LMT CQB MRP barrel swap function - advice

[Claymation]

Gentlemen - first of all, what a great site. Tons of excellent info for people like me who are researching what to buy for their first AR. My firearm background is in handguns, but I just hit the jackpot with a friend giving me keys to 4000 acres of primetime hunting land, so I figured I better get a quality rifle.

I will be using this to hunt varmint and deer as well as range plinking and home defense. Obviously 556 will be good for everything I plan on doing except the deer hunting, so I have gravitated toward LMT's MRP because of the easy barrel conversion to 6.8 SPC. Now, I don't mind spending extra on quality like the LMT, but just to make sure I've covered all my bases, do any of the less expensive manf's (Bushy, Stag, etc) make an AR with a similar barrel swapping feature?

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Ive got an MRP on the way. I'm interested in the answer to this as well, but I think it really is the only AR platform with those quick change capabilities. Trident is the MRP man, I await his reply.

[ZRH]

The answer is actually really easy (assuming you mean DI free-float uppers). No.

MG Industries allegedly makes one but I've never seen one for sale anywhere.

Edit: Actually what do you mean by barrel swapping feature? I thought quick change for some reason but I guess if you don't mind taking off the gas block Mega Machine makes a one piece upper. It uses a barrel nuts though. Vltor makes something similar but I don't know the details about it.

[Belmont31R]

There have been others like some of the IAR's that were being tested.

[Claymation]

The answer is actually really easy (assuming you mean DI free-float uppers). No.

MG Industries allegedly makes one but I've never seen one for sale anywhere.

Edit: Actually what do you mean by barrel swapping feature? I thought quick change for some reason but I guess if you don't mind taking off the gas block Mega Machine makes a one piece upper. It uses a barrel nuts though. Vltor makes something similar but I don't know the details about it.

I have to admit, the only thing I know about what I'm calling LMT's MRP "barrel swapping feature" is what I've read on this forum. I've searched for that thread and I can't find it now. I read where the MRP will allow you to unscrew 2(?) screws and pull the barrel out and replace with 6.8 or 204 Luger pretty easily. Obviously this is easier than switching the entire upper.

Here's another question. My goal was to have the LMT with a good optic and just be able to swap out barrels, but the more I think about it, my zero on the optic is going to be different on a 556 round than it will with a 6.8 round, won't it?

[Frank Castle]

Only alternatives that are comparable in the ease in which barrels can be removed/replaced are the ACR and SCAR? Neither have alternative barrels/calibers currently for sale and neither meet your "less expensive" criteria.

[ALCOAR]

Nothing like the MRP chassis, there are polylithic and monolithic chassis's that exist however they are light years away from "quick change" and "barrel options", not to mention they don't incorporate barrels built by a truly world class barrel builder.

The MRP Chassis is avail in two varieties: CQB Chassis-top rail surface length=16.5" Rifle length Chassis-top rail surface 20.5" . The chassis's are constructed from forged aluminum and machined from one single 7lb. hunk of aluminum over the course of 4-5 continuous hours of CNCing..
http://i53.tinypic.com/9abkae.jpg

The MRP features a reduced number of overall parts...only 13, overall better heat dissipation providing a better platform in which to run optics and other accessories.

The MRP chassis and barrel capturing region using the two simple bolts and when secured it provides easily the most rigid AR platform made to date.

Two bolts...
http://i54.tinypic.com/2njc8di.jpg

I would also take a gander at the new .300AAC option once avail. if, it's downright nasty.

I could ramble for hours....:)

[Claymation]

Trident - are those the two bolts that must be removed to change the barrel? How easy is that process? Time?

[ALCOAR]

Yes those are the two bolts that you torque down and off to remove and secure the barrels....only one is actually removed during the barrel removal/installation process.

It takes at the most 30 sec. - 1 min. to install or uninstall a barrel. 4-5yr. old kid could do it in the same amt. of time.

http://i52.tinypic.com/2dkhaf5.jpg

[Claymation]

Excellent. MRP it is. I plan to put optics on it. Does anyone recommend a specific optic that works well with the MRP? I figure they're all the same relative to the MRP, but I thought I'd ask since they're not cheap.

