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Posted: 6/29/2008 5:01:31 AM EDT
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So with my cav arms lowers in my hot little hands it is time to make the rest of the uber lightweight carbine come together. I am trying to shave ounces here and I have come up with a list of things that I think will work out well for that. The problem is that I dont know where to find them. I will be shopping at the local fun show today but some input would be nice. #1 Slickside upper. Does an a1 type setup with no FA have a significant weight savings over a flattop with an FA? #2 Thin thin thin barrel. Who makes the lightest chrome lined barrel out there? Also with regards to recoil impulse, would a midlength gas system lighten the recoil at all? #3 flash supressors. I realize I wont be able to do much weight saving with this part but it would seem like less mass=less weight for this application. Is there an effective lightweight flash supressor on the market? |
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#1 A slickside A1 upper (I got mine from Fulton Armory) is pretty light; an alternative would be a 9mm upper with no FA or brass deflector. I got mine from Model 1 and had ADCO drill a gas tube hole. Yet another possibility would be the Les Baer flattop with no FA (it does have a brass deflector). #2 For lightweights I'm using a Colt 6520 16" pencil barrel, a Bushmaster 16" Superlight and a CMMG 14.5" pencil barrel. All are chrome lined, with the Colt and CMMG having 1:7 rifling while the BM is 1:9. With the short barrel, which has a carbine length gas system, I'm using a Young N/M Light skeletonized bolt carrier with a rifle buffer and spring in an Ace Ultra Light stock. It functions flawlessly. 3# On the shortie I've got a Phantom - pretty light. ETA - The 9mm, stripped, was 5 7/8 oz.:  EATA - My Cav Arms lower arrived about a week ago and I discovered, to my chagrin, that the Les Baer upper just will not fit (takedown and pivot pin hole distances are incompatible). |
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Here's my CavAid lower on a CMMG 20" Govt profile upper. It's the lightest 20" I've come across. I didn't set out to do a lightweight, it just turned out that way. The FF tube is a Clark carbon fiber float tube. Consider using a carbon fiber float tube. It weighs 6oz. If you cut it down for a carbine or midlength it would be even lighter. The OP mentioned flash hiders. The Phanton 5C1 is fairly light and very effective.  |
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Hey Zeke, Do you have a way to measure the weight of your rifle with a loaded mag? I like the look of it but that 4 inches of barrel is kinda getting away from ultra lightweight. I like the carbon fiber float tube idea though! Seems like you could maintain some accuracy with sustained firing with a freefloat. The carbon upper receiver is interesting to me but without some knowledge of their durability I am loathe to test them out. |
No way to measure weight here. The upper didn't start out to be a LW build. It's just light because of the barrel profile. I'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 6.5 pound or so. I really like the ff tube. Very light and strong. I'm considering putting one on my carbine. ZM |
I see someone else had the same idea that I had. That is just about exactly what I am going for John. Thanks for the weight. |
That upper is NOT LIGHT! It's an extruded upper and is quite a bit thicker than a standard upper. I've never had access to one to weigh on my laboratory scale but several people have commented that they were disappointed with how heavy it was after purchasing one. On the subject of LIGHTWEIGHT, checkout these threads: www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=355990 www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=3&f=4&t=359047 PursuitSS |
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Here's some comparison material for you; this is almost the same gun as JohnRippert's posted above, CavAid lower with a Bushie Superlight, except with a flattop receiver instead of a slickside A1. 5 lbs. 10 oz.:  5 lbs. 11 oz.:  ETA - Although I couldn't get the takedown pin in, I weighed the Les Baer upper/Cav-Aid lower combo at 5 lbs. 3 oz. |
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Might be worth evaluating getting a CMMG lightweight built one: 14.7" Midlength Pencil Barrel w/ A2 hider Clark CFFFT a 14.5" Pencil from CMMG with phantom would also work. If you really want the lightest upper, an A1 won't to it, but be close. Any slickside would work, but I'd take an A1 for simplicity on a lightweight myself, unless I wanted to mount an Aimpoint ML2 or H1 on there. |
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The lightest barrels are the 16" Bushmaster superlight, the CMMG 14.5" lightweight and the Colt lightweight 14.5" If you want the "lightest possible" you want a carbine gas system. The lightest aluminum reciever that still has a brass deflector but no forward assist would be the Les Baer upper. It comes with rifle ramps only and not M4 ramps. The Bushmaster is the best fir for that upper. You will want a Colt C profile carrier. The Phantom is the lightest flash hider that will make a 14.5" barrel 16" when premanantly attached. Unfortunately there is no Bushmaster 14.5" Superlight as using that plus a Phantom would be lighter than a 16" with no flash hider. The lightest optic/BUIS set up for a flat top is the Larure Iron Dot as it has the optic, mount and rear BUIS all in one package. |
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Drilled 9mm A3 upper - unused rails machined off Bushmaster postban Superlight barrel KAC 300m BUIS (how heavy are the MagPul plastic BUIS?) Colt C Carrier Skeletonized charging handle (or drop the irons altogether - cut the FSB down to near-nothing and run a J-Point) I like the feel of CAR hanguards (no heatshields), but there are likely lighter options |
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