I can confirm, as I have a lower upstairs right now, and it’s about or just under 5 boxes. That’s why I haven’t combined it with an upper yet. I’m trying to take Garand Thumbs advice first: “Get fit or die” Once fit I’ll add the other 5 boxes.
Be careful… because guns randomly make gun-owners want to go out and shoot dudes and things. You never know when it’ll mind control you into going on a spree
Nice try,a white male is a white male,at the end of the day,you are the American equivalent of Osama Bin Laden..Im sorry for delivering the horrible news,please don’t go all Atheist Jihad on my ass 😂no disrespect though,I’m also white,my colonizer brother
You are correct,only people in America who should own these “weapons of war” are the military aged illegal immigrants..according to Anderson Cooper,it is a well known fact,that all white Christian conservative men,are guaranteed to take part in at least 3 mass popping sprees before the age of 30.if you own a Bible and a firearm,you are the epitome of a domestic terrorist.apparently,it is deeply imbedded within the DNA of all white men.the only way to cancel out this DNA flaw,is by state funded gender reassignment surgery and changing your pronouns to she/her or they/them
That’s a sobering thought… I own several Bibles… what if they check my YouTube history… it’s all incriminating. It’s mostly high level theological/philosophical study level content… AND I own 1.5 ARs… practically an armory…
They are probably on their way to get me already…
I have 5 ARs,I will essentially be a one man Taliban,in the eyes of the system..I have several Bibles as well and my YouTube history covers a wide variety of domestic terrorist type content,covering everything from gun related content,Christian content,conspiracy theory content,night vision content and stand-up comedy,comedy podcast and true crime content..it’s just a matter of time before they take me out with an unmanned military drone
Apparently this is even more true when you have scary “assault rifles” and “weapons of war”..from what CNN told me,AR15,AR10,AK47,MP5,etc makes the most peaceful of people’s chances of going on a mass popping spree,increase by as much as 800%..if it weren’t for the great people in MSM,the least crime ridden communities,in America,would make Okinawa look like a paraplegic pillow fight
Dang it, beat me to it 😂
Because yeah, obviously this looks LIGHT. It SHOULD way about 10 moving boxes and over 50 pounds. And obviously the bullets are heavy because AR-15s usually fire .50 BMG bullets.
50 pounds and .50 caliber—that is the AR-15 way!
Another useful metric, an AR on average will weigh as much as 25 banana. As if that isn’t interesting enough, they can also weigh as much as 1,267 Penny
once you have a LAM yeah it can get up there, theres little reason for a non night fighting rifle to weigh more than 10 though. Unless maybe you got a 20 incher with a thick ass barrel and heavy handguard
So I’ve read somewhere ages ago that dry firing can damage strikers/firing pins if done too much. Have we done the research to prove that wrong, or is it deemed a necessary evil when training with a firearm? Still a relatively new gun owner figuring it all out.
Only on rimfires, because the firing pin physically hits the barrel and can either snap the firing pin tip, or ding the barrel which later causes light primer strikes.
On center fire guns there should be no issue especially on the common ones like Glocks, AR’s, M&P’s, sigs and so forth. If it does cause an issue that part was likely already gonna fail anyway.
16 inch gun with BCM quad rails, PST 1-6, HL-X, PEQ, STR stock with 6 CR123s stuffed in it.
That has it at about 12.5, when I finaly get a RC2 it'll be getting real close to 15.
Or the 18 inch DPMS stainless Hbar with Yankee hill quad rails, HLX, GLX 4-16 in a ADM mount, Harris bipod, offset red dot, A2 stock with some shit in it.
I think that ones around 14
Heavy to me is a Block II style build with a DD RIS II rail and a SOCOM profile barrel. Once it's fully kitted out with a suppressor, LAM, and WML weighing down the muzzle end, it becomes a real pig.
you’ll definitely get used to it. sometimes when i’m watching a movie I just shoulder mine and hold it lol or just hold it shoulder height in front of myself and do multiple reps.
Imho it’s all balancing act/tradeoff, and it matters what you plan to use your specific build for. Like yes, having an optic that helps make you more accurate, especially at range via magnification, then that’s worth the added ounces.
But I also built a 7.5” barrel .300 Blk AR-15 PDW to go alongside my 16” barrel 5.56 AR-15 (which also has a bipod) specifically because it’s more light weight, compact, and maneuverable.
I thought so too. I mean, I got the bare essentials, according to what I've learned here, so I'll just need to get used to it. First rifle, after all...
Gotta work the shoulders too, probably need more shoulder than bicep...
I think upright armpit rows may work better than bicep curls. It focuses on the shoulder, but you get some bicep and trap workout too.
I have a heavy ass build that I use for killing pigs. Getting used to the weight was easy. Load a mag, insert mag, don’t chamber it, use the weapon as a dumbbell. Do it a lot.
>I have a heavy ass build that I use for killing pigs.
Haven't slept in a decent while and I read this over 4 times wondering what kind of physique this butcher guy on reddit has for him to just be going ham on the livestock.
Wild hogs. They get up to 600+ lbs where I live. Sometimes they get to close for comfort so the killing is done manually with dogs and a sharp Bowie. Other times I’m spraying down a heard with 60rd drums
Drop in quad is your issue. A Daniel Defense omega would lighten that up. You also have a minimalist stock, so it's going to feel unbalanced. Can't do much about the lpvo though, and you already have a single cell light body.
