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Thread: Need advise on LW setup

  1. #1
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    Need advise on LW setup

    I'm trying to setup an AR for my DIL, who is quite petite. Also it will be used by my Granddaughter, shooting off a support for now, and my grandson who in a few more years will be able to start using it some. I searched and found a lot of good information on the subject here but I still have some questions I'm hoping y'all can help with.

    In reading several of the post I never got a good fill for how light you can reasonably go. I used a digital fish scale to weigh a couple of my AR's and some of the light weight builds didn't really seem much lighter then my stock 6920MP at 6lbs 9ozs. Accepting that my scale my not be 100% accurate, but going with it anyway, here are my thoughts. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

    1, I want to get it as light as I can in the front end, this seems to be the biggest complaint from the DIL as she has trouble holding it up steady.

    2, I want to make it as smooth operating as possible, mitigate sharp recoil.

    Here is what I have done so far to reach these goals.

    1, I ordered a BCM 14.5 LW mid length pinned with BCM's comp. I don't wish to make it a SBR. Should be here tomorrow.

    2, I'm going with a MOE handgruard. Already arrived.

    3, I've ordered a H and H2 buffer to see which will work best to help smooth out recoil and remain reliable. Already arrived.

    I haven't decided on a stock yet. Here's what I'm pondering on the stock. Go light to keep overall weight down, or go heavy to counter the front, making the weapon heavier but giving a feeling of a lighter better balanced fell.

    Please comment with your advice on what else I can do, or if I'm going down the wrong road all together.

    Thanks for your input.
    Last edited by RickyK; 07-04-13 at 12:51. Reason: addded mid length

  2. #2
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    I've run into your stock dilemma before in the same exact situation: petite girl who has a hard time holding the weapon because it's "front heavy." In particular, her support arm would get tired from supporting the front end.

    We actually found heavier stocks to be better for shooting offhand. It's not the overall weight of the gun that was the problem (she could easily hold 7 pounds in both hands) -- it was the weight at the front creating all that moment (leverage) that she needed to counter with her support hand. The heavier stock helped provide counter-leverage.

    That was our experience, at least. Did make her main hand a little more tired than before, but it was a good balance.
    Last edited by DreadPirateMoyer; 07-04-13 at 13:35.

  3. #3
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    My BCM w/VTAC hand guard is both light weight and balanced. It is 16" w/CTR butt stock. It comes in @ 6.6 lbs w/out mag. I love it and will never go back to a heavy/unbalanced rifle again.

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    A CTR is an obvious option, BUT, on those I prefer to run a sloped stock - the LMT SOPMOD, B5 SOPMOD, VLTOR IMOD, MagPul STR would be the ones I'd advise. Yes, it ups the overall weight slightly, but the weight balance is phenomenal.
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  5. #5
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    I know you said that you already ordered it, but between my 14.5 pinned middy and my 14.5 pinned carbine (both BCM) there was a significant difference in the forward weight of the rifle. My carbine has the CTR stock, MOE furniture, M68 aimpoint, and a surefire scout on an MOE mount, and it is very lightweight. My girlfriend is very small (5ft, 120lbs) and prefers it over the midlength which she says is to front-heavy.

    Edit: both of those uppers were not lightweight barrels, just standard weight.
    Last edited by Plumber237; 07-04-13 at 18:07.
    Do not go gentle into that good night...rage, rage against the dying of the light - Dylan Thomas

  6. #6
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    Re: Need advise on LW setup

    Quote Originally Posted by Plumber237 View Post
    I know you said that you already ordered it, but between my 14.5 pinned middy and my 14.5 pinned carbine (both BCM) there was a significant difference in the forward weight of the rifle. My carbine has the CTR stock, MOE furniture, M68 aimpoint, and a surefire scout on an MOE mount, and it is very lightweight. My girlfriend is very small (5ft, 120lbs) and prefers it over the midlength which she says is to front-heavy.

    Edit: both of those uppers were not lightweight barrels, just standard weight.
    That's odd considering the the extra inch or two of material (gas tube) probably weighs only a fraction of an ounce.

    Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
    Last edited by Obscenejesster; 07-04-13 at 18:28.

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    Re: Need advise on LW setup

    Quote Originally Posted by Obscenejesster View Post
    That's odd considering the the extra inch or two of material (gas tube) probably weighs only a fraction of an ounce.

    Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta


    Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

  8. #8
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    I think the weight difference is just from the shift of the front post the extra 2 inches or so towards the end of the barrel, it doesn't seem like much, but feels like it balance wise.
    Last edited by Plumber237; 07-04-13 at 18:38.
    Do not go gentle into that good night...rage, rage against the dying of the light - Dylan Thomas

  9. #9
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    Thanks for the replies. I have an ACS laying around already so it may get the call. If more weight is needed for balance I figure I can add something to the storage area.

    Plumber 237, I thought about that but decided to go the the mid hoping that the mid length gas would help smooth things out as far as recoil. Not that any AR recoils hard but for some people it seems to matter. I may have erred worrying about recoil pulse over moment, but I already ordered it. One thing that's great, or bad, is that I know I will be building another one and I can put the knowledge learned form these replies, and my own experience form this build, to good use.

    Thanks everyone.

  10. #10
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    Good call Ricky, I'm guessing the lighter recoil will easily offset the small weight transfer forward...I was thinking strictly weight, forgot about the lowered felt recoil of the middy.
    Do not go gentle into that good night...rage, rage against the dying of the light - Dylan Thomas

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