We do have a RMR Mount in the works. How do you know?? You must have spies.
PS - To clarify, OIP Ultralight Rifle is not a âBAD Inc.â rifle. We made many parts for it, but it is a Bentwood Gunsmithing build with other custom components not made by us. They have a proprietary buffer and buffer spring system that allowed them to use a titanium BCG and cycle properly. The titanium compensator that they made for the OIP is also specifically tuned for that rifle so it is not over/under compensating. Many people look for the âbestâ brake or compensator for their rifles but what is best for one setup isnât necessary going to be right for another. The compensator for the 3.9lb rifle isnât going to be the same as a 6lb AR. It may work wonderfully in one rifle and terrible in another.
Bentwood did do away with the port door as it is their choice but our BAD556-LW upper receiver do have the port door lugs. Like I said we have a set of minimum standards that we are trying to meet on every component and as a system. That will undoubtedly be different for different people. We ruled out major polymer or magnesium components since it is simply not an apples to apples comparison.
Other factors that you canât see but can feel is the center of mass of the weapon, recoil, muzzle climb, etc. Where is that in comparison to a standard M4? Does your lightweight rifle kicks more? Howâs the muzzle climb? Is your BCG cycling too fast? Will it slam fire and double on you with an ultralight titanium carrier? Is the bolt trying to unlock prematurely while the brass is still under pressure? Are you putting on excess stress over your bolt lugs? Some problems may not arise until later which will tip the scales of those minimum standards I spoke about. I donât pretend to know it all, it is all a learning process for us as well and we have put in a lot of research with Bentwood. All I can say there is so much more to it than most would think, even for someone I would call a master gunsmith who train many other factory gunsmiths/armorers, engineers at Picatinny Arsenal and other top tier players. The OIP shoots like a .22 with minimal recoil at 3.9lbs, simply amazing. My hats off to Matt at Bentwood.
I want to caution everyone doing an ultralight build to have fun, be creative, but first and foremost be SAFE!
We will soon have just about every single AR15 component for the lightweight build. Our latest BAD-LGB-Ti-625 Lightweight Gas Block in Grade 5 Titanium with two SS set screws is only .03 lbs (.48oz) vs. .048 lbs for a mid length gas tube (38% lighter).
Doh! I ran the numbers wrong and forgot to subtract the weight of the 1.5oz V7WS 762 Furion Brake to start with. Which means the final calculation was 1.5oz heavier than it actually would be. Just swapping and deleting the parts mentioned gets the build below 64oz to 63.7oz without using the polymer lower and without using the V7WS ti v-grooved flash hider instead of the ti 2A Armament T3 comp.
So my original statement stands: a high quality sub 4lb, non-nfa rifle is possible using off the shelf parts at this time.
As to the reliability thing, I donât wish to float the idea that a build using an ultra lightweight reciprocating assembly and super thin barrels are on the same level of reliability and durability as a mil-spec or better BCG with heavy buffers and medium weight barrels. I will say it can be done safely by the home builder as long as you are regulating gas appropriately and as long as it was assembled properly. I would not be grabbing my uberlight build if my life depended on it, and no offense, but neither would I grab an OIP rifle. These crazy sub 4lb builds are range toys, games guns, and hunting rifles only, IMO. So have fun with with the challenge and tickle the itch, but donât get it mixed up.
I was going to build an ultralight AR but then I realized how much Iâd be spending. I bought a Mag Tactical barrel: http://www.magtacticalsystems.com/index.php/2013-07-29-03-32-36/barrels thatâs pretty skinny before I changed my mind, but sold it for more than I paid. I ended up buying a Kel-Tec SU-16CA for $350 used. Is it the same quality as a nice AR? No. But itâs a decent gun, and weighs 4.7lb. It folds in half for storage etc. I havenât had any problems with it yet, but I havenât shot it enough to really say. I live in California, and itâs featureless so I donât need a bullet button - a big advantage. Iâm sure it could be made even lighter by using more exotic materials (CF rather than plastic).
