is a noticeable difference.

Used to own a RRA HBAR upper with an unlined bore and that was my best shooter but weighed a ton and was way overgassed. Very good with 55 grain but you could see groups open up with heavy bullets.

I think nowadays a nitrided bore is a better compromise between durability & accuracy and much cheaper.

 

[someguy2800]

Out of curiosity, but how does removing metal make metal stronger?

It will be stiffer than a round barrel of equal weight, but not as stiff as a round barrel of equal diameter

 

[someguy2800]

Weight on an AR can really sneak up on you. A 20” Hbar barrel weighs as much as the whole rest of the rifle. The free float handguards that I prefer can easily add half a pound. Some of the 1-8 or 1-10 lpvo scopes weight a pound and a half by themselves, 2lbs with a mount. It’s not hard to end up with a 10 lb 16” carbine if you are not conscious about weight.

Forged receivers, buffer tubes, and bolt carriers all weight about the same until you get into exotic lightweight parts. The easiest factors you can control are barrel profile, stock and forend, and optics/sights

 

[sevt_chevelle]

It will be stiffer than a round barrel of equal weight, but not as stiff as a round barrel of equal diameter

Yep,
Simply trying to point out that fluting, removing metal doesn't make it stiffer or stronger, it simply cant.
This gets repeated often.

 

[Show Me]

Light weight like a toy was a DPMS orical. It's a son in laws now and girls have used it. You can be as complicated or simple as you want

 

[W.E.G.]

I see listings occasionally but I have never seen a listing I trust.

I am not opposed to trying to build one but I have never built an AR.

Is "lightweight" your primary criteria?

If so, please clarify what meets your definition of "lightweight."

Otherwise, just buy a $400 - $500 16" gun from Palmetto and 30 cases of ammo, and have at it.
One of these will do:

https://palmettostatearmory.com/blem-psa-pa-15-16-nitride-m4-carbine-5-56-nato-classic-ar-15-rifle-with-13-5-m-lok-rail-black.html

Anderson Manufacturing 5.56 AR-15 Rifle - 16"

DetailsThis Anderson Manufacturing 5.56 AR-15 Rifle is a great value option for those looking to start with a reliable base and customize as you go. With all Mil-Spec components this carbine is built to last featuring a 16" M4 profile barrel, forged 7075-T6 aluminum receivers, and an optic ready...

www.primaryarms.com

 

[someguy2800]

Take for example this handy little carbine. Whoops, at just under 10 lbs it weighs a few ounces more than an M1 garand. How did that happen? This one even has a mid weight barrel and a relatively light scope but it sure adds up.

 

[Oklahoma Hank]

I took a two day AR 15 armorers course, and feel more confident about building one now. I may start with a polymer lower.

 

[ddc]

It's the hard coating they put on after they cut the flutes, makes it more rigid because of the larger surface area. It cools faster too.

No.

 

[nugi]

Google WWSD - there’s a whole fad around using modern materials to make ARs lighter like they used to be

 

[Justin]

I took a two day AR 15 armorers course, and feel more confident about building one now. I may start with a polymer lower.

The only polymer lower that's any good is the monolithic one from KE Arms.

The other polymer lowers that don't have a built in stock can be ok for plinking rifles, but if you ever have to mortar the gun to clear a jam, there's a good chance you will crack the receiver just below where the buffer tube screws in.

 

[styles]

pencil barrel colt is what OP seeks.