One of the first places most shooters’ minds go when they want to lighten a rifle is right to skeletonized AR15 parts. While skeletonized AR 15 parts can help you lighten the build, they are far from the only way to lighten the build.
That being said, here are some other upgrades you can make, in addition to incorporating skeletonized parts into the build.
Upgrade to a Fluted Barrel
A fluted barrel is a barrel that has had mass strategically removed from it. There’s more than one fluting configuration but some common ones include flat fluting, pentagonal fluting, and spiral fluting, though there are others.
The chief aim here is to lighten the weight of the barrel, which, since it must be steel and not aluminum like other big parts such as the upper, lower and rail system, is one of the heaviest parts of the rifle. Fluting can singlehandedly shave ounces off your build, just like skeletonized AR 15 parts can.
But the cool thing about upgrading to a fluted AR15 barrel is that it doesn’t just lighten the rifle. It increases the external surface area of the barrel, which offers other big advantages, too.
One of the best of them is that a fluted barrel will exhibit superior heat dissipation properties, which can keep the barrel cooler during periods of intense firing. This will not only result in a more accurate rifle, but the ability of the barrel to cool off more quickly will also reduce wear on it, too.
Install an M-LOK Rail System
If your AR15 build kit or assembled upper came with a Picatinny rail, another great way to shave some weight off, which will also potentially help improve heat dissipation, is to ditch the Pic rail for an M-LOK rail system.
M-LOK rail systems use a lot less material than Pic rail systems and consequently are considerably lighter. On top of that, they are smoother, which means there are no edges to hang up on gear as well as that they are more comfortable to grip without gloves on.
And, while there technically are more shooting attachments and accessories compatible with Picatinny rail systems than with M-LOK rail systems, M-LOK systems have been around for a while now and there is an ever-increasing pool of attachments that are compatible with them.
Remove the Flash Hider
That flash hider that came with your assembled upper and which is already threaded onto the end of your muzzle is doing very little for you except adding weight. There are much better muzzle devices you could add that will reduce recoil and muzzle jump, but they’ll just add weight too, too. Therefore the solution in this specific case is just to remove the flash hider and forego the muzzle device entirely.
By the way, if you do remove the flash hider, it’s pretty important that you install thread protectors onto the muzzle to protect the threads. If you don’t you’re liable to damage them and then you won’t ever be able to mount another muzzle device in the future, should you want to, without taking it to a gunsmith to have the damage assessed and repaired.
Install a Lightweight Bolt Carrier Group
A mil-spec AR15 bolt carrier group will do what it’s supposed to, but if you want faster, snappier cycling, you can either get a bolt carrier group with an advanced coating like nickel boron or black or titanium nitride, or else a lightweight bolt carrier group, or better, both.
The advanced coating will exhibit better permanent dry lubricity, which will speed up cycling, and on top of that, if you get a lightweight bolt carrier group with cutouts, it’ll be lighter and cycle more quickly.
Of course, it’ll also make the rifle lighter, too, which is the objective here.
Lighter Buffer Weights
This is one you shouldn’t touch unless you’re really strapped to cut down weight, but if you really need to shave off another ounce or two, you can lower your buffer weight.
Just be aware of this. If you do lower the buffer weight, though the rifle will be a little lighter, you will increase recoil. However, if you install a lighter weight AR15 bolt carrier group, this effect may be offset.
So making this upgrade in tandem can actually be a potentially good way to lower the weight of the overall rifle without having too much of an impact on recoil.
Explore Skeletonized AR15 Parts Here
Looking for some skeletonized AR 15 parts to lighten your rifle? Shop them here; we carry skeletonized parts as well as assembled uppers, along with fluted barrels, M-LOK rail systems, lightweight AR15 bolt carrier groups, muzzle devices and buffer system parts.
Shop them here and if you have any questions get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to help. You can also reach us at Sales@MCSGearup.com if you have any questions about the parts we sell or about part and build compatibility.