Ultralight Ultralight Rifles

[The Guide]

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.

Several of us already have shipping notifications.

Jay

 

[fishdart]

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.

Mark me down for one as well. Same here for making a PA-legal deer rifle. The race is on for my Shaw barrel and my Jolene S to cap her off.

Still expect to get a spot check if the PGC sees it in the field......

 

[gtriple]

Several of us already have shipping notifications.

Jay

Mine should arrive today. I'm not sure if I'm installing it yet or not tho. Going to test out my faxon that I just installed to see how it shoots. Might have to build another one!

 

[gtriple]

Just weighed it in at 17.7 oz. About 2oz lighter than the faxon match pencil barrel.

 

[Clarktar]

Got a shaw coming as well. Got my solo 300. Just need to start assembly.

 

[Thegman]

You guys are doing a great job of encouraging them to keep building these! Looking forward to see all these build ideas.

I put this together for a guy that wanted one as a packable rifle option to carry while bow hunting.

I used mostly stuff on hand including a Wilson Ultralight 5.56 I'd barely used (barrel from first build pictured in this thread). I didn’t have much experience with the barrel, but did a quick sight in off my tailgate at 25 yards and it put Remington UMC 55 grain and 73ELD-M next to each other and the two 73ELD-M through the same hole. Should be a great shooter and apparently not too picky about what it shoots.


The three circled shots were the UMC slighters. The hole next to the top circled hole is the two 73ELD-M shots.

 

[KyleR1985]

Not the lightest at 22.6oz. No idea how it’ll shoot…

But it’s 80 bucks or so with shipping.

Bllistic Company - 16" M4 Precision Barrel - Sub MOA

 

[doverpack12]

Got my 6 ARC upper thrown together. Not meant to be the lightest possible and I had a hard time finding a barrel weight that was built light. They all favored full. I didn’t want to commit to two solo uppers since the arc might not chamber and extract great. Used a BCA side charge upper and a BCA 16” barrel in a mid weight profile. I don’t have and lower stuff yet so I’m sitting about 2 pounds heavier there and I have a 20 oz scope with the mount it’s almost 32 oz.
At 8 pounds 10 oz now and that will come down 2 plus pounds.

The exciting part is how this thing shoots!
5 shots (2-6 on barrel after a sighted and adjust) measuring 5/8” center to center. Adjusted down and took on more. Touching bull so called that good and went to 425 yards. Dead centered a plate with one shot. 12” plate. Moved to 571 and took two shots both hits. I don’t have a bipod mount so that’s off a molinator bag.
108 ELDM factory.


Then I shot 5 of the factory 103 eldx. Had one shot I rushed. Other 4 also measure 5/8” center to center. This was after I was adjusted for ELDMs. Aim point was bottom right intersection of yellow and pink

If I end up anywhere close to 6.5 pounds I’ll be super happy. My next closest rifle is pushing 9 pounds.

 

[Thegman]

Got my 6 ARC upper thrown together. Not meant to be the lightest possible and I had a hard time finding a barrel weight that was built light. They all favored full. I didn’t want to commit to two solo uppers since the arc might not chamber and extract great. Used a BCA side charge upper and a BCA 16” barrel in a mid weight profile. I don’t have and lower stuff yet so I’m sitting about 2 pounds heavier there and I have a 20 oz scope with the mount it’s almost 32 oz.
At 8 pounds 10 oz now and that will come down 2 plus pounds.

The exciting part is how this thing shoots!
5 shots (2-6 on barrel after a sighted and adjust) measuring 5/8” center to center. Adjusted down and took on more. Touching bull so called that good and went to 425 yards. Dead centered a plate with one shot. 12” plate. Moved to 571 and took two shots both hits. I don’t have a bipod mount so that’s off a molinator bag.
108 ELDM factory.
View attachment 779327

Then I shot 5 of the factory 103 eldx. Had one shot I rushed. Other 4 also measure 5/8” center to center. This was after I was adjusted for ELDMs. Aim point was bottom right intersection of yellow and pink View attachment 779328

If I end up anywhere close to 6.5 pounds I’ll be super happy. My next closest rifle is pushing 9 pounds.

Is this set up as a gasser, or manual extraction?

 

[Luke S]

If that is a non gas build with the BCA upper I'd love to hear about it. Thinking of turning my 6.5 Grendal into a straight pull, mostly so it is quieter with a suppressor.

 

[doverpack12]

Is this set up as a gasser, or manual extraction?

Thanks. Meant to put that info in the post. It’s gassed right now to run some rounds through and get things smoothed out. My plan is to remove gas here at some point and see if I can manage without it.
If extraction is too difficult I’ll use a lightweight adjustable gas block and put just enough gas into the bolt to break the head loose but not cycle/jam it.

