For those of you building a carbine or an ARP, the questions of length and weight should come into focus.
Well, that being the case, as one does trying to lighten and shorten the build, here are 7 things you can do about it.
Install a Shorter AR Buffer Tube
The AR buffer tube is unnecessary length on the back of your rifle. There are short buffer tubes and even micro buffer tubes that are only a few inches that you can install that will accomplish both objectives of lightening and shortening the rifle.
A short AR buffer tube or even a micro buffer tube will also potentially change the handling of the rifle for the better.
Lighten the Buffer Weights
While your focus is on the AR buffer tube, you can go inside it and change the buffer weights, too. Doing so can take a few ounces off your overall build.
By the way, there is a tradeoff here. If you lower the weights in your AR buffer tube, be aware that felt recoil will increase. It could also impact cycling, so this “upgrade” is really one you will have to experiment with. You can’t do this for every build.
Skip the AR Buffer Tube (Build Bufferless)
There is also the potential for you to skip the AR buffer tube (and associated system) entirely. While most ARs and AR-style rifles utilize direct gas impingement to cycle the action, some uppers are entirely bufferless and utilize direct blowback.
Not only does this skip the buffer system entirely, which lightens and shortens the rifle, it also simplifies the action by eliminating the gas system, which also reduces weight. With this one you can kill two birds with one stone and easily at that.
However, be aware that a bufferless AR upper is really only practical for some handgun cartridges, so this is really more of an option for ARP builders.
Install a Shorter Fluted Barrel
If you have a 20” barrel, go shorter. Install a 16” barrel (or go with a short barrel upper) and while you’re upgrading, make it a fluted barrel.
The great thing about fluted barrels is that they don’t just increase heat dissipation properties. They also lighten the rifle by removing mass. This can improve handling while it also shifts the center of gravity to the rear.
Since the barrel is often the heaviest single component of the rifle, installing a fluted one can go a long way towards making the rifle lighter.
Remove the Flash Hider and Install Thread Protectors
Your flash hider slightly obstructs the muzzle flash which helps preserve the sight picture by preventing temporary blindness. It does little else.
Well, wait; that’s not true. It adds a lot of weight, usually several ounces, and all for very little return.
There are better, more practical muzzle devices you can install, but here we only carry about weight and length reduction. You can accomplish both in one fell swoop just by removing the flash hider entirely.
Also, when you do so, just make sure you replace the muzzle device with thread protectors, otherwise the threads may be damaged and you won’t be able to use them anymore.
Replace the Pic Rail Handguard with an M-LOK Rail System
Your rifle’s Picatinny rail, for all the utility it offers, also offers a lot of one other thing: weight.
There are much lighter, equally practical rail systems you can install that offer every Pic rails offer and more. M-LOK rail systems come to mind.
M-LOK rail systems are much lighter than Pic rail systems because they use less raw material, and on top of that, with no ridges or slots, they are smoother, more comfortable to grasp, and won’t snag on gear as easily.
Install a Lightweight Bolt Carrier Group
Lastly, we recommend installing a lightweight AR-15 bolt carrier group. These will not only take a little reciprocating mass out of the rifle (which doesn’t just lighten the rifle, it reduces recoil) but since they are lighter, they can improve cycling as well.
While you’re at it, you might as well look into some of the more advanced coatings that are being used to finish AR-15 bolt carrier groups, like black nitride, titanium nitride, nickel boron, and DLC. These coatings increase permanent dry lubricity, requiring less liquid lubrication, and can also improve cycling performance.
Shop AR Assembled Uppers, AR Buffer Tube Components and More Here
All 7 of these recommendations are effective at either lowering the weight of the rifle or shortening it, and in some cases can accomplish both. Shop AR-15 parts here, including build kits and assembled uppers, and if you have any questions about parts compatibility or want specific recommendations for how to lighten or shorten your rifle or ARP, get in touch with us and we will be happy to help.