Stars forward.  Always.

I think you meant that for me. It's not a Vltor A5. I had one of those like 15 years ago and hated the weight. This on is a Magpul MOE SL. Looking at the specs it looks like I can drop half a pound on the 11.5 by switching to a CTR. I may just do that and give it a try.

How is Noveske not an option?

13.7" stainless barrel, P&W NOX to get it out to 16" OAL. Surefire DF, I go between an AIMPOINT and EOtech. I like them both for different reasons. Anodize ODG.

It was definitely meant for our friend Stowe, sorry

I chase weight with the barrel if it's got stellar harmonics, same for the micro gas blocks and free floats I chase weight if it's durable enough with my optic mounts. I also chase weight with my optics too and why I am a fan of TA31's and now TA33's as well as Micro Aimpoints.

But stocks that add balance and the operating system itself? I draw the line there and choose function before everything else. Just my take here and nothing against anyone else's choices that are different from mine.

I like this conversation the three of us are having but we'll have to insert an occasional thread themed picture every now and then

I have a pre Johnny death N4, and another pre Johnny death parts guns, mostly all gen 1 type stuff. I'd not hesitate to take either or with me into the abyss of a SHTF situation.

Not going to slam the post company successor management or their employees, but their lifestyle direction and questionable use of of what I consider to be sub standard parts like RCA and C Products magazines gives me great pause now. Makes me wonder whom else they are using and not disclosing for the potential fallout. I'd like to be wrong about this though because when I bought in the past Johnny Noveske QA/QC checked parts or rifles, I had relief knowing that it was always in tolerance. But nowadays? Nope.

Lifestyle direction? You mean being fully ingrained in gun lifestyle like they are? Ok....

Never had an issue with BCG's. The 32 round colt pattern dura mags rock. I'm not a fan of a lot of the marketing, or some of the new stuff they're trying out. Seems a little Q-ish to me Or dropping the gen 1 line and replacing it with chainsaw. (rumor has gen 1 is coming back) . But their hard use stuff, Gen 1, Gen 3, barrels, switch blocks... their bread and butter is still good to go.

You mean their lifestyle change of direction that happened after he had passed? You mean the night and day differences in offering wares to serious users versus hipsters? Ok....

lol, sure thing. Meanwhile I'll decide what is good to go and what's now not bread and butter anymore. Noveske no longer is good to go with me. Not sorry that has hurt your feelings, strange as it may be to even let a different POV even do such a thing.

Have a nice day.

No hurt feelings here, sounds like its the other way around. I'm not sure why their marketing has you so upset. Don't want a skateboard with a Noveske logo on the bottom? Don't buy one?

Btw, Noveske sold more of their hard use stuff in 2021 than they ever have in their history. Not to mention the DEVGRU contract, but I'm sure thats just some hipster skate board term.

You definitely sound the one being hurt here, I'm not sure why you think that I am upset in any way as I am not but maybe one with stronger defensive feelings would rashly think this way though.

Appeals to numbers and authority doesn't work, BTW indeed. And I am sure that's some more hurt feelings you're saying too with the flippancy. But at any rate, you asked and you got one answer at least. Just not the way you had thought it would go. Interesting.

So I'll keep standing by what I had originally said, pre Johnny death, heck yes. Post Johnny death, heck no. YMMV, but the status quo remains unchanged.

New goto....freshly built and I plan on doing a lot of shooting with this one.  

No A5. Just standard tubes. I've honestly never used an A5. It occurred to me that I should have tried one after I ordered the FCD receiver extension for my main 11.5, but as usual it was already too late. I buy shit way to impulsively to thoroughly think it through

You really should. BCM has an H2 in the right length for their version of the A5 too.

Don't make me do an @Duffy to set you straight now....too late

A5 on everything unless the rifle requires a standard carbine RE, spring and buffer setup.  

Once you go A5, you only look back because you're counting how many more A5 compatible REs, springs and buffers you now need to get to replace the standard ones

With the change in stock it now weighs as much as my MK18. Well under 8lbs including the sling weight but not including magazine.

Look Duffy, I literally put my new FCD RE set up on yesterday! Give me some time with it before I decide to throw more money away

Edit: I forgot about this, but for the record it took approx 5 weeks

IDK man, Johnny didn't mic every last part, I probably wouldn't trust it.

Looks great!

Test gun gets all the prototypes and latest gear, with A5

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LMMFAO.

Next time, don't feed the trolls....

Roll marks on Colts.
Updated engravings on everything else.

Trash can gun.

bed buddies

It gets funnier if you take the time to read back. LOL



Beauty.

^^ The troll feeding himself, lovely.

That looks heavy. I feel your pain though, I’m also a member of the heavy boy tribe.

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Current go to. Suppressor not pictured. Using a stand in for now. Loaded with 110gr Barnes VOR-TX.

@M-4matus

I am going to bump this thread as soon as I can.  Lots of updates to my go-to that I posted on page 39.

Lol OP hasn't been on arf in a year and a half.

Should be pinned again

That’s a shame.  Decent fellow, even if he didn’t always agree with everyone here.  The father of this thread.

@defenderao

It got unpinned? On what grounds?

This is the same gun I posted on page 39.  But with the exception of the receivers and the brace, almost everything is now different.

Muzzle device: switched from Surefire CTN flash hider to the SF3P.  I am kind of the opposite of most guys on here; for me my can is of limited application.  I don’t like 11.5 guns because they are shorter to suppress.  I like them because they are handier.  I make the conscious compromise in velocity in order to shed weight and length.  To that end, flash suppression is quite important to me and the SF3P does a much better job of it to the naked eye than my CTN did.  The RC2 is for home defense or some kind of signature reduction scenario.  