I did try to cycle brass before full assembly like a repeater. Couldn’t do it at first, then cleaned the barrel/chamber and I could cycle, not well and didn’t have a lower or mag so could get a little tougher. Decided it needed some break in and wanted to see if the cheap barrel was going to cut it so put my Grendel lower on and took it along verifying rifles at distance prior to our rifle opener next weekend.

 

[ARK_Ginger]

If that is a non gas build with the BCA upper I'd love to hear about it. Thinking of turning my 6.5 Grendal into a straight pull, mostly so it is quieter with a suppressor.

I’ve put an adjustable block on one and turned it off in 350 legend. The extraction was stiff until the chamber got lubricated, just stuck a little oil on a case before shooting

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

AGP Arms' version is the only lightweight folder I've used, and though it's not a true lightweight, it works well for these straight-pull builds.

Folding hunting chassis for bolt-guns spoiled me. I'll take a weight penalty for length reduction any day.

AGP Arms AR-15 Folding Stock

Best Price and Service on Firearms Accessories

agparms.com

How did you secure the threaded piece that goes in the lower? Is it just compression fit? Screw the threaded piece in until it's tight against the back of the upper, back out until the hole align level and torque the stock on there?.

Seems like there's no way to keep it from rotating, no install instructions online that I can find...

 

[StupidLightweight]

That rifle is with my dad, so I can’t take pics, but it’s a clever and solid attachment. I recall a threaded insert going into buffer tower. The stock hinge uses 4 or so screws to pull tension on the insert. It is plenty rigid.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

That rifle is with my dad, so I can’t take pics, but it’s a clever and solid attachment. I recall a threaded insert going into buffer tower. The stock hinge uses 4 or so screws to pull tension on the insert. It is plenty rigid.

10-4, that's what I did. I guess if I ever have any issues with it rotating I can address it then.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Got my build put together for the most part this morning. Of course the Shaw portless barrels came out so I'll be swapping that on when I receive it. Came in a hair under theoretical weight, likely due to the fact that I don't have the gas block on. Didn't even torque the barrel on and won't shoot it until the Shaw barrel is on it. Weight is loaded with 10 rounds in a p-mag and suppressor on with a thread adapter. Working on getting a DD Wolf Hunter dedicated can for it.

Put the straight spacer on the 5x prism, feels pretty good eye relief wise set as far back on the pic rail as possible. Might try it lower without the spacer, feel like it would be fine prone but tough in sitting/standing positions. Mostly a predator calling build so sitting will be the most typical shooting position.

Trigger is a Timney drop-in competition 3lb, feels really crisp.

 

[gtriple]

Well I got my rifle together and tried to go shoot it, but it's not feeding or shooting properly.

Feeding - it gets stuck about a CM after engaging the back of the casing. Won't push it up thru the feed ramp. I'm having to drop a round into the barrel to load.

Shooting - the bolt will not go all the way forward with a round chambered. It gets stopped a few mm from the end. Then when you pull the trigger, the trigger goes off, but the firing pin doesn't strike the primer at all.

Do the bolt or the bolt internals need to be lubed/greased?

 

[gtriple]

Where it gets stuck feeding from a mag



Where the bolt gets stuck

 

[Thegman]

Well I got my rifle together and tried to go shoot it, but it's not feeding or shooting properly.

Feeding - it gets stuck about a CM after engaging the back of the casing. Won't push it up thru the feed ramp. I'm having to drop a round into the barrel to load.

Shooting - the bolt will not go all the way forward with a round chambered. It gets stopped a few mm from the end. Then when you pull the trigger, the trigger goes off, but the firing pin doesn't strike the primer at all.

Do the bolt or the bolt internals need to be lubed/greased?

Search "feed ramp" in this thread to see what I posted about that. These don't have the force of a gasser to ram bullets past any sticking in the barrel extension.

Part two is your round is not fully chambering. That could be brass related, bullet seating depth, etc. I'd try a factory round first if you're not already. I do use lightweight grease on my AR bolts in general, but should not be necessary just to chamber and extract a round. Something else is probably going on with headspace, brass size, etc.

 

[gtriple]

Search "feed ramp" in this thread to see what I posted about that. These don't have the force of a gasser to ram bullets past any sticking in the barrel extension.

Part two is your round is not fully chambering. That could be brass related, bullet seating depth, etc. I'd try a factory round first if you're not already. I do use lightweight grease on my AR bolts in general, but should not be necessary just to chamber and extract a round. Something else is probably going on with headspace, brass size, etc.

I was trying to shoot some factory 55gr ball ammo and black hills 77gr tmk, so that's probably not the issue. I managed it get a couple to shoot, but couldn't reproduce it consistently.

So for the feeding, did you remove the barrel from the upper or do it while attached?