Large Frame Rifle Weights

[newmexicokid]

Not sure if this has been done here or not. I am always curious when I see pics of someone's rifle setup what it weighs. I figured I would start. Quick description along with the unloaded weight as pictured. Large-frame only. Really just for informational purposes. Its easy to look up rifles and get their weights from the manufacturer's websites but once we start modifying and adding optics it all goes to shit. Thank you guys. If this has already been done please point me in the right direction.

#1 - Christensen Arms CA10 G2. Chambered in 308. Has an 18" carbon fiber barrel. UBR stock, ADM scope mount with Sig Tango 6 3-18x44. 10lbs 10oz.

#2 - LMT MWS. Chambered in 308. 16" Lightweight SS barrel. Larue scope mount with Leupold MK6 3-18. Has JP Silent Capture and full weight Gemtech Suppressed BCG if it matters. 10lbs 10.9oz.

#3 - Aero home build. Chambered in 243. 18" Heavy SS barrel from Specialized Dynamics. No scope currently. 9lbs 5.8oz.

 

[Evintos]

Something for people to keep in mind is the "shootability" (not a real word) factor of ultralight rifles tend to be very mediocre to bad (my opinion), especially when putting a lot of rounds down range. It's like constantly shooting a large caliber bolt action alpine/mountain rifle (4-5lb); simply exhausting. Great to carry around though. I think more people would be happier with rifles closer to the 13-15lb range rather than closer to the 10lb, but that is based off my observation that most people at the ranges I frequent are shooting off a bench.

Below is a lightweight, low mass build that I assembled. 169.1oz unloaded (as pictured, with all the accessories attached) which is an acceptable blend of shootability/weight for me. It's a helluva lot more comfortable to shoot with an extra 16-32oz on it though (example switching out the Battlelink for a Magpul PRS stock or swapping the Razor AMG for a Razor GII). It's heavy enough that I'm thinking of starting a new ultralight build with more carbon fiber (barrel, handguard). Admittedly however, the desire is based more on achieving "ultra light, show purpose" rather than for utility purposes.

2A Armament - Xanthos Lite Receiver, 15" Xanthos rail XRSC
American Defense Manufacturing - Recon 30mm 20 moa with Tac Levers
Arisaka Defense QD Mount
AXTS/Radian Weapons - Talon
B&T - Atlas PSR Bipod
Bravo Company - Gunfighter Mod 3 grip
Faxon Firearms - 18" 4150 Medium contour rifle length gas, Faxon 308 Bolt
Forward Controls Design - EMR-A, EMR-C, ABC/R V2 556
Geissele SCH 308 (Noveske branded), SD-E
Griffin Armament M2 sights
JP Enterprises - Silent Captured Spring AR10, JP LMOS bolt carrier
Lone Star - Anti cant device
Magpul - MLOK VFG, MLOK Type 2 Rail covers, MLOK 5 slot picatinny rail.
Mission First Tactical - Battlelink stock
Primary Weapon Systems - EBT Mod 2
Superlative Arms - Clamp-on bleed off gas block
Strike Industries - J-Comp V2 308, 308 Enhanced Ultimate Dust Cover
V7 Weapons - Titanium takedown pin set
Vortex Optics - Razor AMG 6-24x + included flip caps

 

[newmexicokid]

I appreciate the comment about shootability vs weight. You are absolutely correct. I had a very light mountain hunting rifle chambered in 300 wsm that was really unpleasant to shoot and impossible to work up a load for because it was unpleasant to shoot combined with the barrel contour which made it susceptible to heat stringing. I am always curious about the heft of guys rifles when I see them. Folks always tell you what components they have but rarely list a weight. Its interesting is all. None of those 3 rifles had an intention of being a light weight rifle. I know the LMT is and always will be a tank but it surprised me that the Christensen was basically the same weight.

 

[hlee]

10 lbs is not light weight…

 

[WindstormSCR]

I'll be re-weighing my MDRX in a week once the new blk lbl handguard arrives for it, but currently it runs around ~12.5lbs with optics/offset/bipod on the reflex handguard, magpul bipod, and loaded 25rd mag. I'll post a weight picture once the new trim is here.

