Light AR

[mkdonald]

I'm almost afraid to ask, but I did search first. I am interested in building an AR for my wife. She is small at around 130 and not that strong. I am thinking that it needs to be pretty lightweight. I have the AR chart and used it to build mine, but the choices had nothing to do with weight. What do you experts think?

[Funkenstein]

There are countless threads on light builds but if you want to keep it light and cheap you should look at Troy TRX rails and a lightweight pencil barrel.

The more expensive route, and if your state allows it, would be to get an SBR at say 11.5" lightweight barrel with light rails and the least amount of furniture to accomplish your task. It's more expensive mainly from the $200 tax for the NFA/ATF.

[SpookyPistolero]

This is a Colt 6720 with an Aimpoint micro and some magpul stuff. With everything shown (including sling and empty mag, but of course not including the chest rig) the weight was 6.6 lb on my scale.

http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t259/Spookypistolero/IMG_3281.jpg

[mkdonald]

Guess I should of thought if this...I found a thread discussing light weight barrels and there was assessment of greater recoil. That does make since. I don't think she would be happy with that. I may have to just go with one like mine. It is not really that heavy and she has fired it without trouble.

[Tweak]

Go with the shortest stock possible to get the center of gravity as close to her as possible and a light contour 16" barrel with a simple handguard. You don't need anything really out of the ordinary.

[crusader377]

I had great luck building a lightweight carbine using a 14.5" pinned LW carbine with magpul moe furniture. Total weight was 6lbs. Here is the thread:

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=73857

[Tzook]

You can always get a decent brake like a battle comp or the like to alleviate some of the muzzle flip. Not sure if it reduces felt recoil at all, but that's at least something.

[skyugo]

You can always get a decent brake like a battle comp or the like to alleviate some of the muzzle flip. Not sure if it reduces felt recoil at all, but that's at least something.

comps make a gun scarier for newbies than recoil in my experience. maybe i'm just a comp-hater from my time in NY where they were forced on me... I just find the concussion from them very unpleasant.

[MistWolf]

comps make a gun scarier for newbies than recoil in my experience. maybe i'm just a comp-hater from my time in NY where they were forced on me... I just find the concussion from them very unpleasant.

I'm with you on this one. I'd rather deal with recoil than the muzzle blast from a muzzle brake. The exception is the Battlecomp. It does have more side blast than the A2 but not any where near what the other aggressive brakes have

[munch520]

Not sure this belongs in technical?

FWIW my wife loves SBRs and dislikes larger guns. She's about 5'1 and 115. She can handle the weight if it's closer to her body but really gets uncomfortable with a 16", as she feels the weight further out towards the muzzle and fights to control it as well.

If she didn't have littleass T-Rex arms, this wouldn't be an issue. But I digress...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/gatoronfire4lord/Random%20Stuff/big_head_little_arms_small.jpg

I know, a training issue for the most part. But who's going to get a woman to train when she hates holding the weapon in the first place? If there's a man among us that can convince a woman of that, hats off to you sir.

[JSantoro]

http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=39599