Just wondering what your thoughts were concerning this article. Can you actually make a reliable AR that weighs 4.5 pounds?
http://www.gunsandtactics.com/building-the-lightest-ar-possible
Bring your pocketbook!
I would have to ask my wife first. 
I don’t mind spending the money but you have to be practical and ask yourself where to stop. You can do a 5.5# rifle with irons without trying hard or spending big bucks. Is the extra pound and chance of reliability loss worth the pound? Bragging rights mean nothing when the shit hits the fan!
Did you see this?
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?169707-Project-�berlight-sub-4lb-SBR-sub-5lb-suppressed-SBR
I made a full feature rifle that weighs 4 pounds 11 ounces with optics and back up sights…by ‘full feature’, I mean it’s got everything but a forward assist. It doesn’t feel real when you pick it up. It’s easily my most expensive AR. Mine has a single chamber ALG brake on it (it needed it), but shoots like a laser gun. It’s cool, but it was just done for fun.
Light is good but I wouldn’t feel comfortable with a lightweight bolt carrier group and buffer even if the gas port was undersized. A 6-7lb rifle doesn’t feel heavy to me.
I like lightweight, but what do you gain in terms of felt and actual recoil when you drop that much poundage?
I guess the maker might claim, that for the same weight burden, one could carry an extra pound of ammo, which is 2 twenty round boxes, of Federal XM-193 (in the box, I just weighed 1, then 2 unopened & it was 1lb 01oz) so call it 40 bare-ass rounds, or 39 if we aren’t going over a pound. Let’s not quibble…
I think I have too much time off at the moment, if I’m weighing ammo…
I built a LW AR just because I could and I wanted the challenge. Same reason my dog licks his nuts. It’s just for fun, and yes, it was very expensive. I don’t see the need to go LW in a serious AR other than a LW barrel and rail if desired. I wouldn’t go with the combination of adjustable gas block, LW BCG, and LW buffer like I did to save weight in my LW build. Still, this gun has been reliable, but it’s only for fun,
Nice rifle.
Aluminum is lighter than titanium.
Weight without cheating should include at least one sighting system.
V7 Weapon Systems, BCM, 2A Armament, Battle Arms Development, etc. are making it super easy to build ultralight rifles.
“Lightest rifle” kinda like “world’s best coffee”
Some parts available are lighter than what was used. Probably a Geissele is lighter than the trigger used and a 2A Arms Ti T3 comp is lighter than the V7WS 556 Furion brake. V7 charging handle < BCM gunfighter. Magpul K < Grip 23.
Anyone building a “lightest rifle possible” build is going to have to make some decisions on parts selection as to if lightest is really what they want.
you can build a sub 6 pound rifle with a standard receiver halves. I have a 5 1/2 pound with irons and sub 6 with a TA-33 on it. used mil spec BCG and a vltor A5 H2 buffer ,BCM 14.5 ELW-F, 10"BCM KMR w/V7 Ti barrel nut, V7 Ti clamping blocks, V7 .625 gas block Ti, 2A T3 Ti pinned and welded, rainier upper w/o FA, BCM mod 5 charging handle, Daniel defense fixed sights
lower is a BM lower with V7 Al buffer stop, A5 buffer tube,H2 buffer, standard rifle spring, BCM mod 0 stock, V7 end plate and castle nut Al,V7 Ti trigger pins for a geissele SD-C trigger, BCM mod 3 grip, V7 Al mag latch button, norgon mag latch, V7 Ti&Al 57 degree safety, V7 Al pivot and take down pins and a PDQ ambi bolt stop
I’m unimpressed with their build.
Also every pic of them using it has a RDS on there, so they really needed to include that in the weight.
I wonder if their ELF trigger failed on them and that’s why some of their photos have a silver trigger in them. Elftmann Tactical makes an unreliable trigger, has shitty customer service (if you can even reach them), and incompetent engineering in my experience.
I just ordered their Ti KMR barrel nut. How do you like the Ti clamping blocks? In a huge V7 fan, but those don’t appear to offer much weight savings to me. Been a while since I held those in my hand though.
Sub 4lb AR can be done. We have achieved 3.9lbs with an all aluminum, titanium, carbon fiber and steel components with Bentwood Gunsmithing with the OIP (Ounces Is Pounds) ultralight rifle. We had to redesign every single component from the receiver, barrel, gas block down to the pistol grip screw, pivot/takedown pins. The buffer and spring system is of proprietary design to balance out the reduction in the reciprocating mass (titanium bolt carrier).
