Ultralight Ultralight Rifles

[packgoatguy]

So, for you 'ounce-counters'... is there another good/active thread here on RS about other ultralight gear options other than rifles? Packs, tents, tripods, rain gear, etc?

 

[SLG]

Sorry, I sent it back after I decided to make my own so I don't have it here to measure.

Maybe I can ask it another way. I'm just trying to avoid a mistake, though I usually have to try stuff out for my self, lol.

You mentioned it was 1.5" shorter than your preferred LOP. What LOP do you prefer?

 

[Bufordtjustice]

There are several threads elsewhere on RS that review various scopes to see how robust they are and whether they are more or less likely to hold zero after recoil, bumps and dings, or sitting on the back seat of your truck while driving on a rough gravel road...

There are several scopes that tend to come out on top, as far as being durable, functional, but still lightweight:

20.5oz Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x42
20.2oz SWFA HD 3-9x42
17.0oz Trijicon Credo 3-9x40
13.4oz Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40
9.5oz SWFA 2.5-10x32

If you can find one used;
19.0oz Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32

Thank you for the detailed response. I’m going to look into all of those that have been mentioned.

 

[StevenMn]

Nice rifles and now i have another AR I need to build...

 

[Silent_Matt]

So, for you 'ounce-counters'... is there another good/active thread here on RS about other ultralight gear options other than rifles? Packs, tents, tripods, rain gear, etc?

https://rokslide.com/forums/forums/the-lightweight-zone.52/

 

[packgoatguy]

Maybe I can ask it another way. I'm just trying to avoid a mistake, though I usually have to try stuff out for my self, lol.

You mentioned it was 1.5" shorter than your preferred LOP. What LOP do you prefer?

I like the length of a regular rifle length buffertube and minimalist stock like the farrowtech shown here. About 10.75 inches from the front of the tube.

The kidon is about 1-1.5 inches shorter. I think it would be easy to add a piece of dense foam to the butt end which will add padding and LOP (think flip-flop foam, or something similar like the foam used in yoga blocks... basically make a thick buttpad for it to get it to your desired LOP)

 

[Thegman]

I like the length of a regular rifle length buffertube and minimalist stock like the farrowtech shown here. About 10.75 inches from the front of the tube.

The kidon is about 1-1.5 inches shorter. I think it would be easy to add a piece of dense foam to the butt end which will add padding and LOP (think flip-flop foam, or something similar like the foam used in yoga blocks... basically make a thick buttpad for it to get it to your desired LOP)

What's the story on the buffer tube on the left? Looks like you did that yourself?

 

[packgoatguy]

What's the story on the buffer tube on the left? Looks like you did that yourself?

JE Machine Tech DPMS Platform MIL-SPEC Slot Pattern Skeletonized Buffer Tube PS-BTM2 Color: Black, Finish: Type III Hardcoat Anodized, 35% Off

Shop JE Machine Tech DPMS Platform MIL-SPEC Slot Pattern Skeletonized Buffer Tube | 35% Off 5 Star Rating on 4 Reviews for JE Machine Tech DPMS Platform MIL-SPEC Slot Pattern Skeletonized Buffer Tube...

www.opticsplanet.com

 

[StupidLightweight]

Now that is a cool buffer tube

 

[SLG]

So why does the Farrowtech buttplate only work with Rifle length buffer tubes? Could a tube be cut down and still work with the farrowtech?

 

[packgoatguy]

So why does the Farrowtech buttplate only work with Rifle length buffer tubes? Could a tube be cut down and still work with the farrowtech?

The rifle length tube has a thicker end with a female screw/bolt insert. There is a corresponding bolt that goes through the farrowtech to bolt it onto the end of the tube. If you look at pictures of minimalist stocks that instead fit on the end of carbine length tubes, they tend to clamp on from the side. The rifle length tubes also tend to be the correct length for adequate LOP, which wouldn't be the case with a carbine tube. Even though a rifle length tube is longer, aluminum versions tend to be as lightweight or lighter than carbine lengths, because it doesn't have the multi position flange on the bottom.

 

[Thegman]

So why does the Farrowtech buttplate only work with Rifle length buffer tubes? Could a tube be cut down and still work with the farrowtech?

I imagine that you could cut one down by removing some material from the middle and sleeving with carbon fiber tube and epoxy, either internally or externally, or just replacing the center section entirely with carbon fiber tube and just epoxy in the threaded end end pieces. At that point though, it might just be better to use a Taccom stock...?

 

[Taudisio]

X-caliber is having a 20% off barrels sale. I messaged them and all barrels have a gas block journal, but they have an option to omit the gas port. Would be ~$350 for whatever flavor caliber you want in matte stainless, spaghetti contour. I may or may not have a 6x45 coming in 9-11weeks….