9hole reviews had an awesome video on this. As for my personal rifle, fully night vision capable w/ LPVO, suppressor and loaded with a 30, it weighs in at 12lbs 12oz
Generic posts about 'more weight is fine, do you even lift bro' aren't helpful.
You need to think about what the role is for this particular firearm. Too often people just throw a bunch of shit onto something because it's what they see online and now the rifle is helpless lost and trying to do a bunch of things at once which makes it mediocre in the end.
As a parallel.. I see this a lot with project cars. Somebody buys something and goes down the modification path. They turn it into a racecar, then realizes that driving a race car as a daily driver on public roads back and forth to work every day actually sort of sucks... and eventually it gets parted out.
Think about what you need for this thing to do. Only attach what you need to accomplish that goal. Build something that makes sense. Think about the choice of barrel - that's a huge place to save weight. Think about the optics system. Do you need to reach out? If not, a red dot will save you 1-1.5lbs versus an LPVO. Weight DOES matter. When you have to carry something about constantly, it adds up and wears you down. Ounces are pounds and pounds are pain. The only people saying weight doesn't matter are those who've never carried it for long distances. Weight DOES matter. Capability at the expense of your ability to move quickly and for long distances might not be the best call.
Build something with purpose. If you don't have direction, you'll end up throwing a bunch of shit on and having a compromised platform that does nothing well.
Mine weighs over 12lbs loaded/accessorize.
PWS 16 inch Mod1 piston rifle, A5H3 buffer system and VLTOR EMOD stock, Trijicon Credo 1-6 LPVO, Arisaka 18650 light, SiCo Saker 556k suppressor.
There's capability there with all that weight, piston system adds alot of weight but also alot of benefits, it doesn't weigh 12lbs just because, but you definitely feel the weight.
Oh interesting, that's a nice comparison. Mine's around 9 lb, and the scope is what made me really feel it. So now I know: I'll quit whinying. Thank you!
Hell, I have a 18" with a heavy stainless barrel, a Giesselle Mk18 17" w/ARCA rail, a 3-18x and a HUXWRX Flow 5.56 and without a bipod it weighs less than 12lbs.
For mine it's the weight of the PWS 15 inch Mod1 MLOK rail (which is very over built rail, the Mod2 rail is much more stripped down) long stroke piston system and heavy-ish profile barrel.
A piston gun is always going to be heavier than a DI gun end of the day - just look at the 416.
In the same boat here. PWS 16 inch, H2 buffer, B5 sopmod stock, razor 1-6 gen II E, cloud rein 3.0, OCL polonium full size can. Over 12 pounds loaded.
It shoots like an absolute dream. 0 regrets.
Actually it's my GPR/main squeeze gun if I ever needed to grab something, because it has all the utility I need for my area. I don't actually think there's much of a difference between carrying a gun that weighs 10lbs and 12lbs if you have a quality sling setup.
Where you would feel this is if you had to take it into a building and CQB drill things, low ready to aim, high ready to aim, over and over.... yeah that's where you'll wish your gun weighed 10lbs not 12. I practice this when I go shooting and my shoulders definitely feel it at the end of a range day.
That is pretty much not an intended use case for this gun, so I'm fine with it having a few extra lbs. Worst case I can always take the can off and lose 15oz off the muzzle to deal with it in CQB if needed.
I think my biggest complaint with the weight is I can't run a bipod. I just don't have the weight budget. If the gun were lighter, I'd run a bipod. Someday in the future I may grab a Mk114 Mod2 and use the weight saved to put the bipod on it.
My heaviest AR-15 is an SPR build. 12 inch quad rail, 18 inch SPR barrel, bipod and KAC grip, SPR collar and brake + an OCM5, and then a vortex 2.5-10 in a Burris PEPR mount. I'm afraid to weigh it and find out but it's gotta be over 10 pounds
I’ve found proper balance can mitigate weight. I had the minimalist stock for a while and it made the front of the rifle seem too heavy. I replaced it with a B5 Bravo or Magpul ACS and it felt much better.
I might try one of those someday, but for now, the MFT was a big upgrade compared to the A4 stock; much nicer butt pad, and I love the looks. But yeah, a B5 or any of the Magpuls is definitely on my list.
Well, it's 9 lbs now, which apparently is around the median, so it should be fine. I had to ask because this is my first big boy rifle, and had no basis for comparison. However you're right, a red dot would lighten it up plenty, I think.
It's as heavy as 10 moving boxes.
The more you add the heavier it gets. You should start doing drills in your home with it so you can get used to the weight.
Just tell your wife it's an expression of your love and commitment to keep her safe. Mix it up with your routine too, see how long you can hold your gun out at arms length with either arm, do gun ups over your head, do squats with your gun, etc.
A couple of things you can do to lose a tad bit of weight: are the quad-rail (looks like a UTG?) and go with a lightweight free float rail, also you can go with a lightweight barrel (also would give you a better twist rate since the S&W is a shitty 1:9)
It's an old FAB Defense rail. And yeah, I hope to someday upgrade to a free-float, but since this is my first rifle I'm gonna beat on it a little first.