Here is a video from SHOT SHOW 2015
Here is the live fire test by Steve Coulston. Very minimal recoil, feels like a .22
I like your rifle and some of the products based upon it now coming to market as well as the interest the project generated for the craze. Though, I will say, a sub 4lb, non-nfa rifle is achievable using off the shelf parts at this point in time.
A rifle can be “lightweight” or sub 4lbs but doing it without compromising strength, reliability, functionality, safety, etc. can be very challenging. We can make our parts even lighter but at some point you have to stop removing material and/or change the material. There are usually a trade-offs and consequences for the weight savings.
Those of you building your own lightweight rifles please be aware just because the parts fit together doesn’t mean it will run properly. The combination can be unsafe or lead to premature failures. I know there are many experienced shooters and builders here but for the benefit of those who are not as experienced, we recommend you have it checked out by a professional. Do not simply choose your parts by weight alone and buy the lightest of every component. It will very likely not lead to good results. You have to look it as a whole/complete system.
We took on the sub 4lb rifle challenge with Bentwood Gunsmithing over two years ago. It took us 1.5 years to design, engineer, manufacture, test and fine tune each part to get it just right. We did not want to build a rifle that is lightweight but is harsh on recoil, uncontrollable, and/or unreliable. Bentwood Gunsmithing took the OIP rifle to another level. I have yet to see another sub 4lb rifle that met the minimum standards threshold we have set for ourselves. Those minimal standards (safety, reliability, functionality, strength, etc.), of course, would be different for everyone as opinions vary. BTW - I am not considering polymer/magnesium receivers in the same category as aluminum receivers for comparison.
I agree it is important to consider a build, especially an ultralight build, from a systems standpoint. You certainly achieved that by designing the individual parts of the OIP rifle to perform in concert with the whole, an edge a manufacture has over the home builder to be sure. Indeed it is challenging to build a sub 4lb rifle, but it can be done by the home builder, and it can be done well due to companies like V7WS, 2A Armament, BCM, and, of coarse, Battle Arms Development’s fine product offerings. Without poopooing your project which I admire, I disagree that your OIP rifle is the only sub 4lb project that meets the minimum standards of quality and performance in regards to strength, reliability, functionality, safety, etc. In fact, one aspect I would not have compromised on is eliminating the port-door.
Now it is more challenging to build a sub-4lb, NON-NFA rifle like you did, it looks like I slightly overstated the point in my last post.
Using my Überlight build as a base (https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?169707-Project-�berlight-sub-4lb-SBR-sub-5lb-suppressed-SBR):
-Swap in Faxon Firearms 14.5" pencil mid-gas barrel w/ pinned 2A Arms titanium T3 comp and a 9" BCM KMR rail (9.4" actual, your carbon fiber handguard also only partially covers the gas-block and the rifle has a comp instead of a flashhider).
-Swap V7WS buffer tube assembly and BAD-LBS-Mil stock for ACE AR-UL-E stock/buffer tube assembly minimally configured (you got it beat for comfort in LOP)
-Delete Spikes Tactical Micro sights, NSR panel keymod handstop, and keymod QD socket (your rifle also doesn’t have these parts but does have preference using a Aimpoint T1 over a Trijicon RMR, IMO).
I am coming up 1.2oz over 64oz running the numbers in this non-nfa configuration using a 2A Arms Ti T3 comp over a .25oz lighter V7WS Ti v-grooved flash hider and without using a .95oz lighter polymer TN Arms Co lower. I am guessing your carbon fiber handguard is a bit lighter than BCM’s KMR magnesium alloy keymod rail. I suppose I could get a few more tenths if I shaved the 1913 top rail off the upper and handguard but then I wouldn’t be using off-the-shelf parts anymore. So as stated you got me beat. Now if I used the TN Arms Co lower and V7WS flashhider it would weigh in right at 64oz but the comp is important to the systems approach of your ultralight rifle. Also your OIP lower is aluminum instead of polymer but my upper would have a port-door and a full top rail, so maybe it’s a draw…
BAD,
while you are here (and thanks for posting), have you considered making an ultralight, 1oz or less, Trijicon RMR primary mount? 