General Purpose AR15 - how heavy is too heavy

[MrHandsome]

For an all around AR15, a do it all rifle for anything from 0-300ish yards maybe occasionally longer, good times at the range and the dreaded SHTF.

Current build:
BCM pinned 14.5 mk2 enhanced light weight barrel.
Surefire warcomp (mini2 in jail)
BCM lower
Hogue aluminum grip
Ferro slingster
Magpul pro BUIS
BCM stock
Streamlight Protac with pressure pad.
RailScales panels
RailScales karve handstop
Giselle ACH changing handle
Bootleg BCG

Unloaded Without optic or suppressor it weighs in at 7.5lbs

I need a do all optic setup. If I add the suppressor and for example a Trijicon TR25 1-6 it’s now gona be just shy of 10lbs unloaded. Is this too heavy? Should I shed some fat on the optic or somewhere else?

[SDG8]

For an all around AR15, a do it all rifle for anything from 0-300ish yards maybe occasionally longer, good times at the range and the dreaded SHTF.

Current build:
BCM pinned 14.5 mk2 enhanced light weight barrel.
Surefire warcomp (mini2 in jail)
BCM lower
Hogue aluminum grip
Ferro slingster
Magpul pro BUIS
BCM stock
Streamlight Protac with pressure pad.
RailScales panels
RailScales karve handstop
Giselle ACH changing handle
Bootleg BCG

Unloaded Without optic or suppressor it weighs in at 7.5lbs

I need a do all optic setup. If I add the suppressor and for example a Trijicon TR25 1-6 it’s now gona be just shy of 10lbs unloaded. Is this too heavy? Should I shed some fat on the optic or somewhere else?


For what it’s worth, here is mine:

As I have been trying to figure out what's a heavy gun or not a heavy gun for my go to rifle. I have had the opportunity to weigh difference setups to see how big of a difference there really is between them. I confess that there are others who could do a better job, but I hope this helps some to some degree. I believe there could be more exacts numbers but this was good enough for me to help me process.

I used a 30 round PMAG with 28 rounds of IMI 77grain (1.17lbs) and a Silencerco Omega 30 cal Can with The Q Plan B (14.3oz).

16 inch KAC Mod2 with NX8 in SPHUR mount/No light/ not suppressed = 9.2lbs

11.5 KAC Mod2 with NX8 in G mount/Peq15/Surefire light/Suppressor = 10.6lbs w/o suppressor - 9.8lbs

11.5 KAC Mod2 with NF ATACR 1-8 in SPHUR mount/Surefire light/suppressor = 10.8lbs w/o suppressor 9.8lbs

10.3 MK18 DD with NX8 in SPHUR mount/Surefire light/suppressor 10.6lbs w/o suppressor 9.8lbs

12.5 Hodge Defense with NX8 in SPHUR mount/no light/ suppressor 9.8lbs w/o suppressor 9.2lbs

[alx01]

Should I shed some fat on the optic or somewhere else?

If anything I would remove things like grip, railscale panes, handstop, possibly replace streamlight with a surefire 300 (depending on your use), maybe remove pressure pad if you don't use it that often.
BCM stock is pretty light so it shouldn't be an issue. Scopes do make rifles very heavy.

[MrHandsome]

Yeh it seems like anything with magnification will add a decent bit of weight. But I do think magnification is a must. Lowest I’ve seen would be an aimpoint with magnifier but that combo still weights a food 18 ounces.

[MrHandsome]

SDG8 Are your weights loaded or unloaded?

[Stickman]

For an all around AR15, a do it all rifle for anything from 0-300ish yards maybe occasionally longer, good times at the range and the dreaded SHTF.


If your intentions are to sit in place at a range or house, the weight is fine. If you plan to patrol all day long with it, the weight and more importantly balance come into play.

I'm not sure where you live, but get a few friends together, or just you and your dog, and go hit the woods. Walk at whatever you feel is a good patrol speed for an hour with the weapon in a low ready, or "patrol ready". Just walk for that hour straight with your weapon at the ready. Note what the point is when you get tired, and shift to a more comfortable position.

When you do the above, figure out what you think is realistic to carry with you, but start light. An extra mag, pistol, water, adds up a bit, but the more you "think" you need, the more you start slowing down. Doing this allows you to figure what works for you, and what doesn't.


Below is the belt I wear most of the time when outdoors, two mags of pistol and a multitool. The other pouch carries a single AR mag most of the time. The rifle varies depending on what I'm doing. I don't wear armor typically (aside from duty use) unless I'm doing something with training or I just want things to suck harder.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/815323b313180878f7fe8d90ed087200/335c4e2577cf749f-57/s1280x1920/61ac4a82bdc1f1f97a1a66632ba5fd312d3c920d.jpg

[SDG8]

SDG8 Are your weights loaded or unloaded?

Loaded

[Eazyeach]

Listen to Stick. That’s some sound advice. The only way to know if it’s “too heavy” is to use/carry it. A lot depends on the individual. A strong person might not think a 10 lb rifle is too bad. Myself I’d like it to be a little lighter.

[kirkland]

My go to rifle for the last 6 years is a 6920 with a KAC RAS, a surefire scout light, a Dbal D2, a cut down carry handle and an Aimpoint T1. It's 9.6 lbs unloaded and that's the heaviest I'd ever want to go. It's a pig.

[turnburglar]

I have a handful of rifles at this point but there is definitely one that stands out above the rest for "General Purpose". I don't work for uncle sam anymore, but I built this rifle back in 2014 when I just got back from my deployment and it was my first privately owned rifle. Kinda sentimental in that aspect. I use this rifle almost monthly in the local Black Rifle matches where it has gets targets from 1-400 meters. I feed it a steady diet of M193 clones, that it holds 2 MOA all day long, hot or cold. I have tested and verified the POA POI from cold cold to a few mags in.

It started life as a PSA parts kit, but for the weight aspect what matters is: 14.5 Faxon gunner match barrel. BCM stock and pistol grip, ALG mod 1 hand guard 13", and a Steiner P4xi in an aero mount. Some random accessories on the rail. All comes out too 7.3 pounds without a mag.

[MegademiC]

Too heavy depends on you, your use, and what you want/need.

If you want to shave weight:
1. What handguard do you have?
2. Skip the railscales
3. Look at the light... i dont know about the weight on that one.
4. Optics: acog/offset or leupold vxr patrol will get you a light optic that is decent all-around and light.
5. Easiest way to cut weight would be to swap to a pistol/sbr at 11.5”.

[vicious_cb]

Lightweight is cool, well balanced is better. If you can avoid making your gun front heavy you will have much less fatigue handling your rifle.

[Wake27]

Too heavy is when it weighs too much for you to use it as you need. There really isn't a more correct answer to this so I don't know why this is a thread.

[turnburglar]

There really isn't a more correct answer to this so I don't know why this is a thread.

Dude's gotta talk about their sticks.

[mark5pt56]

Kind of relative, just like one more French Fry