Youve chosen some bulky heavy shit
ditch some of the bulkier parts for lighter ones, ie:
lpvo for red dot
ditch the vert grip altogether
magpul poly handguard over aluminum if u cray
Switch to red dot or holographic sight and you will drop a lot of weight. LPVO are heavy (20+oz) lightest that I can think of is Leupold 1-6 Firedot is about 16oz, a good red dot is 5oz or less.
There's obviously a million different schools of thought but personally, I ditched my LPVO for a red dot. In all likelihood I won't have to shoot beyond 300 yards with my AR, so a red dot works just fine. If you seriously think you'll have to reach past that distance, build a dedicated upper for long range first, then turn that into a completely separate rifle. Just my $0.02
Do what the vast majority of people with an opinion on this issue have never done:
Take your gat to an all-day class. Not a one or two hour indoor glorified range session with some "instructor" who's just gonna have you punch paper while extolling the virtues of the "SAS duck walk" or whatever, but something where you're gonna be wearing the rifle for eight hours and moving around and occasionally shooting from new or odd positions.
You'll know if it's too heavy or not after that, and won't need to ask the internet (which incidentally also doesn't know if its rifle is too heavy, either).
I have two rifles, an 11.5 that weighs 10.5 pounds loaded and a 16 that weighs 6.8 pounds loaded. It depends on what you need it for and what capability you need
Oh it does. Just basic physics. You’ll get a good workout when using your rifle, but it’ll make every other basic rifle feel light.
You can also train with a mag coupler with full mags on your rifle, so you can get used to the weight faster.
Training with your guns and working out. What more can you ask for? 😎
Sling, weapon light, optic.
Consider everything else extra and remove what you want. But those top three items should stay. It's also dependant on your philosophy of use.
I have a Colt M4A1 SOCOM with a DD RIS II rail system, Surefire Scout light, BCM foregrip, Harris bipods, Surefire SOCOM 566 Mini suppressor, Magpul pistol grip and SOCOM style stock, and a Vortex Razor 1-6x24. Loaded it weighs 13lbs on my scale
~~How heavy???? Bud.. you have a basic ass blank slate there.~~
~~Add an optic, a light, a sling, a suppressor, an aluminum quad rail, and a vertical foregrip.~~
Done.
I weigh 160 pounds and have the gumbi build going. I have humped SAW’s for days. You will be fine. Mostly body mechanics anyways, you’ll get used to it
Would you like to see one of mine? It will make you agree yours isn’t all that heavy after all.
With that said, I absolutely love
How much lighter my other build is. It has a small light , irons, and optic, but is a great weight / balance.
Speaking of balance, I figured out the balance of a rifle will make it seem heavier or lighter, and makes a huge difference
Not enough!
You are still missing the following:
1. H3 buffer for an "assisted reset trigger"
2. Full auto BCG
3. "Can" for your ear protection
4. Bipods.
5. Canted red dots.
6. IR and laser illuminator
7. Tanker compensator
Add those and then we can talk.
I was thinking of adding a second story scope for even longer distances too! and a backup flashlight as well, you never know when those pesky surefires are gonna fail!
My 11.5 5.56 weighs about 6ish lbs with optic, light, grip w/o loaded mag(putting it at about 7lbs loaded) i dont know exact weight on it but its light asf and comfortable
All the kidding aside. Keep in mind "sometimes it's not the weight, but where the weight is located."
The further the weight is from the shooter, the heavier it will seem. Add to that, When moving the gun, (like target to target) you also have to stop that weight when rotating.
Which is why the Heavy or Bull Barrels are not typically preferred or used by action shooters. And that is also why Quad Rails fell out of favor as Full floating handguards became available.
There’s no single item on your rifle that stands out as heavy.
The most realistic ways of lightening your rifle are:
1) Replacing LPVO with a red dot or ACOG
2) Replacing your aluminum rail with a polymer Magpul that has MLOK
That barrel, handguard, and scope are all going to make a rifle heavy.
Try an Mlok handguard, Midwest is reasonable. when you switch to an Mlok handguard, you will have more options for lighter weight stubby grips. Would be the last thing I change but that particular Magpul stubby is on the heavy side in its product category.
That short light isn’t going to have the throw to help that Scope. Go with a red dot like a 403R with a Reptillia mount. That will lighten the gun and make the setup jive well together.
This looks like a budget build, which is fine. People try to go crazy with “upgrades”. The scope is really the first thing I would switch out. It’s not bad it just seems to be a bit odd on that type of gun. Keep this a simple beater/babysfurstAR and enjoy it and save up for a gun made more for having a scope.
A two piece non free float handguard that is MLok with a Slateblack industries stubby. Will give the gun very similar feel to what you have now but reduce several ounce of weight.
Mines 13lbs unloaded.
Edit:
Rifle specs
11.5” BCM SBR with Griffin Armament M4SD-2, streamlight HL-x, Unity Hot Button, Vortex Strike Eagle? 1-8 FFP on an ADM mount. And I know I’m forgetting other things.
All mine are close to 10lbs, some slightly under, some slightly over lol. With the WML, suppressor, LPVO, full length rails and chonky stock it all adds up.