[Shotdown]

I have to admit, the only thing I know about what I'm calling LMT's MRP "barrel swapping feature" is what I've read on this forum. I've searched for that thread and I can't find it now. I read where the MRP will allow you to unscrew 2(?) screws and pull the barrel out and replace with 6.8 or 204 Luger pretty easily. Obviously this is easier than switching the entire upper.

Here's another question. My goal was to have the LMT with a good optic and just be able to swap out barrels, but the more I think about it, my zero on the optic is going to be different on a 556 round than it will with a 6.8 round, won't it?

Yes your POI will change. However, not by much. I can still hit an 8 inch plate out to 200 yds with no problem with the same optic I use for the 5.56. You can do the same with iron sights. I can't speak fo anything past that since I haven't tried it.

[strambo]

You should be able to mount a red dot sight, zero to the 6.8 barrel, and have it be very close (2 MOA or so) when the 5.56 barrel is installed for home defense. The only way to know for sure is try it though.

A 3 MOA shift is only 3/4" at 50 yards...negligible for defense at home and back/front yard distances

I have a 16" piston barrel and a 10.5" barrel, both 5.56, but the shift is only ~ 2 MOA between the 2 so I don't worry about the zero (it is zero'd to the 16" for longer shots, I won't be shooting the 10.5 far enough for the 2 MOA to matter).

Another option: use Larue QD mounts and have a hunting optic zero'd to the 6.8 and a red dot sight zero'd to 5.56 for home defense.

Spendy, but cheaper than separate uppers (well, with one extra barrel it is about a wash).

Spikes also makes .22 barrels for the MRP.

[kartoffel]

Obviously 556 will be good for everything I plan on doing except the deer hunting, so I have gravitated toward LMT's MRP because of the easy barrel conversion to 6.8 SPC.

1) 5.56 can be adequate for deer with good bullets and shot placement. No, you won't be dropping 300 lb northern bucks dead-right-there, but for *most* deer at typical ranges, 5.56 is really alright.

2) As much as I dig LMT (full disclosure: I own one myself), you could just as affordably build a whole 2nd upper in an alternate caliber. This would also give you the option of having an optic dedicated to each upper that's pre-zeroed and ready to go. You could hit varmints and larger game on the same day without burning ammo to rezero while out in the field.

[Claymation]

Some excellent solutions I hadn't thought of guys. At first glance if it's true that I can hit an 8 inch plate from 200 yards with both 556 and 6.8, I'm fine with that. I don't think it'd be too hard to compensate for that with the 6.8 just a smidge, as 85% of my rounds will come from the 556.

If it gets too bad I may look into the Larue mount options with 2 different optics. It would really have to be bad though.......$$$$.

Anyone selling a DI MRP 16"? They won't let me post on the Marketplace yet!!

[evolixsurf]

6.8 STRAIGHT! :D

[mattmcg]

Sounds like the LMT MRP will serve you right. I happen to have the exact setup that you described, starting with a 5.56 and then adding a 204 ruger barrel and then later a 6.8 SPC. Since then, I've really come to like the MRP and have added a few more of them to reduce the barrel swapping. Go figure!

[JPB]

At first glance if it's true that I can hit an 8 inch plate from 200 yards with both 556 and 6.8, I'm fine with that.

While I have no doubt that this may be true in some folks experience, I would not rely on this to be the case absolutely 100% of the time. Two barrels that are otherwise identical, can shoot very differently.

That said, the MRP sounds like a good soulution for your needs. Just use barrel specific optics in quality QR mounts.

[aklaunch]

I can see how a fella would want to use this approach to save a few bucks and swap parts all the time. I did something like that a while back and got tired of moving stuff around even though it is quite trivial. My opinion for what ever it is worth (not much) is to go all in on either a 5.56 and hunt with your normal rifle or go all in on a 6.8 and make it your long range/hunt set up and save for the second one.

Either way you choose it will be exiting and expensive as he11.