Skeletonized AR Magwell

AR/M4 AR Technical Discussion
1

I have been browsing the forums looking at pictures of people’s AR build looking for ideas and have seen some amazing builds. One thing that has caught my eye is some guys have skeletonized their mag wells. I am just wondering if this would compromise the structural integrity of the mag well too much that you might have issues if you run your AR a little harder. I really like the look and am a fan of making your rifle as light as possible, but was just wondering if anyone who has done this before has run into problems.

Also anyone who has done this before, please feel free to post pics of your AR projects which have been skeletonized.

2

The type of folks doing that type of work to their rifles are not the type who put their rifles through serious use.

If you like the look and want to do it, do it. It may never cause any issues, but the juice isn’t worth the squeeze in my opinion.

Other weight saving suggestions you could look at include not using a buttstock, removing the muzzle device, and filling the pistol grip with helium.

3

If you’re trying to save weight, it’s a lot more productive to remove steel, and you have to take a lot less of it off to save the same amount of weight.

4

I guess you could get a bunch of titanium parts if you really wanted to lose weight. Maybe mill off sections of rail you don’t want. Lowers are so light in the first place, it’s not really worth the effort or expense to lighten them further.

5

You don’t need to cut holes in the mag-well, remove the top rail, or compromise the reliability of the part to make it lightweight.

It can be both very lightweight, and still run 100% be it in a carbine course, or three gun.

I just ran this through LMS defense’s Carbine 1 with not a single issue.
And it’s very light!

6

So it’s pretty much cosmetics then. Thanks for the responses gents I do appreciate it. Weight for me isn’t an issue because my go to gun is the M1A which is already plenty heavy.

7

Its a “life style” thing, apparently a lifestyle I don’t follow because I don’t get it.

Everything that is said about ‘could this happen’ probably could. Additionally I find it ugly.

I have a 2A lite set, awesome stuff, not swiss cheese.

E3 is a line of products that reflect our way of life. One that you can live as well…

8

I don’t want to come across as selling a product, but the BALIOS-lite set is often times lighter than these cut out sets!

9

I’ve done one. I blast away at the range and shoot 3gun. I’m not sure what “serious use” is, that is usually for issued guns… maybe a carbine course instructor’s loaner gun would qualify. In any case I suspect this will hold up fine for what 99% of ARs are used for. I have many ARs and cut one with a end mil on a drill press, for no good reason other than to see how it would turn out.

Here is the picture straight off the trimming before being cleaned it. The cuts were cleaned up and filled down and it was sanded and cerakoted. I removed material from the front of magwell, the trigger guard, pistol grip area, and milled pockets out inside also.

It is 2lb .4oz. Weight would be under 2lbs if not for the trigger, I had a spare Timney laying around, it is heavier than mil spec and every other aftermarket trigger I own.

My 22lr Rifle is 3lbs 5oz with this lower. Loaded up with Optic, mag (the black dog mag is very heavy) and suppressor it is 4lb 15oz.

My 300blk is 5lb 15oz with Mag, Optic, and Suppressor

My 11.5" 5.56 is 5lb 2oz with Mag and Optic. I am building a Lightweight can for it now.

My 16" 5.56 (Hanson Barrel) just made it to 6lb, but I switched to a titanium QD mount brake.

I lightened the handguards, barrel nuts, drilled through the gas blocks in some cases, etc… and went away from heavier optics on several uppers. The builds I added suppressors to where lighter than there non-suppressed previous configurations.

10

That’s a nice looking rifle! I’ll bet it’s super light.

11

The rifle without the optic and light on it is right at 5 lbs.

I have not put it on a scale with the accessories on it, but my guess would be with everything included that it’s still lighter than a standard out of the box 6920.