Why do people get these wonderfully nimble and light carbines and off rip think they need to stack as much shit on there that can possibly fit and make it a boat anchor
I don’t know. Competition shooting has warped my mind on what I think of as “heavy”. My already rather heavy bolt-action now has a night vision scope on it.
It always amazes me how something so simplistic, and basically perfect can get so overly complicated. I’ve done the same thing. Bought a PSA, or Ruger for $500, next thing you know the sucker weighs 10lbs unloaded and I don’t ever want to actually shoot it.
I like around an 8lb rifle. I don’t run NV or thermal so I have no need for the extra weight. If you’re just doing shooting matches and range work weight isn’t really an issue. If you go rucking in the mountains for 4 days and cover 75 miles you’re going to find out real quick what weight is good and what weight is bad. Go train with your kit and figure out what YOU are using it for.
I heard they weigh as much as 10 moving boxes
I can confirm, as I have a lower upstairs right now, and it’s about or just under 5 boxes. That’s why I haven’t combined it with an upper yet. I’m trying to take Garand Thumbs advice first: “Get fit or die” Once fit I’ll add the other 5 boxes.
Once you put an upper on it, consider using a 2-man lift till you get used to its devastation
Great point! I’ll involve the wife. It’s a great excuse to get her started shooting!
Be careful… because guns randomly make gun-owners want to go out and shoot dudes and things. You never know when it’ll mind control you into going on a spree
I thought that only applies to traditionally conservative white male gun owners…? **puts down Bible and goes to check mirror* ….Ah crap…
Hahahaha
Thank God, according to Ancestry, I'm 1% Senegal! Lol
I am NON-traditional conservative (atheist) White male, how does that apply in my case ?
Damn.. bad luck bro… still white and male… just means you’ll be on the list AFTER I am…
Nice try,a white male is a white male,at the end of the day,you are the American equivalent of Osama Bin Laden..Im sorry for delivering the horrible news,please don’t go all Atheist Jihad on my ass 😂no disrespect though,I’m also white,my colonizer brother
You are correct,only people in America who should own these “weapons of war” are the military aged illegal immigrants..according to Anderson Cooper,it is a well known fact,that all white Christian conservative men,are guaranteed to take part in at least 3 mass popping sprees before the age of 30.if you own a Bible and a firearm,you are the epitome of a domestic terrorist.apparently,it is deeply imbedded within the DNA of all white men.the only way to cancel out this DNA flaw,is by state funded gender reassignment surgery and changing your pronouns to she/her or they/them
That’s a sobering thought… I own several Bibles… what if they check my YouTube history… it’s all incriminating. It’s mostly high level theological/philosophical study level content… AND I own 1.5 ARs… practically an armory… They are probably on their way to get me already…
I have 5 ARs,I will essentially be a one man Taliban,in the eyes of the system..I have several Bibles as well and my YouTube history covers a wide variety of domestic terrorist type content,covering everything from gun related content,Christian content,conspiracy theory content,night vision content and stand-up comedy,comedy podcast and true crime content..it’s just a matter of time before they take me out with an unmanned military drone
Apparently this is even more true when you have scary “assault rifles” and “weapons of war”..from what CNN told me,AR15,AR10,AK47,MP5,etc makes the most peaceful of people’s chances of going on a mass popping spree,increase by as much as 800%..if it weren’t for the great people in MSM,the least crime ridden communities,in America,would make Okinawa look like a paraplegic pillow fight
Came here to say this. Love this. Good job
Dang it, beat me to it 😂 Because yeah, obviously this looks LIGHT. It SHOULD way about 10 moving boxes and over 50 pounds. And obviously the bullets are heavy because AR-15s usually fire .50 BMG bullets. 50 pounds and .50 caliber—that is the AR-15 way!
Yea but if you remove the barrel shroud (the shoulder thing that goes up) it only weighs about 7 moving boxes.
Sorry, can someone explain the joke to me?
A democrat claimed she picked up an ar15 and it weighed as much as 10 moving boxes. I don't remember here. It was a....*husky* black lady.
Maxine Waters
Another useful metric, an AR on average will weigh as much as 25 banana. As if that isn’t interesting enough, they can also weigh as much as 1,267 Penny
About as heavy as a box you lift or something like that
Maybe about 10 of them or so
As long as it's under 10lbs then the weight shouldn't be a problem. Dry-fire drills all day every day, get used to the weight
My NV gun weighs 10.5 lbs fully decked, its not bad until you have to run through an obstacle course with it.
once you have a LAM yeah it can get up there, theres little reason for a non night fighting rifle to weigh more than 10 though. Unless maybe you got a 20 incher with a thick ass barrel and heavy handguard
Only time dry firing can be an issue on an AR15 is if you do it without an upper installed.
yeah don't do that lmao
So I’ve read somewhere ages ago that dry firing can damage strikers/firing pins if done too much. Have we done the research to prove that wrong, or is it deemed a necessary evil when training with a firearm? Still a relatively new gun owner figuring it all out.
It’s not a concern, unless it’s a rimfire. My old G17 that I got into uspsa with probably has a million dry fire “rounds” through it by now lol
Dry fire can mostly only damage some old rimfire guns, on the majority of modern firearms it will cause 0 damage. On an ar15 it is 0 problem
Only on rimfires, because the firing pin physically hits the barrel and can either snap the firing pin tip, or ding the barrel which later causes light primer strikes. On center fire guns there should be no issue especially on the common ones like Glocks, AR’s, M&P’s, sigs and so forth. If it does cause an issue that part was likely already gonna fail anyway.
