Ultralight Ultralight Rifles

[Taudisio]

Well...if you hadn't shot 20k 87 VMaxes in the last couple months your pockets would be overflowing with cash.

And driving 9 hours one way, with a butcher bill on top, then a surprise archery elk butcher bill, and the “crotch goblin” hospital bill, just bought a 3rd suppressor last week, I have to hold a few hundred to get a 4x4 double throat patch buck on the wall! I’m not complaining at all, but I’m “still in the black”, and trying to keep it that way!

 

[CDubbs]

I posted some info on the 77TMK thread about my experience on trying out the 77TMK on this black bear. There was some interest in the rifle used so I'm posting some info about the whys and hows on some of what I've put together over the last year or so.

View attachment 611751

I've been carrying lightweight bolt rifles around the mountains for a long time and have thought about how to make the lightest rifle I could, just to see what's possible, if nothing else. The lightest bolt rifle I've had was a 4# 9oz 308. That was pretty costly and there didn't seem to be a way to get much lighter without a lot of machining, cutting and $$.

The AR platform seemed like a good place to look having an already lightweight aluminum upper receiver,, lightweight relatively inexpensive barrels available and all the lightweight parts available...and the ability to easily put them together.

Anyway, here's a couple I've put together. Most are still getting modified as I figure out what works best for my purposes, or have been since the pictures were taken, but this hopefully give the basic idea.

This is the rifle in the picture above that took the black bear, in it's initial iteration I put together with what I had on hand at the time. I jokingly refer to as the Red Ryder. The bare rifle is only about 12oz heavier than a Red Ryder BB gun and feels more like you're holding a BB gun than a rifle you might use for big game. It's lighter, by about 1/2 a pound, than a 22LR Henry Survival Rifle if you've ever handled one of those.

View attachment 611752

Front to back, here's what it was and some of the tweaks since then:

Wilson Combat Ultralight 5.56 barrel (now wearing a Faxon 223 Wylde pencil barrel to see if I could get 75 ELDM to shoot well at AR OAL length - still didn't work well, but the 77 TMK does, and probably would in the Wilson as well, I just didn't have any at the time)

Guntec aluminum gas block cut down and reversed to seal the gas port (cut off too much apparently as it was leaking). Put another unmodified one on for now.

NFA 5" lightweight handguard. This is probably too short for shooting off a pack and is probably too short to carry well on a sling...but it was what I had in the parts drawer. I've since put a cut down 10" version of the same on. That will be replaced with a 10.5" Jag Composites Ultralight CF handguard. The 10.5 JC handguard is a bit lighter that that 5" aluminum handguard. I have one on my 3#10oz 5.56 gasser. They're super lightweight and work well so far.

TN Arms Carbon 15 lower. These weigh 4 oz. and have threaded brass inserts in the receiver for the buffer tube/stock and hand grip. There are lowers that are even a little lighter, but they're not reinforced as well. I did have an NFA receiver crack on the top of the buffer tower on another build so decided to go with these. So far so good.

NFA polymer LPK. These have worked fine for me so far in multiple builds..

Solo 300 bolt action upper. These use a shortend, aluminum bolt carrier and don't require any springs, buffers, etc. in the buffer tube so can use any kind of stock.

A good place to mention why I decided to build as a straight pull bolt AR rather than a gasser:
A little easier to make a lighter build.
Easier to keep track of and recover brass.
Simpler than a gasser.
Not finniky like super lightweight ARs can be. I've built an ultalight AR as I mentioned above. It's a great rifle, but I do have to be sure gas is tuned for the specific load, etc.
Nothing getting dirty from the gas system.
I've hunted with bolt rifles all my life and never felt handicapped by that in any way. For the hunting I do, if I need multiple, rapid follow up shots, I've just screwed up. And, I can run this faster than any turn bolt if that matters...which it probably doesn't.

Hogue 15° grip. These only weigh 1oz and are only about $20.

A2 buffer tube with a Farrow Tech butt that attaches in place of the A2 stock. About 5oz total. There are other stocks about the same weight, but wanted to see what could be done on the cheap.

Hopefully that sums this one up okay and some here find the idea interesting. I'll post something shorter on the next build.

I like the way this rifle looks. Sleek as heck but still has a little flash!

 

[BLJ]

I'm @ 2,700+ with multiple loads. I wouldn't sweat the 16" barrel at all.

Interested in your data on this. Thanks.

