light spr build

[ibeupupandaway]

i recently bought my first ar 15 and i was wondering what i can do to lighten it up, because the current build list(how i bought it)

dpms lower
noveske upper
rainier arms 18" match barrel
yhm 12" diamond rail
afg
moe stock
yhm phantom flash hider
dd irons


when i picked it up, it felt a lot heavier than expected and I do know that this may be due to the match barrel and what not, but the things I want to do are

-replace the rail (NSR 16.7" open for suggestions)

- appropriate optic for engaging out to about 400 yds with decent accuracy

- good muzzle device for reducing recoil and managing the weight

-bipod


any other suggestions would be nice but basically i do know the barrel is pretty much going to be untouched and the lower is also going to be untouched

... 9 days left ):

[ar15barrels]

The biggest weight reduction will come from re-profiling the barrel.
It's usually possible to shave a pound there, but it depends on the profile...

[bender152]

- you're not touching the lower
- you're not touching the barrel
- your stock is already one of the lightest ones
- you already plan on changing the rail

That's almost the entire rifle. I don't know what else we can suggest to you.

The only remaining parts are the upper receiver, BCG, CH, and muzzle device. None of which will net you significant weight improvements.

[FMJBT]

Fluting or re-profiling you barrel will be the easiest way to shed a lot of weight. The YHM Diamond rails are a bit on the heavy side, although I'm not sure that going with a 16.7" NSR is going to save you much weight. I'd go for something closer to 12-13" unless you shoot 3-gun and like the crazy looking straight armed forend hold that is so popular with that crowd. The Troy TRX or Midwest Gen II SS forends come to mind. The PRI Gen III forends are pretty light as well. A really compact muzzle device like the shorty comps from AAC or Rainier Arms will save you an ounce or two off the front of the rifle.

[SoCalXD]

Aside from a spendy barrel lightening via fluting or dimpling ( +/- $100, 4-8oz for that barrel), you should dump those heavy rails and go with a lightweight Troy Alpha. My 308 version, w/ 13.8" lenth weighs 6oz less than your 12" YHM. The Troy isnt as strong as the YHM lug, but is strong enough for most users.

Im running two PWS muzzle devices and I love them for their recoil & rise reduction, but not so much for their cost!

As for reasonably priced optics, the Nikon 3x and 4x scopes are good choices. If you can go past $200, look at the 1-4 scopes... Nikon or Millet. Past $300, Burris. Past $400, Burris or Vortex.

As for Bipod, the Harris is still my goto for price to performance.

good choice on that barrel. Feed it some 72 or 75gr match ammo and it should give you some nice tight groups with optics and bipod, asuming your trigger ( and trigger skills) are okay.

[krnrspd]

an spr is a precision weapon, what's the point of going light weight?

in the end the heaviest items will be your barrel, bipod and your optics

my spr is pretty damn chunky but the result is just about anyone can shoot it all day, it feels like a 22 with a loud *** bang (from the ops inc brake)

[Diabolus]

an spr is a precision weapon, what's the point of going light weight?

in the end the heaviest items will be your barrel, bipod and your optics

my spr is pretty damn chunky but the result is just about anyone can shoot it all day, it feels like a 22 with a loud *** bang (from the ops inc brake)

+1

Op, not sure if you have access to the rifle to weigh it, but post some numbers up when you get a chance.

[ibeupupandaway]

thanks for all the replies guys bender i was just trying to see if there were other better rail options other than the nsr i mean the rails i was looking at were on the light weight side and see alternatives

but i just tried guestimating the weight of my rifle and I found it was a little over 10lbs without an optic and bipod so i was just trying to plan accordingly

[gregshin]

Go with with trx extreme or vtac rail. Ditch the afg and go iwc hand stop that matches with the Troy rail. Cheapest fastest way to shed that weight.

After that then ur gonna have to reprofile the barrel.

[shamu415]

Try a carbon fiber handguard for the lightest setup. Flute the barrel, get a handstop instead of the afg. But your current setup should be pretty light except for the rail.

[Hoop]

Feels heavy because your balance is all wrong.

Lighter handguard/barrel or put an A2 stock on the rear if you want it to handle better.

Rainier has a return policy on their barrels, rather than cut/flute it I would ask them if you could trade it in on a 16" that is a lighter profile. Like maybe one of their 189$ select barrels or a DDefense medium profile.

[FMJBT]

Feels heavy because your balance is all wrong.

Lighter handguard/barrel or put an A2 stock on the rear if you want it to handle better.

Good point. Balance plays a key role in how heavy a rifle feels when shouldered. A heavier stock can often make a rifle "feel" lighter. I've found the MAGS EFX-A1 stocks are great for balancing out an SPR profile barrel. They are slightly heavier than a standard A2 stock, but not nearly as heavy as the PRS from Magpul. The short A1 length of the stock and excellent cheek weld make them perfect for use with optics.

[GettoPhilosopher]

Like everyone else has already said, reprofile or flute the barrel (or just get a lighter barrel).