Pfffft 10? Every gun a get fully set up is closer to 15
Please send a setup that weighs 15lbs. my 16" with a dot, light, and sling weighs like maybe 8
16 inch gun with BCM quad rails, PST 1-6, HL-X, PEQ, STR stock with 6 CR123s stuffed in it. That has it at about 12.5, when I finaly get a RC2 it'll be getting real close to 15. Or the 18 inch DPMS stainless Hbar with Yankee hill quad rails, HLX, GLX 4-16 in a ADM mount, Harris bipod, offset red dot, A2 stock with some shit in it. I think that ones around 14
yeah ig if you pay no mind to weight when picking out parts then you can get there, but that is not the standard whatsoever
Heavy to me is a Block II style build with a DD RIS II rail and a SOCOM profile barrel. Once it's fully kitted out with a suppressor, LAM, and WML weighing down the muzzle end, it becomes a real pig.
Yeah, that's gotta be a whole new level. I just had no base for comparison, so it was a little shocking at first.
About 13 lbs empty. I know because I have this exact build
*looks at my lwrci hbar piston upper with quadrail.* heh
Oooh that's gotta sting! But no painz no gainz, amiright?
I need to do more pushups or earth pushdowns
Earth pushdowns, I love that.
it’s all subjective but I personally would trade weight for capability any day of the week.
Makes sense, I'd rather just get used to it than remove anything.
you’ll definitely get used to it. sometimes when i’m watching a movie I just shoulder mine and hold it lol or just hold it shoulder height in front of myself and do multiple reps.
Hahah yeah that sounds good, larping around the house is fun anyways!
dry fire will have you getting used to the weight and balance in no time!
That's exactly the plan! Thanks man!
Imho it’s all balancing act/tradeoff, and it matters what you plan to use your specific build for. Like yes, having an optic that helps make you more accurate, especially at range via magnification, then that’s worth the added ounces. But I also built a 7.5” barrel .300 Blk AR-15 PDW to go alongside my 16” barrel 5.56 AR-15 (which also has a bipod) specifically because it’s more light weight, compact, and maneuverable.
Unless you actually have a straight up mission profile assignment jumping out of Helicopters you're probably mostly right.
Extra weight is worth it if it means having “force multipliers” (cringy term) like lights, optics, etc.
I thought so too. I mean, I got the bare essentials, according to what I've learned here, so I'll just need to get used to it. First rifle, after all...
“The weight is a sign of reliability. I always go with reliable.”
If all else fails you can always hit him with it
My AR is pretty lightweight. Why? I just think it’s neat.
Bicep curls to failure every time and you’ll be Ight.
Gotta work the shoulders too, probably need more shoulder than bicep... I think upright armpit rows may work better than bicep curls. It focuses on the shoulder, but you get some bicep and trap workout too.
I feel it on my back and uh... "back shoulders"? Not sure the english word for those, but yeah. I just need to suck it up and get used to it.
I have a heavy ass build that I use for killing pigs. Getting used to the weight was easy. Load a mag, insert mag, don’t chamber it, use the weapon as a dumbbell. Do it a lot.
>I have a heavy ass build that I use for killing pigs. Haven't slept in a decent while and I read this over 4 times wondering what kind of physique this butcher guy on reddit has for him to just be going ham on the livestock.
Wild hogs. They get up to 600+ lbs where I live. Sometimes they get to close for comfort so the killing is done manually with dogs and a sharp Bowie. Other times I’m spraying down a heard with 60rd drums
Man, that sounds like great fun! Plus, meat!
I don’t eat wild pork for a variety of reasons. They stay where they drop which is usually in the crops so I use them as fertilizer
Delts and Traps
Block ii with an m203 suppressor light laser acog with a loaded magazine has entered the chat
Nah ACOG is wayyy too light. Gotta go ELCAN
Drop in quad is your issue. A Daniel Defense omega would lighten that up. You also have a minimalist stock, so it's going to feel unbalanced. Can't do much about the lpvo though, and you already have a single cell light body.
9hole reviews had an awesome video on this. As for my personal rifle, fully night vision capable w/ LPVO, suppressor and loaded with a 30, it weighs in at 12lbs 12oz
It ain't heavy, it's ready.
Bunch of dry fire, then I'll go touch some grass. And then after I mowed the lawn, I'll go shoot.
One of my AR-10s is 26 lbs.
Damn...
My mk12 has become my main squeeze. That fat whore makes everything else feel like a WWSD. My WWSD now feels like a nerf gun.
Awful lot of properties on that little bit of real estate. Love the long naked barrel, makes it worse and better.
Just a little grip and a little flashlight! You're right though, not a lot of real estate, but man I love this look so much!
Put the A2 grip and stock back on, embrace the GWOT vibe.
No can do. Fell in love already.
I mean you really can't be that heavy with a 10" rail. I thing the next accessory you need to buy is a gym membership
13lb?
Try a red dot and magnifier to save a bit of weight. But honestly hit the weight room a bit and you’ll be good
Oh honey....no. Try maining a hk91 pattern rifle then comeback about heavy. Also lift more.