 

[KyleR1985]

I received my complete KP-15 receivers today, and am impressed with how beefy they feel while still being lightweight. Skeletonizing the rifle might be tough, the inside of the buttstock is mostly hollow, with ribbed sections on the top and bottom to add strength and probably provide extra mating surfaces for the vibration welding used to connect the left and right sides of the receiver.

The recoil pad was lightweight and mostly hollow, as was the grip. I was surprised to find it was hollow with reinforcing ribs when I ran a 1/2" bit inside to see if I could get rid of some plastic.

I swapped the buffer for Taccom ULW delrin buffer (1.1oz), swapped the mag release, hammer, and trigger out for New Frontier Armory polymer parts.

Weights:

• As received, full assembly: 27.7oz
• Buffer: 2.8oz
• Recoil pad w/screws: 1.3oz
• Modified, full assembly: 23.9 oz

I installed a 16" Faxon 6mm ARC barrel, with their 10" carbon fiber handguard, on an Aeroprecision upper, with a lightweight Brownells bolt that I picked up on sale earlier this year (Memorial Day sale?). Total weight with a magazine came to 4lb 14.5oz. Lightweight, but not ultralight at all. An Aeroprecision scope mount will add 3.4 oz more, and if I add a 6x SWFA (likely), it will end up a chunky ~6lb 6.5oz.... plus a suppressor....

View attachment 613311

Sharps, how is this gun/barrel shooting?

Considering a 6mm ARC swap on one of my guns.

Suppressed correct?

Adjustable gas block?

 

[4090Sharps]

Sharps, how is this gun/barrel shooting?

Considering a 6mm ARC swap on one of my guns.

Suppressed correct?

Adjustable gas block?

I've got probably 150 rounds through the rifle so not a ton of experience to go off of. The rifle largely went on the backburner after I got a .17-5.56 barrel from KAK Industry--I haven't shot it since February. Some notes:

• Rifle is shooting Barnes 62gr Varmint Grenades for predator calling
• Rifle is suppressed with a Superlative Arms adjustable gas block
• 10 round group sizes are about 1.5"
• IMO the Faxon CF handguard is a total POS when compared to Smoke Composites. I would not buy another.

 

[Thegman]

Interested in your data on this. Thanks.

Off the top of my head, 27 grains of MR2000, 25.5 AA2520 and 24.3 SW Tactical have all hit or gone over 2,700 with no pressure issues in a couple of different barrels. 26ish grains of LVR is probably another one but has had more extreme spreads and less accuracy for me, so far.

2230/X-Teminator might get you there too, but getting a little fast for the 77TMK. Haven't tried it yet, but I think AA2460 will get there as well, it's right between Tactical and 2520.

I'm only using ball powders because stick powders have required too much compression. H4895 and VV N540 can probably get there too, but require too much compression not to deform the bullet a little IME. May not really matter, but haven't seen much advantage to them either. (And ball powders have been way cheaper than stick powders these days, for whatever reason. )

I'm loading most to at least 2.280" in Duramags, and up to as long as 2.318", but 2.28" has been working pretty well with the 77TMK. The ball powders (other than maybe MR2000) will allow 2.260" without much if any compression if you’re using mags that won't go over 2.26".

 

[grappling_hook]

I have one of the Shaw barrels on the way. For those about to order, note that it is 1:8 not 1:7 (my 18" 1:8 stabilized 77gr bullets just fine).

When the Shaw gets here, I'll try it out in place of the 7" 300BO barrel I have below, and swap the Nightforce out with a Trijicon Accupoint for a light weight 223. Weight of that should be just over 4.5 pounds. Someone above mentioned having these light enough for being out casually hiking for fun (non-hunting specific) with a light pack, but ready to go if a great opportunity presents itself.

5lbs 6oz suppressed but unloaded:



Various stages:

 

[David Walter]

what handguard is that? I need one that fits over the suppressor.

 

[grappling_hook]

That is a 12" Smoke Composites handguard. Just wide enough to tuck a 1.75" diameter suppressor (have to line up carefully to have it remain free floated, though).

 

[Luke S]

Grappling Hook your setup is similar to what I had in mind. I did a mock up with a AR I have. Basically I removed a few parts so the weight was roughly where I'd be if I got a composite lower and made it a side charger. It would strap to a pack nicely but the balance is a bit to the rear which makes hand carry a bit awkward. Is that the case with your build?

