Lighter AR

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gf1723

Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
98
Location
usa
I've had my AR for about 6 months now and am starting to wish it was a bit lighter. I originally got it with a quad rail system for expandability, but now don't ever see myself using a flashlight or anything else on it. I like it just fine as a range/plinking rifle. I think the full profile barrel and the quad rail (RRA) are the weight culprits.

I was looking into getting a BCM upper lightweight M4 (no handguard or rear sight). I have a Magpul rear sight on my current upper and was going to get the MOE handguard. I was thinking about selling my current upper online somewhere. It only has about 50 rounds through it. Been too cold to shoot lately. How much money could I get for it? Could I sell it online easily and have enough money to buy the BCM? Its a regular RRA upper with flip-down front sight, carbine quad-rail. I would also probably sell it with the XTM rail covers on it since they are a pain to take off.

Any advice? I don't want twp uppers and don't really want to shell out $400 for a new upper. I was hoping to get enough out of the current upper to get a different one.
 
gf1723, without pics it's hard to tell, but it sounds like you have an HBar. I'm assuming this because simply going from a Rock River M4 profile to a BCM M4 profile isn't going to get you anything.

If my assumption is correct, it's kind of unfortunate because that model of upper isn't all that popular. Although many have the idea that they should be able to sell something for what they paid for it, that often isn't the case. What I'd do if I were you is just get yourself a different barrel and do a barrel swap. I'd also opt for a middie barrel with a mid length gas system. No reason to go with an M4 profile with the carbine gas system.
 
You will notice a significant difference between a HBAR and a lightweight "pencil" profile barrel. I know, because I went from a 16" Mid length Del-Ton HBAR to a 16 Mid length BCM .625" profile and my carbine is now much more like a carbine should be: quicker handling and lighter weight.

For my Del-Ton upper, I subtracted out a few parts I was keeping (like the handgaurds and detachable carry handle), then reduced the price by a further 30% and it sold in less than a few hours. Guess I under priced it. So if you discount your's 15% under what you paid for it (further subtracting any accessories you'll remove), you will have no trouble selling it. You may have to make up a bit of difference, but it is worth it IMO.

Also, be sure to get the BCM bolt carrier group with the upper; they are well worth the $ IMO.
 
Unfortunately I don't think I'm experienced enough to do a barrel swap. Nor do I have the tools. Yes my barrel is an HBar barrel, and I think the heaviest things on my AR would be the barrel and the quad rail. I have a feeling that swapping those out will help greatly.

Just curious, if I wanted to try and sell it online, could I without going through an FFL? Also, what would be a decent site to do this through?
 
Just curious, if I wanted to try and sell it online, could I without going through an FFL? Also, what would be a decent site to do this through?
Click to expand...
The lower is the part that has to go through the FFL, the upper could be sold here in the parts and accessories forum.
 
I've found myself in a similar situation.

You should consider modifying your current upper. It is very very easy to swap barrels and forearms on an AR.

A wrench and action block will be around $60. A plain aluminum free float tube is as cheap at $30-40 for one from Model 1 Sales (the cheap ones work just fine).
Carry your barrel (or mail it) to a gunsmith to be reprofiled for about $50-60.

This will cost you around $140-160.
Sell your RRA quad rail for $100 or more and your net cost is very low. Sell your tools and you'd probably break even.
I think if you sell the complete upper you'd lose more money.
 
Another options is to contact ADCO. They can re-contour and refinish your barrel for under $200. Maybe closer to $150 depending on the options you get. They can do it all: disassemble, recontour, refinish and reassemble, Plus shipping. under $200. Just recontouring the barrel will take a lot of weight off.

If you sell yours and buy new, i would get an upper without a FSB, either a low profile or reailed gas block and i would get a midlength gas system.

If you sell your upper, sell it on AR15.com.

Bravo is the way to go if you buy.
 
Going from a 16" HBAR to pencil barrel can shave off almost a full pound and going from a quad rail to MOE handguards will help too. I notice a huge difference between my LW and HBAR midlengths.

I wouldn't do a barrel swap, it'll cost too much and be a hassle. Selling your upper and going with a LW 16" midlength BCM or Daniel Defense would be my recommendation. Since you're selling an upper with rails you may be able to recover enough to get a LW upper with MOEs.
 
Adco would be a good option, but if you can find a gunsmith that can do the swap for you, it might be quicker. You could get a 16" middie barrel from Ranier Arms (one of the "select" models) and have the smith throw it on for you.

How much he charges you will likely depend on how hard it is to get your upper apart. I've seen Rock Rivers just not want to come apart without the use of a big vice, blow torch and cheater bar.
 
Can I put a mid-length upper on a carbine lower without any problems? I thought there was a difference between the buffer tubes or something?
 
Not the tubes. I believe it is recommended to use an H-buffer rather than a standard carbine buffer with a mid length upper. You can try it with a standard carbine buffer but if things are a bit harsh or you have cycling issues I would try an H buffer as well.
 
The physical length of the buffer depends on which buffer tube you are using. Really, there are only two. Rifle length and carbine length.

As for which buffer, I'd just use which ever you have and see if you have any problems. Generally you shouldn't. You DO NOT need to switch to a heavier buffer for a middie system. The middie system actually operates at a lower pressure than a carbine system (hence the smoother shooting), so if anything, you may be able to use a lighter buffer with a middie system.