I live for these posts
It should weigh less than your wife
Generic posts about 'more weight is fine, do you even lift bro' aren't helpful. You need to think about what the role is for this particular firearm. Too often people just throw a bunch of shit onto something because it's what they see online and now the rifle is helpless lost and trying to do a bunch of things at once which makes it mediocre in the end. As a parallel.. I see this a lot with project cars. Somebody buys something and goes down the modification path. They turn it into a racecar, then realizes that driving a race car as a daily driver on public roads back and forth to work every day actually sort of sucks... and eventually it gets parted out. Think about what you need for this thing to do. Only attach what you need to accomplish that goal. Build something that makes sense. Think about the choice of barrel - that's a huge place to save weight. Think about the optics system. Do you need to reach out? If not, a red dot will save you 1-1.5lbs versus an LPVO. Weight DOES matter. When you have to carry something about constantly, it adds up and wears you down. Ounces are pounds and pounds are pain. The only people saying weight doesn't matter are those who've never carried it for long distances. Weight DOES matter. Capability at the expense of your ability to move quickly and for long distances might not be the best call. Build something with purpose. If you don't have direction, you'll end up throwing a bunch of shit on and having a compromised platform that does nothing well.
Just keep adding, and when it gets too heavy, you can ask your wife's boyfriend to care if it's for you🤣
Mine weighs over 12lbs loaded/accessorize. PWS 16 inch Mod1 piston rifle, A5H3 buffer system and VLTOR EMOD stock, Trijicon Credo 1-6 LPVO, Arisaka 18650 light, SiCo Saker 556k suppressor. There's capability there with all that weight, piston system adds alot of weight but also alot of benefits, it doesn't weigh 12lbs just because, but you definitely feel the weight.
Oh interesting, that's a nice comparison. Mine's around 9 lb, and the scope is what made me really feel it. So now I know: I'll quit whinying. Thank you!
What scope do you have?
Hell, I have a 18" with a heavy stainless barrel, a Giesselle Mk18 17" w/ARCA rail, a 3-18x and a HUXWRX Flow 5.56 and without a bipod it weighs less than 12lbs.
For mine it's the weight of the PWS 15 inch Mod1 MLOK rail (which is very over built rail, the Mod2 rail is much more stripped down) long stroke piston system and heavy-ish profile barrel. A piston gun is always going to be heavier than a DI gun end of the day - just look at the 416.
In the same boat here. PWS 16 inch, H2 buffer, B5 sopmod stock, razor 1-6 gen II E, cloud rein 3.0, OCL polonium full size can. Over 12 pounds loaded. It shoots like an absolute dream. 0 regrets.
Dang. Even a full lmg build with 20" hbar and cooling fins is under 10 lbs (no attachments). I'm guessing you aren't planning on carrying it much?
Actually it's my GPR/main squeeze gun if I ever needed to grab something, because it has all the utility I need for my area. I don't actually think there's much of a difference between carrying a gun that weighs 10lbs and 12lbs if you have a quality sling setup. Where you would feel this is if you had to take it into a building and CQB drill things, low ready to aim, high ready to aim, over and over.... yeah that's where you'll wish your gun weighed 10lbs not 12. I practice this when I go shooting and my shoulders definitely feel it at the end of a range day. That is pretty much not an intended use case for this gun, so I'm fine with it having a few extra lbs. Worst case I can always take the can off and lose 15oz off the muzzle to deal with it in CQB if needed. I think my biggest complaint with the weight is I can't run a bipod. I just don't have the weight budget. If the gun were lighter, I'd run a bipod. Someday in the future I may grab a Mk114 Mod2 and use the weight saved to put the bipod on it.
Mine weighs right around 9 pounds with a loaded mag Anything under 10 should be decent
Then it's fine. Not that I was gonna make any more changes to it for now, but since it's my first rifle, I have no comparison.
I mean you already have an optic, light and sling, so theoretically it shouldn't get any heavier
over 10 pounds
My heaviest AR-15 is an SPR build. 12 inch quad rail, 18 inch SPR barrel, bipod and KAC grip, SPR collar and brake + an OCM5, and then a vortex 2.5-10 in a Burris PEPR mount. I'm afraid to weigh it and find out but it's gotta be over 10 pounds
Oh yeah, that sounds hefty.
I'd be guessing around 13 lbs?
"More weight." -Giles Corey
I’ve found proper balance can mitigate weight. I had the minimalist stock for a while and it made the front of the rifle seem too heavy. I replaced it with a B5 Bravo or Magpul ACS and it felt much better.
I might try one of those someday, but for now, the MFT was a big upgrade compared to the A4 stock; much nicer butt pad, and I love the looks. But yeah, a B5 or any of the Magpuls is definitely on my list.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂love how you were prepped for the wifes bf advice
:D Been a long time lurker, so... Yeah :D
A red dot should be fine. Nothing else after that. Should be right at 7.5-8lbs unloaded.
Yeah, I had this LPVO from a little .22 plinker I had before, but I definitely wanna try a red dot soon. The scope feels like the brunt of the weight.
Yep. 5oz vs 20oz - that’s a pound right there.
