I am interested in upgrading my upper…I want something lighter and shorter. Something that my wife can shoot a little easier as well.
What I want:
14.5" 1-7 twist Lightweight Mid-Length M4 barrel
Spikes Low Profile Gas Block
M4 Flat Top Upper
Stainless Mid-Length gas tube
Spikes 10" SAR rail system
Spikes Dynacomp Extreme (Pined & Welded)
Is it worth the switch, I mean how much lighter will the above setup be?? The HandRail alone will be a difference of 6oz…
Gonna cost me about $450 extra after selling my current Upper setup!
I am torn…should I just keep my setup I have?!
What I have now:
Adams Arms 16" 1:8 twist M4 Barrel (Stripped)
Midwest Industries Low Profile Gas Block
M4 Flat Top Upper
Mil-Spec Stainless 17-4 Gas Tube (Carbine Length)
Spikes 12" BAR rail system
Troy Industries Medevile Muzzle Brake
Having just done this for my wife I can offer a few tidbits. For one, get out of the Spike’s catalog. If you want to do this right, it is going to cost money. Second, get a pinned and welded lightweight 14.5 with a low-pro gas block from either BCM or Centurion Arms and a 9" or 10" Centurion C4 rail, this is the lightest combination that I could find to start from. This is a game of ounces and the ounces add up. Research is your friend, TYV and the vendors above are a place to start.
Spikes makes decent stuff, but they aren’t outstanding. If you stumble into a great deal or something, why not, but if you’re going to buy new you might as well get something high quality. DD, BCM… Etc Etc. You can make a light setup with any of those brands.
I really enjoy my Samson EVO rail. It’s extremely light and sturdy. Definitely an option for you to look into.
Daniel Defense lightweight barrels are hard to beat weight wise. The only other option I have considered that is a little lighter is one of the Shrubmaster 16" superlight weight barrels, then having it cut down.
I don’t know where you read avoid Spikes in what I wrote, I said to expand beyond Spikes. A railed handguard the diameter of a baseball probably isn’t the best choice for a shooter with small hands. As for the Centurion Arms site, that is interesting. In the meantime, several of the vendors supporting this site stock their products.
Weapon Outfitters carries Centurion handguards …use the Arfcom coupon code for 5% off and they ship free.
The Spikes SAR rail is very slim…not to be confused with the BAR.
I’ve done a few of these builds and had great success with Troy 11" TRX and 14.5" lightweight mid length barrels from Spikes and DD with pinned BC 1.5’s.
Pay attention to balance to cope with weight. Pairing a lightweight upper with a heavier stock makes the rifle handle like it weighs less than it really does.
Okay I misunderstood. I concur. There are several good vendors out there worth taking a look at besides Spikes. I was very pleased with my experience with BCM and my Samson Evolution hand guard from Rainer Arms has worked great and is a good fit for smaller hands.
In my opinion it’s hard to beat the Troy/viking Extreme rail for weight savings. I’ve built several rifles up using them for myself and friends and I have not had any problems. The Centurion is currently my rail of choice but if you’re just looking at weight the Troy model wins. You might consider a BCM lightweight mid length14.5 with pinned A2X and MOE. That is probably as light as you’re going to get with keeping full features.
Get what you want, keep what you have, let go of what you don’t like.
The proposed setup is good to go. The configuration will be more pleasant to carry and shoot. You also have the higher volume gas tube so that will make a little softer impulse, especially with it being 14.5 (making for less dwell time beyond the gas block)
The LW barrels are very nice, and if you ever carried a KISS rifle over the hills and through the woods, you know how nice lighter weight is.
i am extremely impressed with the m4v7lw from daniel defense the rifle is very nice and accurate and extremely lite i have the troy extreme handguards on other rifles and the daniel defense offering is lighter
If you’re set on spikes check out their FN made “optimum” profile chf barrels on their site. They’re gtg, I own one and I don’t care what the naysayers think. Why not go with battlecomp? I’ve seen mixed reviews on the dynacomp(loud, fireballs)but does its job.
Got one of these in the mail Friday. It appears to be a great compromise. I haven’t installed it or shot it yet, but first impressions on weight/fit/finish/quality are outstanding.
$750, but that’s for a fully functional upper (includes BCG, CH, with DD VFG)…dd a complete lower and rear BUIS and you’re done. It is deceptively light to the touch.
Are you looking to buy a complete upper for the most part or are you wanting/willing to assemble it yourself? The assembling road may take a bit more time but if ultimate weight savings is where you want to be you may need to go that route.
Also, do you want the 14.5"/pinned because of the overall weight savings from going shorter?
Understand that there is no free lunch. An ultimate lightweight upper/gun will have more felt recoil, which in turn may lead you to a comp (battle, or otherwise), which in turn will result in more blast at the shooter (yes, even at the shooter) which may be distasteful to a woman or other person not really familiar with shooting.
I can assure you, you won’t be disappointed when you put rounds down the pipe either. Now spikes of course makes all kinds of claims as to the barrels accuracy potential but it’s probably no better than most other barrels of its type and only as capable as the shooter.
Thanks for all the input/insight…So from what I gather it’s probably gonna be best to piece together the setup I want using what I already have and changing what I don’t want!?
I actually built my whole gun part by part, piece by piece…