I'd also strongly suggest the Seekins Precision SAR rails. My 12" rail is 12.25 ounces. For comparison, plastic MOE handguards (including the delta ring/barrel nut/handguard cap) are 12.50 oz.

Titanium barrel nut, good quality rails, rotation-limited QD sockets....it's just a damn fine rail. They sell a 13.5" version if you want it too, and it only adds a couple (2 IIRC?) ounces.

[SoCalXD]

"A little over 10lbs WITHOUT Optic or Bi-Pod" ???

Brother, you need to find out where the two pounds of fishing lead weights are hidden on that rifle and ditch them quick!

My newly built LR308 weights 9.1 pounds, without optics, bipod, sling or mag, and our barrels weigh the same 2lb-10oz, and my stock weighs 6oz more than your MOE!

As for weight... it ALWAYS matters, if you have to carry it yourself! (not a concern if you have porters, or a dumb friend!). There is "good weight" (due to highly valuable and well used components) and "bad weight", due to a component being not so valuable, or not used very often.

Full railed hand-guards tend to be "Bad Weight", since they are poor ergonomically and unless you actually need all that rail space, it's extra weight you don't need (which is why most of us here are suggesting some very good non-full-rail alternatives that could shave almost a half a pound off that new rig)

Rifle weight might not be all that important to gun collectors, armchair commandos or for dedicated range guns, but it is VERY important to hunters, soldiers and field shooters; especially for weapons in carbine calibers. That reality is commonly not intuitively available to a person until they are actually carrying a 12lb, 5.56mm rifle up a few miles of fire trail in the outback. Then, and only then, do they commonly realize:

1) They could barely reach, or at least with any ft-lbs of authority, any target on any of the hillsides, ridge-lines or valleys surrounding them.

2) With proper weight management, they could be carrying an LR308 that COULD hit all those locations, with plenty of authority, for that SAME 12lbs worth of rifle, and maybe even 11lbs!

IMO, a 556 "DMR" is a concept created to try and solve the problem of a lack of of optics-capable 30 Caliber rifles in US Military inventory at the beginning of this latest version of the desert wars. A problem that is only now starting to be solved by a recent inventory flood of... 30 Caliber rifles! Don't get me wrong; a US Soldier or Marine with a 556 carbine with optics is plenty dangerous, even at 500 yards, but they would be twice as dangerous with a 308 at that distance, and well beyond that with some traditional rifle training.

Make sure and get some pics up of your new rig when you get it out of "gun jail", and congrats on the new acquisition!

[ibeupupandaway]

"A little over 10lbs WITHOUT Optic or Bi-Pod" ???

Brother, you need to find out where the two pounds of fishing lead weights are hidden on that rifle and ditch them quick!

My newly built LR308 weights 9.1 pounds, without optics, bipod, sling or mag, and our barrels weigh the same 2lb-10oz, and my stock weighs 6oz more than your MOE!

As for weight... it ALWAYS matters, if you have to carry it yourself! (not a concern if you have porters, or a dumb friend!). There is "good weight" (due to highly valuable and well used components) and "bad weight", due to a component being not so valuable, or not used very often.

Full railed hand-guards tend to be "Bad Weight", since they are poor ergonomically and unless you actually need all that rail space, it's extra weight you don't need (which is why most of us here are suggesting some very good non-full-rail alternatives that could shave almost a half a pound off that new rig)

Rifle weight might not be all that important to gun collectors, armchair commandos or for dedicated range guns, but it is VERY important to hunters, soldiers and field shooters; especially for weapons in carbine calibers. That reality is commonly not intuitively available to a person until they are actually carrying a 12lb, 5.56mm rifle up a few miles of fire trail in the outback. Then, and only then, do they commonly realize:

1) They could barely reach, or at least with any ft-lbs of authority, any target on any of the hillsides, ridge-lines or valleys surrounding them.

2) With proper weight management, they could be carrying an LR308 that COULD hit all those locations, with plenty of authority, for that SAME 12lbs worth of rifle, and maybe even 11lbs!

IMO, a 556 "DMR" is a concept created to try and solve the problem of a lack of of optics-capable 30 Caliber rifles in US Military inventory at the beginning of this latest version of the desert wars. A problem that is only now starting to be solved by a recent inventory flood of... 30 Caliber rifles! Don't get me wrong; a US Soldier or Marine with a 556 carbine with optics is plenty dangerous, even at 500 yards, but they would be twice as dangerous with a 308 at that distance, and well beyond that with some traditional rifle training.

Make sure and get some pics up of your new rig when you get it out of "gun jail", and congrats on the new acquisition!

Thanks a lot man I think the steel used in making the barrel kinda is really dense but... i have no clue as of right now. I will get a better weight, when I get the rifle and what not so that I could give a more accurate weight. I'm not too worried about humping weight but 10lbs+ is a little bit too much for me since its just extreme since I might use this rifle to bug out so ammo, mags, food, shelter, and other survival gear, would make me at over hundred pounds granted I am 180 lbs it still is terrible pics of rig will be up in seven days so excited.