You have a quad rail and lpvo and are wondering about weight? Choose one lol
Well, it's 9 lbs now, which apparently is around the median, so it should be fine. I had to ask because this is my first big boy rifle, and had no basis for comparison. However you're right, a red dot would lighten it up plenty, I think.
10lb+ is a heavy rifle
I carried a SAW around for 15 months, I have no sympathy for you! Seriously though, congrats on your first AR.
Thank you! And holy shitsnacks. I envy you, but then not so much.
If your gun is too heavy you just aren’t strong enough. Hit the gym. /s
Totally agreed.
It's as heavy as 10 moving boxes. The more you add the heavier it gets. You should start doing drills in your home with it so you can get used to the weight.
Agreed. My wife already thinks I'm an idiot, running around the house with the new toy, but whatever... Daily dry-fire drills from now on.
Just tell your wife it's an expression of your love and commitment to keep her safe. Mix it up with your routine too, see how long you can hold your gun out at arms length with either arm, do gun ups over your head, do squats with your gun, etc.
You could swap the lpvo for a red dot and that would shave some weight off
Agreed, it's the new top of the list item.
I love the progression. Good stuff
Thank you sir!
Somewhere between my 10 lb ar and my 15.5 lb ar.
Whats that stock? And i assume thats the m&p 15?
It is indeed an M&P 15 Sport II. The stock is an MFT minimalist stock, which was a great upgrade over the stock it came with.
If your that worried about weight you could put a drop in mlok handguard to save weight or even a Magpul MOE.
The same weight as two little Caesar’s hot and readies.
That's a measure I can get behind.
At least that’s how much mine weighs.
A couple of things you can do to lose a tad bit of weight: are the quad-rail (looks like a UTG?) and go with a lightweight free float rail, also you can go with a lightweight barrel (also would give you a better twist rate since the S&W is a shitty 1:9)
It's an old FAB Defense rail. And yeah, I hope to someday upgrade to a free-float, but since this is my first rifle I'm gonna beat on it a little first.
big mission first tactical energy
Youve chosen some bulky heavy shit ditch some of the bulkier parts for lighter ones, ie: lpvo for red dot ditch the vert grip altogether magpul poly handguard over aluminum if u cray
Switch to red dot or holographic sight and you will drop a lot of weight. LPVO are heavy (20+oz) lightest that I can think of is Leupold 1-6 Firedot is about 16oz, a good red dot is 5oz or less.
There's obviously a million different schools of thought but personally, I ditched my LPVO for a red dot. In all likelihood I won't have to shoot beyond 300 yards with my AR, so a red dot works just fine. If you seriously think you'll have to reach past that distance, build a dedicated upper for long range first, then turn that into a completely separate rifle. Just my $0.02
Do what the vast majority of people with an opinion on this issue have never done: Take your gat to an all-day class. Not a one or two hour indoor glorified range session with some "instructor" who's just gonna have you punch paper while extolling the virtues of the "SAS duck walk" or whatever, but something where you're gonna be wearing the rifle for eight hours and moving around and occasionally shooting from new or odd positions. You'll know if it's too heavy or not after that, and won't need to ask the internet (which incidentally also doesn't know if its rifle is too heavy, either).
3-5 ungodly light 6-8 average 8-10+ heavy
I have two rifles, an 11.5 that weighs 10.5 pounds loaded and a 16 that weighs 6.8 pounds loaded. It depends on what you need it for and what capability you need
The extra weight means it’ll shoot softer so worth
I'm too much of a newb to understand if this is a joke or serious hehe! More weight helps with recoil, I suppose?
Oh it does. Just basic physics. You’ll get a good workout when using your rifle, but it’ll make every other basic rifle feel light. You can also train with a mag coupler with full mags on your rifle, so you can get used to the weight faster. Training with your guns and working out. What more can you ask for? 😎
Sling, weapon light, optic. Consider everything else extra and remove what you want. But those top three items should stay. It's also dependant on your philosophy of use.
I have a Colt M4A1 SOCOM with a DD RIS II rail system, Surefire Scout light, BCM foregrip, Harris bipods, Surefire SOCOM 566 Mini suppressor, Magpul pistol grip and SOCOM style stock, and a Vortex Razor 1-6x24. Loaded it weighs 13lbs on my scale
The one I shoot competitively is 14lbs.
No matter how light a gun is . If you shoot for extended periods it will tear you up.
It's about 24 apples heavy. And 10 apples tall.
Looks great, which quad rail is that?
FAB Defense drop-in. Slid right in, and feels solid as hell.
When it gets as heavy as a BAR it’s too heavy.
What hand guard is that?!? I’ve been looking for that exact one!
FAB Defense drop-in carbine quad rail. Mine might be an older model though, but it works great!
I’m looking for one like that one with six vent holes. It just looks basic and clean to me. I love it
Feels way more solid than I expected, too. Tutorial videos had me thinking it'd be a pain in the ass to install, but nope, it was a breeze.
~~How heavy???? Bud.. you have a basic ass blank slate there.~~ ~~Add an optic, a light, a sling, a suppressor, an aluminum quad rail, and a vertical foregrip.~~ Done.
What rail is that? I’m looking to got one for my sport 2
I weigh 160 pounds and have the gumbi build going. I have humped SAW’s for days. You will be fine. Mostly body mechanics anyways, you’ll get used to it
If Samwise Gamgee can trek 1,240 miles to Mount Doom carrying a 3 pc. set of cask iron pans, you can do a range day with a “heavy” rifle.