The only thing you'll have to change is the barrel and the gas tube. The thing is that depending on the type of gas block that you have now, you may need to get a new one. I know that on the RRA barrel that I have in my parts box, the gas block is pinned. If this is the case, it's just easier to get a clamp on gas block for the new barrel. Gas blocks range from about $40 to an almost "the sky's the limit" price range.
 
gf1723 said:
I've had my AR for about 6 months now and am starting to wish it was a bit lighter. I originally got it with a quad rail system for expandability, but now don't ever see myself using a flashlight or anything else on it. I like it just fine as a range/plinking rifle. I think the full profile barrel and the quad rail (RRA) are the weight culprits.
Click to expand...

Well, I won't say those are the main culprits, but they are definitely high on the list of where you can save weight.

If you still want a free floated forearm, the YHM lightweight quad rail, troy TRX battle rail extreme, and pri carbon fiber tubes are about the same. If you don't want rails, the simple no frills carbon fiber tubes from clark/DPMS/whoever, are cheap and light.

Going to a midweight contour, lightweight contour, or pencil barrel will shed a fair amount of weight compared to a plain hbar barrel. It's probably the single biggest weight savings you cna get.


The next place to pick up wieght savings is the stock depending on where you start. Over an A2, you can shave a lot. A cheapies 6 position collapsible, not so much.

Then there's sights. MAgpul flip ups front and rear are light, so are the micro red dots on the market. Slap a US optics scope in a larue SPR-E mount, and you cna add over 2lbs easily.

Light with a good comp rocks.
 
gf1723 said:
Can I put a mid-length upper on a carbine lower without any problems? I thought there was a difference between the buffer tubes or something?
Click to expand...
gf1723, assuming you're not talking about rifle buffers - and have a lower with a carbine style buffer of standard weight - yes you can put a midlength upper on that lower and expect it to function properly. In general the standard weight carbine buffer is recommended for middys but you can go with a heavier buffer as long as none of your ammo short strokes. I have no problems with an H buffer in one midlength and an H2 in another.
 
gf1723, assuming you're not talking about rifle buffers - and have a lower with a carbine style buffer of standard weight - yes you can put a midlength upper on that lower and expect it to function properly. In general the standard weight carbine buffer is recommended for middys but you can go with a heavier buffer as long as none of your ammo short strokes. I have no problems with an H buffer in one midlength and an H2 in another.
Click to expand...

Correct. I'm running a carbine weight buffer in my 16" mid length BCM with no problems thus far. Most middies seem to run just fine with carbine weight buffers, but H1 buffers often work too. H2s can work as well, but generally not too well if you like to shoot .223 or a lot of relatively low powered surplus steel cased ammo (Wolf for example). Not sure if it is BS or not, but supposedly if your rifle is spitting empty cases out at 4:00, your GTG.
 
well after reading what you asked i thought i could help but after reading all the replies i'm confused on what 2 tell u... lol J/K well all jokes aside if you sold the RR upper and bought a BCM lightweight middy upper you would loose the weight your looking for and you would have a much much higher quality upper (top tier) on your hands. taking your upper 2 a gunsmith...then sending the barrel off would do the job...but seems like a lot of trouble 2 me. if it were me i'd just sell it and buy the BCM.
 
Wow you guys are great, tons of advice. Yea I think I'm going to try and find a buyer for the RRA upper and go for a mid-length BCM upper. Then slap on a Magpul MOE handguard (love the looks of it) instead of the regular handguard. I'll probably just go with the regular front sight also. Here is a link of the exact rifle I purchased:

http://www.rockriverarms.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=464

What would be a good price to try and get out of this if I just sold the upper with some XTM rail covers on it? Keep in mind this upper only has 50 rounds through it so it is still in like-new condition. I was thinking around the range of $500, $550 if I included the BCG?
 
I was thinking something in the neighborhood of around $500, if you can find the right buyer and include the BCG. If you want to move it fast, maybe $400. In trying to get your money back out of something, you really have to be patient.

Me, I'm not so patient and usually wind up taking a hit when I sell something. You just have to keep in mind that what you are selling is used and doesn't come with any sort of warranty.
 
If you go with a LW midlength with MOEs it'll look something like this recent build. (Daniel Defense, not BCM though)

Weighs about 6.5 lbs as configured in the picture without magazine

Daniel Defense/S&W left
DSCN0867a.jpg
 
That's a beautiful gun you have there Quentin! That is also the same look I'm going for although I don't have any type of optic yet. Gonna get some good iron sight practice in first!
 
Thanks, gf1723! I went cheap on the rear sight (cut down a carry handle) and cheap on the optic, a Bushnell TRS-25 on sale for $80. The rear iron is tough as nails and the RDS is ok unless you whack it on a door jam or something. I'm pretty impressed with both sights and have duplicated them on two rifles with absolutely no problems.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

G
  • Locked
Will this work with my AR?
Replies
3
Views
390
gf1723
G
T
  • Locked
AR scope mount
Replies
11
Views
727
gotigers
G
W
  • Locked
Building a .22 AR, Trigger, Sights and Forend Advice Wanted
Replies
9
Views
1K
wcoats
W
G
  • Locked
Quad rail too heavy?
Replies
12
Views
3K
Z-Michigan
Z
R
  • Locked
AR-15 detail strip
Replies
6
Views
2K
BADUNAME37
B
Back
Top