We’ll see how this turns out. As I may have mentioned before, I like light fighting guns. I have been reliably informed via PM that this is because I’m a pussy, but I digress.
I got an M&P15-22 MOE a few months ago to set up as a trainer, and I love the way it handles. Even with a light, VFG, and RDS mounted, that M&P is as easy to handle as a swagger stick - and light is good if you’re actually going to train and use the thing. I like it so much so I thought I’d try to build a light but battle-worthy 5.56 that would feel as much like it as possible.
Parts:
RRA lower, checked to verify mag well and pin holes are OK
Colt LPK (from G&R)
Colt receiver extension, buffer, and Brownells CS carbine spring
BCM BFH .625 lightweight midlength upper
BCM M16 MPI BCG
BCM Gunfighter Mod 4 charging handle
MOE stock, grip, handguard, and VFG in FDE
MBUS rear sight in FDE
MOE rail light mount
Aimpoint M3 in ADM mount
I’ll post pics and weight when I get it together. It should be a VERY pleasant handling gun.
Now waiting for the boxes to get here
ETA: using the vuurwapen weight calculation tool, it looks like this will come out to be 7.1# unloaded as it sits, 7.44 pounds dry with a Surefire G2LED in a Vltor mount. That should be nice indeed.
I guess not. I think it’s also a case of Internet Commando syndrome - where the bitcher has never had to carry a rifle farther than the parking lot to the bench.
I built a ‘lightweight’ middie kind of by accident, as a couple spare parts sprouted into this whole new carbine. Some of the parts on mine are different from yours, but the bulk of it is very similar. For what it’s worth, as pictured less the mag it weighs in at exactly 7 lbs. To me, it makes for a really nice package with everything I need and nothing I don’t. You’re gonna love yours.
And mine is nearly identical to this one as well, but with a UBR (for the time being - going to swap it out with a MOE and Vltor A5), no reflex sight, no paint, and Daniel Defense A1.5 instead of Troy.
For a dozen years or more, my outside gun was a 20" Hbar. When I replaced the barrel with an FNMI M16 barrel I thought I’d have to tether it to the Earth it felt so light.
I’ll post some pics tomorrow. It came in at just over 7.5 pounds unloaded and it feels pretty damn good. I’m going to order some more Colt LPKs from Grant before they’re gone.
The proof will be in the shooting, but the handling is nice. The configuration as it sits now (a couple of things wound up being different from the original list.)
RRA lower, G&R Colt LPK
BCM BFH 16" lightweight midlength upper
BCM M16 BCG
BCM Gunfighter Mod 4
Magpul MOE stock, forend, pistol grip, VFG, and one short rail section
Magpul MBUS rear
Aimpoint M3 in ADM mount
Knight’s Armament singlepoint sling QD mount plate (and THAT was fun to put on.)
Surefire G2LED in VTAC mount
Brownells CS carbine buffer spring
The only question I have to work out is the buffer. All I had on hand was a standard carbine buffer, so I’ll be ordering an H and an H2 to test. I like the heaviest buffer a gun will run with.
Test fired and zeroed MBUS and Aimpoint, as well as tested function with the HALO. Obviously the standard carbine buffer is not enough with the suppressor mounted, so I’m going to do my standard buffer test tomorrow and see how heavy I can go. I was using XM193 today, and I have some .223 and some Silver Bear on the plate for tomorrow just to challenge the buffers.
Interestingly enough, off the bag the gun showed NO POI change with the suppressor mounted at the zero distance of 50 yards. This is not the result I would have expected with such a light barrel - my hypothesis is that because the MOE is not a free-float, the barrel is actually getting support either from the hand or the rest. I’m going to test this theory tomorrow as well.
sweet build. Just got my BCM BFH 14.5 upper today. Putting it together with a MOE from IWC, on a BCM lower. Stock choice is still undetermined. Light and KISS is the way to go. My barrel is govt profile, but still light compared to my other carbine.
I tested H, h2, and 9mm with ammo ranging from Silver Bear to XM193, to Mk262, suppressed and unsuppressed. Results - the gun works up to 9mm with all ammo even unsuppressed, but occasionally fails to lock open with SB if it’s held loosely. I’m thinking that H3 or 9mm is probably not enough margin of safety to allow it to run when really filthy, so I’m probably going to settle on H2.
I’ll retest the POI shift with no support, and if I get a dramatic shift I’ll know my theory was correct. And actually, I’d be okay with that, because I’m rarely going to be shooting one-handed, offhand, suppressed at such a distance that POI shift will be an issue.
If I could make one suggestion, it would be to get an IWC mount for your light. You’ll get a better grip and light activation as the mount pushes the light out in front of the handguard and it eliminates the rail section.
Only thing with that - I’m not a big guy, I am two or three inches taller than Pat Rogers, for perspective. I find the Magpul-style left arm straight and hand at the end of the handguard to be uncomfortable and slower (for me, not for anyone else.) than having my hands closer together.
there’s no accuracy/longevity/heat sink/soak benefit at all from the gov profile is there? It would seem if anything you’d want to have the barrel taper the other way- heavy at the chamber…
The whole gov profile thing happened during vietnam because guys were using the front of their barrels as pry bars right?
i have a gov profile barrel, but not by choice. :o