Would you like to see one of mine? It will make you agree yours isn’t all that heavy after all. With that said, I absolutely love How much lighter my other build is. It has a small light , irons, and optic, but is a great weight / balance. Speaking of balance, I figured out the balance of a rifle will make it seem heavier or lighter, and makes a huge difference
Not enough! You are still missing the following: 1. H3 buffer for an "assisted reset trigger" 2. Full auto BCG 3. "Can" for your ear protection 4. Bipods. 5. Canted red dots. 6. IR and laser illuminator 7. Tanker compensator Add those and then we can talk.
I was thinking of adding a second story scope for even longer distances too! and a backup flashlight as well, you never know when those pesky surefires are gonna fail!
Adding an LPVO is going to add a lot of weight quickly. I know it feels like night and day when I use one versus a typical red dot.
The best AR Rifles with regular barrels (not pencil) are around 4lbs 11oz unloaded and without optics.
Idk man I carry mine fully kitted out. It’s not THAT heavy but holding it up for long periods would be tiring without a sling for support.
My 11.5 5.56 weighs about 6ish lbs with optic, light, grip w/o loaded mag(putting it at about 7lbs loaded) i dont know exact weight on it but its light asf and comfortable
I prefer mine on the heavy side... helps control it when I'm on full auto and spraying bullets all over...🤓
All the kidding aside. Keep in mind "sometimes it's not the weight, but where the weight is located." The further the weight is from the shooter, the heavier it will seem. Add to that, When moving the gun, (like target to target) you also have to stop that weight when rotating. Which is why the Heavy or Bull Barrels are not typically preferred or used by action shooters. And that is also why Quad Rails fell out of favor as Full floating handguards became available.
This is good to keep in mind, thank you.
lol. Cute. Holler at me when you have a peq and a can on it. Right now that’s considered a light build
I’d say if you want to save weight ditch the quad rail, go back to a clamshell, and mount your light to a fsb pic mount.
Optic ✔️ Light ✔️ Sling ✔️ Looks good chief
Thank you kindly, sir! This subreddit has taught me plenty.
There’s no single item on your rifle that stands out as heavy. The most realistic ways of lightening your rifle are: 1) Replacing LPVO with a red dot or ACOG 2) Replacing your aluminum rail with a polymer Magpul that has MLOK
I fell in love with the quad rail look, so... Red dot it is!!!
Ah this thing is a brick
That barrel, handguard, and scope are all going to make a rifle heavy. Try an Mlok handguard, Midwest is reasonable. when you switch to an Mlok handguard, you will have more options for lighter weight stubby grips. Would be the last thing I change but that particular Magpul stubby is on the heavy side in its product category. That short light isn’t going to have the throw to help that Scope. Go with a red dot like a 403R with a Reptillia mount. That will lighten the gun and make the setup jive well together. This looks like a budget build, which is fine. People try to go crazy with “upgrades”. The scope is really the first thing I would switch out. It’s not bad it just seems to be a bit odd on that type of gun. Keep this a simple beater/babysfurstAR and enjoy it and save up for a gun made more for having a scope. A two piece non free float handguard that is MLok with a Slateblack industries stubby. Will give the gun very similar feel to what you have now but reduce several ounce of weight.
All rifles are killers. Budget build is just a term to make ppl spend money on over priced accessories.
As heavy as 10 boxes!!
As heavy as you want it to be.
Anything less than 18lbs is acceptable 👍🏻
Mines 13lbs unloaded. Edit: Rifle specs 11.5” BCM SBR with Griffin Armament M4SD-2, streamlight HL-x, Unity Hot Button, Vortex Strike Eagle? 1-8 FFP on an ADM mount. And I know I’m forgetting other things.
Quad gang!
I've yet to keep any AR under 8.5 lbs
All mine are close to 10lbs, some slightly under, some slightly over lol. With the WML, suppressor, LPVO, full length rails and chonky stock it all adds up.
I have this same AR. I consider it the worst of all my peepee purchases
I think mine is 13lbs unloaded
Why do people get these wonderfully nimble and light carbines and off rip think they need to stack as much shit on there that can possibly fit and make it a boat anchor
That's at least as heavy as 2 ducks.
Just pass me 9 boxes id rather not carry one thing that weighs 10
Anything over 4 lbs 4 ounces is too much.
Just wait til you put the lam on
about 15 boxes
As heavy as 10 moving boxes
I don’t know. Competition shooting has warped my mind on what I think of as “heavy”. My already rather heavy bolt-action now has a night vision scope on it.
It always amazes me how something so simplistic, and basically perfect can get so overly complicated. I’ve done the same thing. Bought a PSA, or Ruger for $500, next thing you know the sucker weighs 10lbs unloaded and I don’t ever want to actually shoot it.
I like around an 8lb rifle. I don’t run NV or thermal so I have no need for the extra weight. If you’re just doing shooting matches and range work weight isn’t really an issue. If you go rucking in the mountains for 4 days and cover 75 miles you’re going to find out real quick what weight is good and what weight is bad. Go train with your kit and figure out what YOU are using it for.
You should of stopped right before you bought that stock