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Thread: Setting up rifles identically: is it pointless or brilliant?

  1. #1
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    Setting up rifles identically: is it pointless or brilliant?

    I just finished swapping an ACOG on my 14.5" for an Aimpoint T1. I love this rifle. Its very light and feels great when its shouldered. I've forgotten what its like carrying a full size carbine, I haven't shot this thing in probably 3 or 4 months. I think I like it more than my SBRs, especially my 10.3" (even though they're identical). That suppressor adds alot of weight to the end of that SBR.

    Do any of you have rifles that are (nearly) indentical to one another?

    On one hand I've got two different rifles that operate exactly the same way with exactly the same parts.

    On the other hand, I've got two identical rifles save for a tax stamp and 4" of barrel length.

    What do you guys think?








    Last edited by Eurodriver; 01-23-12 at 13:58.
    Why do the loudest do the least?

  2. #2
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    I think having 2 rifles set up the same is the right way to go. You hear all the time that 1 is none and 2 is 1. Also, when you go to training, you have a spare that is ready to go as needed instead of having to spend a lot of time fixing it and missing out on training time.

    Both of my rifles are exactly the same (with consecutive SNs) other than the optics. One is has an EOtech and the other has an ACOG.

    In fact, my pistols are the same too.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by telecustom View Post
    I think having 2 rifles set up the same is the right way to go. You hear all the time that 1 is none and 2 is 1. Also, when you go to training, you have a spare that is ready to go as needed instead of having to spend a lot of time fixing it and missing out on training time.

    Both of my rifles are exactly the same (with consecutive SNs) other than the optics. One is has an EOtech and the other has an ACOG.

    In fact, my pistols are the same too.
    Yup, this. I even have a 15/22 set up just like my 5.56s with light and everything just so it all works the same.

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    How in detail are you going here?

    Similar setups are great as long as you don't get bored with them, and the ability to pick up any rifle without feeling a difference them can be nice BUT if you have a half dozen rifles or more - is it worth the cost to have them all accessorized the same? Or for that matter, accessorized at all?
    Last edited by Moltke; 01-23-12 at 16:02.

  5. #5
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    It all comes down to your purpose for the your equipment. My rifles and pistols are set up in kits with corresponding chest rigs and holsters. This way they are in a grab and go format. The pay off of being identical trumps the possible boredom.

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    I think a 1:1 is a waste, but having an SBR and a 16" that are otherwise identical or close to it makes sense. Gets you a backup but also gets you greater capability. Optics are one place they can be made similar but different, where one could have a 30mm Aimpoint and the other could have a micro, or one could have a 3x ACOG and the other could have a 1.5x, or one could have an Eotech and the other could have a 1-4x with similar reticule.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    I think a 1:1 is a waste, but having an SBR and a 16" that are otherwise identical or close to it makes sense. Gets you a backup but also gets you greater capability. Optics are one place they can be made similar but different, where one could have a 30mm Aimpoint and the other could have a micro, or one could have a 3x ACOG and the other could have a 1.5x, or one could have an Eotech and the other could have a 1-4x with similar reticule.
    I think this is what I was trying to articulate in my OP, especially in regards to SBR/non SBR. Mainly if I attend a training class out of state I don't have to worry about getting my permission slip from Big Brother. The non SBR I can throw in the trunk tonight and drive to NC to go shoot with friends if I wanted, not so much with the 10.3". However, the rifle is identical, minus some extra weight up front on the SBR. The light activation is the same, the stock is the same, the optic is the same, etc.

    I thought long and hard about a 30mm aimpoint, but I couldn't get over the weight difference. Its only a few ounces, but I am sold on the T1 being so light. I do own a set of PVS14s (You can see a twist mount behind the T1 on the SBR) so I wanted to keep an NV capable setup regardless of the optic I chose.
    Why do the loudest do the least?

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    I use different optics, different stocks and foregrips, but the running gear is the same across the three rifles I use the most....same Giessele SSA trigger, same BADASS lever configuration, same charging handle, same sling QD points, same MOE pistol grips, same trigger guard. I don't care if they feel, handle, or shoot differently, but it makes sense to me that the basic functionality of controls is the same.

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    Quote Originally Posted by rob_s View Post
    I think a 1:1 is a waste, but having an SBR and a 16" that are otherwise identical or close to it makes sense. Gets you a backup but also gets you greater capability. Optics are one place they can be made similar but different, where one could have a 30mm Aimpoint and the other could have a micro, or one could have a 3x ACOG and the other could have a 1.5x, or one could have an Eotech and the other could have a 1-4x with similar reticule.
    I agree completely with this, although I will have a nearly 1:1 pairing with my wife's rifle and my lightweight training one.

    I've settled on a 12" DD Lite handguard with X300 in front of fixed sight at 12:00 as a common front end setup, and an ACS stock with LT660 mounted optic as my default setup, and from that only minor modifications to that silhoeuette makes it simplest (e.g. a 9" rail on an 11.5" SBR, or folding sights and low powered variable for a recce rifle), but having that commonality means I'm not scrapping muscle memory to move to and from a range abuse rifle.
    عندما تصبح الأسلحة محظورة, قد يملكون حظرون عندهم فقط
    کله چی سلاح منع شوی دی، یوازي غلوونکۍ یی به درلود
    Semper Fi
    "Being able to do the basics, on demand, takes practice. " - Sinister

  10. #10
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    I agree with the above...the simplest way I can explain my thought process was to have everything behind the end of the rail (from end of rail back to buttstock) exactly or as similar as possible. My "1:1" would be a non-NFA training rifle and a SBR/Suppressed "Go-To" gun.

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