Rail: KMR-A swapped for an FDE MCMR.  I like MCMRs and have them on all but a couple AR15s.  For my uses, they are a good balance between weight and rigidity.  They are a compromise for sure but I like them a lot.

Barrel: swapped the BCM ELW for a Daniel Defense 11.5.  Gas port pins at .069.  Barrel has worked out great even if it’s not my contour of choice.  Criterion core 11.5 is already sitting in the safe for the day this barrel is spent.

Laser:  NGAL with a modbutton lite (factory pad is too long).  Had a MAWL C1+ that I still love but fuck my LIFE it is heavy.  MAWL switching is the best by far but running the C1+ outboard and my light inboard I had a lot of trouble getting this gun to fit into my get home bag.  This NGAL is less than half the weight and much less bulky.

Light: M300 got swapped for an FDE modlite PLHv2 18350.  I loved that light.  However, once I got the NGAL I couldn’t get it to mount close enough to the laser with the arisaka mounts I had.  I like my lights to be a little closer to 11 o’clock.  As such, I painted up a vampire pro which does a great job for my application.

Receivers: BCM MK2 and BCM lower.  Geissele G2S that I have used for years. Raptor LT CH.

Buffer: Geissele Super 42 H3.

Brace: Paid form 1 pending.  Will be swapped for BCM mod 0.

Folding adapter: rarely used but useful when I do.

Optic: bit of a sticky wicket.  Used the razor 1-6 for years.  Heavy as fuck.  Went the opposite direction and went T2 only for a while.  Began playing with taller mounts.  FAST first, then hydra.  Despite loving the comfort factor and easy short range shootability of the high mounts, I found that on some drills my precision suffered.  Specifically, drills that require timed shots at distance.  So, I slapped the RMR on a razor at 12 o’clock.  Problem solved.  Over time, I became quite comfortable with having two primary optics that also worked in conjunction with one another.  The TA02 ACOG is, for me, the natural end point of this progression.  It sheds approx 10oz from the weight of the razor, biases the weight rearward (the silver lining of short eye relief) and the height of the RMR is comparable to the hydra.  Only now, the ACOG takes the place of the hydra and I gain the utility of a solid cheekweld prism optic in that space.  It’s a recent change and I am only about 75% sold on it but I have lots of cause for optimism.  It shoots great.  Position of the RMR works for passive aiming obviously.

Weight is the theme you might have noticed in this general purpose rifle build.  This became a priority for me after hiking around with this gun equipped with a MAWL and a Razor.  I am fit but that much weight got very annoying after a while.  This setup has most of the same utility but is much lighter and handier now.

This is my go-to gun and has been for a while.  All of my other setups collect dust.  Training, travel, defense, NV… it fills all roles.  The only other build I am working on is a 16” version of this that I can take across state lines more easily once the tax stamp for this comes back.

ETA: @M-4matus hope you’re still out there buddy.  If you’ve passed away or if something terrible has befallen you, then godspeed friend.  Thanks for making this thread.



ETA: for funsies, C1+ (left) versus NGAL (right).  MAWL on long range mode. NGAL on dual high and NGAL illuminator set to the mirror the mawl’s 2 degree A button setting.

Alright all you heavy bois, lightweight bois, NV bois, Geissele bois, KAC bois, LMT bois, Colt bois, even palmetto bois.

Let’s see your go-to guns!! Pics!!!

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@nemesismind

Damn dude, very nice blaster.

ETA: you don’t happen to be a gentleman who attended an AMTAC compact carbine deployment course a couple years back in the DFW? He had a very similar setup.

Thanks, man. It wasn't me at that course.

That's eerily close. And I've given thought about using that exact pistol grip for it instead of the K2.

10.5 pounds total?

@stowe

I dig it!

It's evolved extensively over the last few months. It was originally intended to just be a bedside gun, but I liked it so much that I completely re-did it and it's now not only my go-to gun, but about as perfect as I can get it. Some guns just speak to you. This one did. Here's what it looked like before I went through it and changed everything. Complete with magpul brace
Literally the only things that are original are the stripped lower (now registered), the take down/pivot pins, buffer retainer and spring and the BUIS. I'm pretty sure everything else is new. All of the take offs will be used to build a new rifle for my daughter. It's damn near a whole gun anyway.

She's thicc at 12 pounds loaded.

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Well, I no longer feel bad about the weight on mine anymore so there's that going for me

@stowe
It’s really clean and slick with the TA33.  Cool gun man.  What rail is that?

You know what? I have no idea what mine weighs now.  I am going to have to get it on a scale tomorrow

It's the MI light weight or super light weight (some shit like that) combat rail. It's like their regular combat rail (which I had on this gun before and really like), but they remove the center section of the top rail and use a titanium barrel nut to cut weight. It's solid. Not really sure that the few ounces saved are worth the money, but either one is great. They have a solid mount up and are well made.

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I would feel comfortable using this for most circumstances. The laser and 3x magnifier are on another rifle right now, but that's good thing about QD mounts.

Geissele 11.5 Project by James H., on Flickr

This and the M5 you posted in the AR-10 thread will serve you well and it looks like you parts selection were both methodically chosen, now run them both

@glockfanUT

SOLID setup.  Got a white light on the other side of that PEQ?

@jmh556

Very slick setup

Need an M-Lok mount for a Scout that I have waiting to go on it.  I also have a Vickers sling for it.  Not pictured…

Vickers slings for all things. All of my ARs are set up for specific purposes and vary wildly. The thing they all have in common is a old style BCM charging handles (or new Vltor) and a vcas sling.