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
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