Magnesium AR lower

[eodinert]

There are a bunch of 'light weight' rifle threads lurking around the interwebs. They range from practical, to stupid.

I started building a 'light weight' rifle rifle, in part, because I have a lot of rifles and they always seem to evolve in the same direction, and I wanted to do something different. I think this will be AR number 9 or so. At first, my goal was 'as light as reasonably possible without compromising reliability'. Lately, it seems to have become 'as light as possible', or 'damn, this getting stupid, but it's light'.

Anyway, my point is I bought one. 35% lighter on a part that I didn't think was going to get any lighter. On some of the 'light rifle' threads, folks were drilling holes in their receivers, which I thought was pretty ridiculous. This is a much more elegant answer, and I'm having fun with it.

My rifle will be stupid light. It might even work. I don't have it yet, but I'm pretty stoked.

[bubba04]

As a general rule in life:

If a forged AR lower is too heavy for you? LEAP OFF the TALLEST BUILDING or BRIDGE you can find and spare the rest of the world from your pathetic existence.

Thanks IN ADVANCE!

This is classic. God forbid if one of those guys had to shoot a g3.

[tog]

This is classic. God forbid if one of those guys had to shoot a g3.

or hb FAL!

[sinlessorrow]

This is exactly what Remington did for their ACR to lower the weight below the max weight of the IC.....I can just imagine the issues it would have.

[1911-A1]

I was intrigued by the idea of this lower, but I ultimately discounted it for a couple reasons:

-Since the lower is cast, not machined, I didn't know how it would stand to being dropped, lay upon, etc.

-Increased cost for a small weight reduction and potential added weakness didn't seem cost effective.

-The famous weak point where the RE threads in may not survive much mortaring of stuck casings.

-There are other areas from which we can remove weight that don't involve weakening important assemblies.

-Integral metal finish that is only applied at the factory? That sounds irritating.


I love the idea of a super-light AR. I think there are a lot of good reasons to build one, I just don't think compromising the receiver is the way to do it.

[IndianaBoy]

...and let's all not forget what thermite is: Aluminum and iron oxide - two components I'm certain that are present in most ARs.

Just how rusty is your barrel?



Let your barrel rust completely away, grind that and your lower into very fine powder, and then light it with a strip of magnesium. That's what it takes to kick off a thermite reaction.

Nonstandard lowers are solutions in search of a problem.

[CC556]

Just how rusty is your barrel?



Let your barrel rust completely away, grind that and your lower into very fine powder, and then light it with a strip of magnesium. That's what it takes to kick off a thermite reaction.

Nonstandard lowers are solutions in search of a problem.

Typical closed-minded response here. People felt the same way about polymer mags, polymer framed pistols, red dot sights, offset irons, etc... Thankfully there are people willing to experiment and develop these ideas in spite of the people who never do anything but toe the line. Before you know it these solutions in search of problems become the things we wondered how we ever got along without.

[markm]

THIS THREAD MUST DIE!!!!!!!

[CC556]

THIS THREAD MUST DIE!!!!!!!

I must confess I'm curious what about this lower you find so offensive to your sensibilities that you don't even want other people to be able to discuss it here.

[thei3ug]

When firms make a lower out of alternative materials, they more often than not have a tendency to catastrophically fail. When firms make a lower that is not forged, but cast, they tend to catastrophically fail.

This is not because one process or one material is inherently better than the other, but a mechanical design may be better suited to one material or process. For the AR lower it happens to be 7075 forged alum. Time and again significant variation from this recipe leads to... skepticism.