 

[Hackleback]

I imagine that you could cut one down by removing some material from the middle and sleeving with carbon fiber tube and epoxy, either internally or externally, or just replacing the center section entirely with carbon fiber tube and just epoxy in the threaded end end pieces. At that point though, it might just be better to use a Taccom stock...?

With this butt plate, one might be able to drill and tap the side and "pin" to a shortened buffer tube (I haven't done this. so cant say for sure it would work well) . The A2 buffer tube is really light and is the correct length for an adult stock. This is what I am currently running on my builds. Its light, simple and reasonably inexpensive. One could carve on the tube and butt stock, but I don't think you would gain much of a weight reduction and would just make it fragile.

 

[SLG]

I spoke to Farrowtech today and they are willing to build custom length butt plates that fit carbine tubes if anyone is interested. I prefer a 12.75"-13.25" LOP and it sounds like they can accommodate that. I may just get the standard one to play with on a rifle length tube anyway though.

 

[Thegman]

X-caliber is having a 20% off barrels sale. I messaged them and all barrels have a gas block journal, but they have an option to omit the gas port. Would be ~$350 for whatever flavor caliber you want in matte stainless, spaghetti contour. I may or may not have a 6x45 coming in 9-11weeks….

I'd like to see a pic of that barrel and its weight when you get it.

 

[ChrisAU]

What kind of lead time have you guys seen from Solo 300 on components? I prepped my SBR'd lower last night, excited to get my hands on my 350 Legend upper ha.

 

[packgoatguy]

What kind of lead time have you guys seen from Solo 300 on components? I prepped my SBR'd lower last night, excited to get my hands on my 350 Legend upper ha.

Mine took about 18 days.

 

[packgoatguy]

Another non-gas port barrel option:

Backstory...I had LRI put together a lightweight barreled action for a 6Creed. They use Ken at K&P to make their barrels. My barreled action was put in the mail yesterday (net result was 50oz including MacBros element action/bolt, 18 inch 6cm barrel profiled like a kimber, triggertech special, flared muzzle threaded 5/8x24). I made the original order at the end of Dec 2023, so only about a month and a half turn around, including hanging the barrel...

While I was on the phone with them the other day, I had asked if they did AR15 barrels. They said they did not, and that I was better off going to a regular AR Barrel manufacturer, like Faxon. But I mentioned the idea of a smooth AR barrel without the Gas Port, and without any hesitation he basically said, oh... in that case ya, we could easily do that... its just a pain trying to get them right with the gas ports, so if you don't need a gas port then that is something we could do for sure.

If this a good route to explore, it might be worth talking to them as a group... maybe could get better pricing... and providing them one of these 19.5oz faxon or Wilson spaghetti/pencil barrels for them to have Ken match the profile exactly. Might be a decent option for a relatively quick turnaround. (Going directly through Ken, apparently the turn around is closer to 4-5 months apparently... but he gets LRI orders in a couple weeks).

As my build just shipped, I doubt it will get to my FFL before next week... so I can't yet report on how well the K&P barrel shoots... but I've heard good things. Should be a good match for my HNT26 Chassis, as I've made an adapter so I can run the same 6.5oz folding stock that I designed for my AR, which puts my total chassis stock weight (including action screws) at 20oz in its folding configuration, and just 16.6oz without the folder. Including ti action screws, 50oz barreled action, and 3 round MDT mag... its looking like it should be around 71.8oz, or just under 4.5lbs bare rifle with the folder, or 68.4oz with my non-folding stock (just over 4.25lbs). Certainly not as lightweight as these 3lb AR15 builds... but pretty darn lightweight for a full featured REM700SA with chassis, that includes a full length ARCA rail, folding stock, cheek riser, pistol grip, thumb rest, QD mounts, and the benefits of a metal bedding block for the action. I'd say this probably represents the lightest you could get without going to a Pierce Titanium Action. Although I think it plausible to convince a barrel maker to make a true pencil barrel (like the AR barrels) that could get a 16 inch barrel down into the 19oz range (mine turned out around 27oz at 18 inches). Or if MDT could be convinced to make an HNT26 chassis for the Kimber 84m... that could shave off a couple ounces... as that would allow you to ditch the heavy 84m hunter mags and steel followers needed on typical 84m builds.

All else being equal, it is possible to get a traditional bolt action build, like a kimber 84m, down into the mid-high 3lb range, as others have posted about elsewhere on RS... but those uberlites always came in the most minimalist/skeletonized fashion as possible, which affects shootability at longer ranges and limits their utility to a degree. However, with the enhanced shootability of the chassis features, plus a suppressor to tame the already mild 6MMCreed, I'm hoping this rifle could represent what is possible in the future... truly ultralight but full featured and still long range capable rifles that are easy to shoot with smaller calibers.

 

[packgoatguy]

Another easy 11 grams of weight loss... swap the charging handle that comes from solo300 for a titanium one from Nottingham Tactical.