While I’m pleased dare I say thrilled with my current setup I do keep in the back of my head if there are any other weight savings I might receive if I built up a 308AR from scratch. I wouldn’t ask for a thing more accuracy wise and use a Ballistic Advantage 18" barrel currently so that is likely where I’d want to stick and probably not any longer with a can coming. I’m open to options though to save a few ounces if need be. Since the 308AR has become my primary hunting platform I like to keep it shorter-ish for deer season b/c it gets cramped in stands/climbers. I don’t hang anything off my handguard so I really need a minimalist at most, but enough to accomodate a low-pro adjust gas block. I don’t even put a sling on mine I use a tow line in stands and have a rifle holder on my climber(yes unloaded in transit). I think you get the picture…super slimmed down 308AR. I do almost no target shooting so no considerations there obviously with a bipod or anything else. Occasionally we stretch the range out from an adjacent field and play on the gongs, but it’s not consternating over 1/2" we throw a blanket over the hood of the truck standing and let it rip at the 10" steel.
I’m betting there are some people here who have gone the extra mile weighing components and going for a slim rig build and I’d be grateful for any of that info if you have it please. My current setup is 7 lb 14 oz w/o any glass/mounts and no mag/ammo so that is probably the easiest way to go apples to apples: no furniture, no glass, no sling etc. Would be fun if I had the ability to build one up from scratch at say 7 lbs. or maybe less, but thinking that might be a tall order. I know this is/would be an exhaustive task and thank in advance for sharing any of your data.
Yea I might be wishing for a pipe dream, but you know how it is: “Can I maybe do it better?”. I really like this rifle more than anything I’ve probably ever owned, but it’s always hard not to ask if something could maybe be improved.
Freaking crap on my freshly washed windshield! I was all happy because I brought my SPR down from 14.4 to 12.1 (optic) and my DMR came in at 13.6, both with loaded mags.
But still that’s good enough for me. I’m not on a quest. At least that particular quest. But good luck! I have heard that 2A is definitely dialed in to the lightweight scene.
ETA: I couldn’t agree more on he BA barrels. I am so impressed with all the barrels I’ve gotten from them.
You can do it. It’s just the trade off, dollars vs. grams. Then you get to a point where its no longer just dollars vs. grams, but weight vs. reliability. For a hunting rig that trade off might not always be worth it. JMHO. If you want light weight for hunting, buy a light weight hunting bolt gun in 270Win.
You can save a lot of weight in a .308 AR by simply using lower capacity magazines and carrying less ammo.
That’s not bad at all, but I will tell ya after hiking just under 6 miles on a hog hunt last weekend I’m going to consider a lighter setup. I think it’s age catching up or something! It’s 96* outside right now and half a pound adds up especially when you head out with a few boxes of .308 in a waist pack to start the night.
I’m almost done with a light weight 308 build, so this topic is very relevant to me.
I don’t have a final weight yet, but expect be finish between 6.5 & 7 pounds without mag or optic. Fully loaded with a Trijicon 1-8/mount and a 20 round pmag I’m trending to 10.5 pounds.
With a Titanium BCG & Christianson carbon wrapped barrel a sub 6 pound completed rifle is theoretically possible. I don’t think I’ll spend the $1000 on those 2 upgrades, but you never know…
hundreds more could be spent to loose a few more grams, but the ROI on that is pretty steep.
While that may be true generally, most hunting scenarios such as deer hunting, will only allow a 5 round mag to begin with. So even if you chamber a round and don’t load the mag at all, the only weight saved is that of 4 rounds.
Just depends on where you are…private land in FL it’s as much and any kind of ammo for hogs year around. Carrying less ammo is a non-starter for night hog hunts unless you want to do lots of watching vs shooting. That or be willing to run back to the truck to grab more mags which might be 2 miles away.
Yea the skeeters are a little weird right now they have not been out in force yet like they will be once the rains kick in. With the drought and forest fires it does seem to have had some impact on their breeding. This time last year we were already going through Thermacell mats like Rosie O’Donnell through bear claws at a Krispy Kreme 2 for 1.
I have researched this a lot the past week or so and I think bang for buck I will just stick with my setup now. Sinking a chunk into a thermal which should be here in the next several weeks…can’t justify the outlay to shave off more weight…at least right now. Thanks for the input to all I’m jealous of some of the lightweight setups!
Yup. The only thing illegal to do with feral hogs in the great state of FL is to capture them and then transport them while they are alive.
24-7-365, bait em, light em, choot’em, spear em - just kill em.
OT, my 308 is a SCAR 17 13" SBR with NF 2.5-10x24 - it’s right at 10.5 unloaded but I have some work to do shaving a couple of things off. I’ve been trimming weight on all my rifles (but not via drastic measures, yet) and I think I can get it to 9.5 pretty easily.
Absolutely. Turkey Buzzard BBQ and Coyote Cafeteria we keep them both fed well.
That’s getting lean at 10.5. I do run it with irons mostly during the day/working in the brush so it’s no issue there b/c I’m in and out of a truck/quad/UTV. Hiking though whew every ounce counts!
Boy I agree especially since all I do is hunt vs sitting on a bench with bipods/supported. Pulling it up off my chest for a quick offhand shot at a sneaky hog and the balance becomes all important really quickly.
Gentlemen… Thank you… Your discussion has given me reason number 3 for my next build…3 reasons is all I need to justify another rifle.
Project “SBR-308” will utilize a 13.7" barrel. I’m going to stick with most of the components that I used in my DMR since it such a good shooter.
But this won’t see completion probably until November.
Just wants to say thanks for doing your part.
