Pictures: 6lb AR for ~$500

[butlers]

All,

I know there are some lightweight ARs out there:

Faxon -- 4 lbs, 15 oz for ~$2000:
https://faxonfirearms.com/fx5500-ultralight-ar15/

Wilson Combat -- 6 lbs, 11 oz for ~$2000:
https://www.wilsoncombat.com/tactical-lightweight/

But it's possible to get a lightweight AR without breaking the bank. Here are two nearly identical budget builds:



Upper Assembly: Palmetto State Armory (PSA)
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm
- Barrel: 16", Government/M4 Profile
- Gas System: Midlength
- Handguard: Magpul MOE M-LOK hand guard, mid-length
- Upper Receiver: PSA
- Bolt Carrier Group (BCG): PSA
- Charging Handle: PSA
- Rear Sight: UTG BUIS

Lower Assembly: Anderson/PSA
- Caliber: Multi
- Lower Receiver: Anderson
- Lower Parts Kit: PSA
- Grip: Resurgent Arms featureless grip
- Buffer Tube Assembly: PSA
- Stock: Magpul MOE carbine stock

Total Weight: 6 pounds, 11.5 ounces



Upper Assembly: Palmetto State Armory (PSA)
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm
- Barrel: 16", Pencil Profile
- Gas System: Midlength
- Handguard: PSA standard CAR-15 handguards
- Upper Receiver: PSA
- Bolt Carrier Group (BCG): PSA
- Charging Handle: PSA
- Rear Sight: UTG BUIS

Lower Assembly: Anderson/PSA
- Caliber: Multi
- Lower Receiver: Anderson
- Lower Parts Kit: PSA
- Grip: Resurgent Arms featureless grip
- Buffer Tube Assembly: PSA
- Stock: Blackhawk Knoxx stock

Total Weight: 6 pounds, 1.5 ounces

**********

Where did those 10 ounces come from?

~5.5 ounces saved by moving from government/M4-barrel profile to pencil barrel profile:




~2.0 ounces saved by moving from Magpul M-LOK to standard handguards:




~2.5 ounces saved by moving from Magpul carbine stock to Blackhawk Knoxx stock:




(The weight difference was only ~1 ounce at first, but I removed the sling swivel to save more weight.)



Here's the kicker though. Total cost to make these modifications? $0 dollars. If you shop right, pencil barrels can be just as cheap as "regular" government/M4 barrel profiles, M-LOK handguards actually cost more than standard handguards, and the Blackhawk stock comes with budget lower build kits.

Obviously, going from seven pounds to six pounds is quite a bit easier than going from six pounds to five pounds -- but I hope I've demonstrated that 1) ounces start to add up and 2) you can cut weight cheaply.

Respectfully,
butlers

[RHINOWSO]

Sweet! Where is the 30caliber magazine clip, that fires in 1/2 a second?



Looks like one of those dangerous Ghost Guns.

[butlers]

It is dangerous: it's got a fully semi-automatic shoulder thing that goes up.

[butlers]

All,

I know there are some lightweight ARs out there:

Faxon -- 4 lbs, 15 oz for ~$2000:
https://faxonfirearms.com/fx5500-ultralight-ar15/

Wilson Combat -- 6 lbs, 11 oz for ~$2000:
https://www.wilsoncombat.com/tactical-lightweight/

But it's possible to get a lightweight AR without breaking the bank. Here are two nearly identical budget builds:



Upper Assembly: Palmetto State Armory (PSA)
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm
- Barrel: 16", Government/M4 Profile
- Gas System: Midlength
- Handguard: Magpul MOE M-LOK hand guard, mid-length
- Upper Receiver: PSA
- Bolt Carrier Group (BCG): PSA
- Charging Handle: PSA
- Rear Sight: UTG BUIS

Lower Assembly: Anderson/PSA
- Caliber: Multi
- Lower Receiver: Anderson
- Lower Parts Kit: PSA
- Grip: Resurgent Arms featureless grip
- Buffer Tube Assembly: PSA
- Stock: Magpul MOE carbine stock

Total Weight: 6 pounds, 11.5 ounces



Upper Assembly: Palmetto State Armory (PSA)
- Caliber: 5.56x45mm
- Barrel: 16", Pencil Profile
- Gas System: Midlength
- Handguard: PSA standard CAR-15 handguards
- Upper Receiver: PSA
- Bolt Carrier Group (BCG): PSA
- Charging Handle: PSA
- Rear Sight: UTG BUIS

Lower Assembly: Anderson/PSA
- Caliber: Multi
- Lower Receiver: Anderson
- Lower Parts Kit: PSA
- Grip: Resurgent Arms featureless grip
- Buffer Tube Assembly: PSA
- Stock: Blackhawk Knoxx stock

Total Weight: 6 pounds, 1.5 ounces

**********

Where did those 10 ounces come from?

~5.5 ounces saved by moving from government/M4-barrel profile to pencil barrel profile:




~2.0 ounces saved by moving from Magpul M-LOK to standard handguards:




~2.5 ounces saved by moving from Magpul carbine stock to Blackhawk Knoxx stock:




(The weight difference was only ~1 ounce at first, but I removed the sling swivel to save more weight.)



Here's the kicker though. Total cost to make these modifications? $0 dollars. If you shop right, pencil barrels can be just as cheap as "regular" government/M4 barrel profiles, M-LOK handguards actually cost more than standard handguards, and the Blackhawk stock comes with budget lower build kits.

Obviously, going from seven pounds to six pounds is quite a bit easier than going from six pounds to five pounds -- but I hope I've demonstrated that 1) ounces start to add up and 2) you can cut weight cheaply.

Respectfully,
butlers

Follow-up post. Thought this would be an interesting head-to-head comparison for someone.

AR-15

The lightest budget AR-15 I could build without going crazy (e.g. carbon fiber).

Upper: Ballistics Advantage barreled upper receiver (16" pencil barrel without muzzle device, carbine-length gas system) with Ballistics Advantage BCG/CH
Lower: Aero Precision stripped lower receiver + Palmetto State Armory/Magpul lower build kit + featureless parts (yes, I'm in California)



Total Weight: 5.6 pounds
Length of Pull: 12.5"

Mini-14

The lightest wood stock, optics-ready Mini-14 I could put together.

Barrel: 16" NRA edition
Stock: old-school wood stock, see here for more details.
https://www.perfectunion.com/vb/ruge...ml#post1538284



Total Weight: 6.6 pounds
Length of Pull: 12.5"

[stack23]

It is dangerous: it's got a fully semi-automatic shoulder thing that goes up.

With or without bullet button?