 

[BLJ]

Off the top of my head, 27 grains of MR2000, 25.5 AA2520 and 24.3 SW Tactical have all hit or gone over 2,700 with no pressure issues in a couple of different barrels. 26ish grains of LVR is probably another one but has had more extreme spreads and less accuracy for me, so far.

2230/X-Teminator might get you there too, but getting a little fast for the 77TMK. Haven't tried it yet, but I think AA2460 will get there as well, it's right between Tactical and 2520.

I'm only using ball powders because stick powders have required too much compression. H4895 and VV N540 can probably get there too, but require too much compression not to deform the bullet a little IME. May not really matter, but haven't seen much advantage to them either. (And ball powders have been way cheaper than stick powders these days, for whatever reason. )

I'm loading most to at least 2.80" in Duramags, and up to as long as 2.318", but 2.28" has been working pretty well with the 77TMK. The ball powders (other than maybe MR2000) will allow 2.60" without much if any compression if you’re using mags that won't go over 2.6".

Appreciate the info. Sad part is finding any of those powders local is challenging.
What Duramags allow 2.8? These AR15 mags? Thanks.

 

[grappling_hook]

Grappling Hook your setup is similar to what I had in mind. I did a mock up with a AR I have. Basically I removed a few parts so the weight was roughly where I'd be if I got a composite lower and made it a side charger. It would strap to a pack nicely but the balance is a bit to the rear which makes hand carry a bit awkward. Is that the case with your build?

On mine, with the suppressor the balance is a lot more to the front, which will increase when I have a 16" barrel. A lot of that is the super-light stock with no buffer weight inside. Plus the Nightforce scope is a little heavy. So I would say overall there is a minor balance issue. However, without the suppressor, and once the Nightforce is off, it is so light that I could shoot it one-handed like a true pistol. I haven't strapped it onto a pack, but don't anticipate any issues there.

 

[Thegman]

Appreciate the info. Sad part is finding any of those powders local is challenging.
What Duramags allow 2.8? These AR15 mags? Thanks.

Doh! There I go again...(you can ask Taudisio about that). I left out a 2 typing more than paying attention. Meant 2.280"

 

[doverpack12]

Preferred vise block for barrel install?
I’ve always used a wheeler wooden jaw vise with some soft leather wrapped around the upper.

 

[gtriple]

Preferred vise block for barrel install?
I’ve always used a wheeler wooden jaw vise with some soft leather wrapped around the upper.

I use this one because I got it on sale, but any will work.

Delta Series® AR Upper / Pic Rail Vise Block | Wheeler

Delta Series® AR Upper / Pic Rail Vise Block

www.wheelertools.com

 

[Lentuk]

This is my go to, Midway has them in stock.

Upper Receiver Rod

The AR-15 Upper Receiver Rod is the ultimate tool for barrel nut installs or removal, and is excellent for removing stubborn/seized barrel nuts without damaging the upper. Made by Midwest Industries. Shop All AR Upper Parts & Receivers.

midwestindustriesinc.com

Midwest Industries AR-15 Upper Receiver Action Rod

The Midwest Industries AR-15 Upper Receiver Action Rod is the ultimate tool for barrel nut installs or removal. It is excellent for removing...

www.midwayusa.com

 

[Taudisio]

Home

DetailsThe Barrel Extension Vise is an all-in-one, compact vise block for the AR-15/M4. Takes the worry out of applying torque to your upper when installing and removing barrel nuts and muzzle devices by engaging the barrel extension with solid steel lugs and a full-length support shank to...

www.primaryarms.com

Tightened down to the German standard “Gud-n-tite” and 0 issues lol

 

[Thegman]

I just bought this when I put my first AR together and knew very little about what I was doing. That part probably hasn't changed, but it does seem to work just fine.

Universal Upper Receiver Vise Block

Enhance your AR-15 maintenance with the Universal Upper Receiver Vise Block from New Frontier Armory. Made in the USA, this rugged block securely holds your upper receiver for easy cleaning and assembly.

www.newfrontierarmory.com

I use Taudisio's torque method as well, maybe just "gud-n-pretty-tight". Rather have too little than too much torque and jack something up.

 

[JBradley500]

I use the Midwest rod and tighten it to 40 ft lbs or until the handguard is aligned.

 

[007hunter]

Shaw has portless barrels on their website now in .223 Wylde FYI

I picked one up and hope to have it up and running in time for deer season here in PA.