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Building an AR-15

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Chief Sackscratch

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 09:52

 Unique look..... I like it.

 

Do you feel like you'll break it being its so light?  You know how something tiny in big ole' Ted mitts?

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 10:08
That rifle I posted above is just under 6 lbs without scope and mount with an 18" barrel.  I have another rifle with 16" that 5 3/4 lbs.  I spent $1400ish for the 18" and $1200ish for the 16". 

That puts in a good perspective what going real light weight really costs.  To make it with the optional lighter parts you listed would that have added much more to the cost?

That turned out really good Ted.  The more I look the more I like. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 10:10
Is there away to put sling attachments on the handguard and stock?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Rancid Coolaid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 11:21
 A rifle that light needs no sling, it probably just kinda floats above you like a leaf on the wind.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 11:25
I wouldn't have a hunting rifle without a sling.  Sometimes when climbing steep terrain you need both hands to climb. 

Of course maybe that is not really a concern with Texas land hunting. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:06
Originally posted by supertool73 supertool73 wrote:

Is there away to put sling attachments on the handguard and stock?


On the stock, yes. There are slots in the angled brace forward of the buttplate for an M-Lok QD sling mount adapter. I haven’t figured out an elegant way to attach the other end of the sling to the hand guard yet. Brigand offers a version of that hand guard with 4 short rail segments at the front. I didn’t want that version because I didn’t like the design and part of the rails protruded where I would grip, destroying the comfortable feel of the open CF weave for me.
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:09

Come on, you couldn't find a place to tie some para cord to it, and fashion a sling.

Life's concerns should be about the 120lb pack your trying to get to the top of the mountain, and not the rock in your boot.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:09
You can buy a single short rail from Brigand.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:21
Originally posted by supertool73 supertool73 wrote:

That puts in a good perspective what going real light weight really costs.  To make it with the optional lighter parts you listed would that have added much more to the cost?


No, and in fact in this particular comparison, it would have been a bit less $, because the polymer and magnesium receivers are less expensive than that 2055 alloy, (but also less durable). The Faxon pencil barrel would be a little less expensive too, lacking the fluting. The aluminum bolt carrier would be less, but some of the other, more skeletonized titanium bolt carriers are more, so it would depend on which way you go there. The more minimalist stock is less, but ergonomically I didn’t like it as well.

Going with those slightly lighter parts above would have saved maybe $300...but I wouldn’t have liked the finished product quite as well as what I ended up with. Admittedly, looks played a huge role in my decisions too. I just love the look of carbon fiber and titanium accents against the remaining black parts.

Bottom line, going really light can get expensive, but how expensive boils down mainly to the materials chosen. Aluminum parts are lighter than the same parts in titanium, but not as strong, and titanium is of course much lighter than steel. Titanium and CF parts both drive up the cost, and that 2055 alloy is also expensive.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:24
Originally posted by BeltFed BeltFed wrote:


Come on, you couldn't find a place to tie some para cord to it, and fashion a sling.



Yes, I could. I didn’t say I couldn’t do it, just that I couldn’t find a way to do it yet that I liked. Admittedly, I haven’t really made it a priority and put much effort into coming up with a solution yet.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:37
Originally posted by koshkin koshkin wrote:

You can buy a single short rail from Brigand.



I may look into that route. I saw the M-Lok backing plate on their site and bought one, but didn’t see the short rail segment. I tried to find a good spot for the backing plate against an M-Lock adapter, but I couldn’t find a way to position it anywhere that it would sit flat and not look like crap, so I ditched the idea. I may just use a QD clip style sling end attached directly onto the weave at the front of the hand guard.
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:40
Ted, how sturdy is that hand guard?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote supertool73 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 13:59
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

Originally posted by supertool73 supertool73 wrote:

That puts in a good perspective what going real light weight really costs.  To make it with the optional lighter parts you listed would that have added much more to the cost?


No, and in fact in this particular comparison, it would have been a bit less $, because the polymer and magnesium receivers are less expensive than that 2055 alloy, (but also less durable). The Faxon pencil barrel would be a little less expensive too, lacking the fluting. The aluminum bolt carrier would be less, but some of the other, more skeletonized titanium bolt carriers are more, so it would depend on which way you go there. The more minimalist stock is less, but ergonomically I didn’t like it as well.

Going with those slightly lighter parts above would have saved maybe $300...but I wouldn’t have liked the finished product quite as well as what I ended up with. Admittedly, looks played a huge role in my decisions too. I just love the look of carbon fiber and titanium accents against the remaining black parts.

Bottom line, going really light can get expensive, but how expensive boils down mainly to the materials chosen. Aluminum parts are lighter than the same parts in titanium, but not as strong, and titanium is of course much lighter than steel. Titanium and CF parts both drive up the cost, and that 2055 alloy is also expensive.


I wouldn't have done polymer either.  yuck 
Lifetime warranty and excellent customer service don't mean a thing when your gun fails during a zombie attack.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 14:03
I did one 80% Polymer receiver just to experiment with and I was pleasantly surprised with it so far.  That one was by KMT and it was pretty stiff and worked well.

In general, I am really intrigued by V7's lithium alloy receiver that Ted used.  I am secretly hoping that he built this rifle knowing that I am interested in a light weight Grendel and he is simply doing some durability testing prior to my birthday next yearSmile

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 14:53
Originally posted by BeltFed BeltFed wrote:

Ted, how sturdy is that hand guard?


It’s amazingly stout, which is one of its incredible traits given how light it is. At SHOT, they had a heavy dumbbell hanging off the end of one with it cantilevered out from a stand unsupported. There is a video online where they exploded some Tannerite underneath one of those hand guards and it didn’t hurt it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 15:55
Originally posted by koshkin koshkin wrote:

I am secretly hoping that he built this rifle knowing that I am interested in a light weight Grendel and he is simply doing some durability testing prior to my birthday next yearSmile

ILya


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 15:56
Originally posted by RifleDude RifleDude wrote:

Originally posted by koshkin koshkin wrote:

I am secretly hoping that he built this rifle knowing that I am interested in a light weight Grendel and he is simply doing some durability testing prior to my birthday next yearSmile

ILya


Have you ever experienced the bitter taste of disappointment before, my friend?

Can I at least shoot it at a pig if I come over for a visit?

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 16:02
You got it, brother!
Ted


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 16:04
When does the season end in Texas?  I'll be in the area in November some time.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: August/30/2018 at 16:08
Deer season goes from the first Saturday in October until mid-Jan.

There is no pig season. We can shoot them year-round.
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