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Posted: 5/25/2008 8:12:46 AM EDT
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Hey experts, My Dad and I went shooting yesterday and he want me to build him a small cal AR variant. I have a couple questions: 1. My dad has a really bad back and wants something as easy to manage as a .22, but I've heard good things from my brother-in-law about an small caliber LR round. What round would yall recommend? 2. What is the best small cal upper? I know some of these open ended "best of" questions can be a pain, but if you just want to share your preference or pro's and con's, that would be great too. My Dad wants to spend some time shooting with me, but without the recoil and noise. |
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My back is in pretty rough shape as well....old age...humping heavy loads...football and motorcycle crashes took their toll... IMO shorter is better as is lighter...caliber really isn't the major issue as far as disc pain and pinched nerves... Its really more a matter of balance ..and you don't want the load too far out in front of you...this stresses the lower back more...you want to keep the center of mass as close to the body as possible....assuming his lower back is the problem... The .204 to be fully effective needs 23" of barrel out front..and not many makers offer a light version...if you are going to shoot off a bench then this really doesnt matter...however carrying it and even setting it up will require some lower back stressing... If you guys load your own..and you have lots of .223 brass laying around..the .20 tactical might be what you are looking for...or the .17 Rem Fireball aka .17 Mach IV..(which is getting commercial attention thanks to Remington) If I just wanted to phart around with a hotter rimfire...I'd look at the 17HMR or .17 Mach 2 I have a Ruger 10/17 HMR I converted from the 22 mag...which is a fun shooter but I also converted my 17/22 to Mach 2 and got a Green Mountain fluted 16.5 inch that has nearly the factory contour...light and accurate and death to skunks,possums grackles and other varmints and assorted pests...and I can shoot it off hand with no back stress.. A big plus right there... hth |
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If your looking for a .22 LR in something like an AR platform go to Rimfirecentral.com and look around. Lots of guys building Ruger 10/22's into space age race guns. But honestly if I was you/him I'd look strongly at an AR15 in .223. I have a bad back, bad shoulder and really can't tell about recoil in that caliber. Ammo availability is scary easy. Go with a 1/9 twist barrel and it'll shoot anything from 40 grain to 75 grain. It'll handle 55 to 62 grain the best which is what is most available. Have fun! |
Nice groups but I note that you have a 24" barrel which, as stated above, will put a large load on the lower back. I'd recommend a 14.7" lightweight barreled .223 middy with a CTR stock and light weight optic or irons. It should come in at 6.x lbs. |
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I have a DPMS .260 that shoots 1/2 MOA at 100 yards with handloads most of the time, and is as mild as a .223 AR-15. But if I were you, I'd recommend to your Dad a Savage single shot in .204 or .223. It will be a more accurate gun than any AR platform and they are very gentle to shoot. |
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