 

[drewthebrave]

Here's the spreadsheet I used when I built mine. Weights are all taken from manufacturer's websites & product descriptions, so they may not be exact - but they're close enough for my purposes.

LOWER PARTS	Weight
Aero M5 Lower	12
Aero Essentials LBK	5.1
Grip Fin + MOE	4
LaRue MBT	2.45
Aero M5 Rifle Extension	10.9
ASC EFX-A1 Stock	14
LOWER TOTAL	48.45 oz
	3.03 lbs
UPPER PARTS	Weight
M5 Assembled Upper	14
Craddock 18" Criterion Barrel, 6.5 Creedmoor, Rifle +1" gas	54.9
Barrel Nut (incl. in handguard)	0
Ejection Port Cover (incl. in upper receiver)	0
Craddock Matched Bolt	3
Standard BCG (extra bolt)	15
Atlas R-One 15"	13.79
Wojtek Adj. Clamp .750"	1.5
Rifle +1" Tube	2
N/A	0
Raptor LT 308	1.5
Forward Assist (incl. in upper receiver)	0
KAK comp	2.5
UPPER TOTAL	108.19 oz
	6.76 lbs
RIFLE TOTAL (unloaded, no optic)	9.79 lbs
Bushnell DMR II 3.5-21x	34
PEPR 34mm	6.9
Optic Total	40.9 oz
	2.56 lbs
TOTAL (unloaded + Optic)	12.35 lbs

I initially intended to build a <10 pound Aero M5 around a Faxon barrel and a lightweight optic - and maybe some carbon fiber furniture. But then I found a smoking deal on a Craddock Criterion barrel that was almost 3.5 pounds by itself and decided to adapt my goals accordingly.

It turned out to be a great shooter, and at almost 12.5 lbs, it handles recoil like a dream. With a swap to a pencil barrel & optic (and no other changes), it could easily drop to around 10 pounds. But at that point, I'd prefer to grab my 18" Grendel that's right around 9 lbs. I'm really happy with this rifle at its current weight, and the forward balance actually makes it feel surprisingly stable on a cheap tripod.

 

[celltech]

#1. Homebuilt Aero M5 upper/lower/handguard, 18" 308 Faxon heavy fluted SS barrel, Nikon Black 4-16 with Aero Precision mount - 9lbs 15.3oz

#2. Homebuilt Aero M5E1 upper/lower/handguard, 22" 6.5 Creed Criterion heavy SS barrel, Bushnell Forge 3-18 with UTG Pro mount - 12lbs even on luggage scale...my kitchen scale maxed out

The .308 will hold MOA with cheap M118LR while the 6.5 is a 3/8" tack driver with American Gunner. It's amazing how fast they can chew through ammo that I can no longer find

 

[WindstormSCR]

The .308 will hold MOA with cheap M118LR while the 6.5 is a 3/8" tack driver with American Gunner. It's amazing how fast they can chew through ammo that I can no longer find

If you're not averse to reloading, you can use a basic setup to crank out M118LR equivalents for about 70cpr, depending on exactly what you pay for components, and an equivalent for the 6.5 you could probably do for about ~78cpr

the only reason I've actually saved any money by reloading is how nutty the prices on decent/good 6.5CM and .308 have been for the last year.

trick is to not go overboard on the setup and get just what you need to do the job, basic turret press and doing more manual work. makes for crazy good economics though.

 

[newmexicokid]

10 lbs is not light weight…

I know right. I mainly was surprised how heavy the Christensen was compared to the LMT.

 

[Steve_In_29]

10 lbs is not light weight…

Weight is relative.

It is lightweight compared to my similarly equipped (rail, optic and bipod) PSA at 13.1 pounds.

20" stainless barrel
15" lightweight rail
Primary Arms 4-16x50
FAB defense Spike m-loc bipod

 

[mtrmn]

Both of my large frame ARs weigh too much like their owner.

 

[Evintos]

10 lbs is not light weight…

I know right. I mainly was surprised how heavy the Christensen was compared to the LMT.

It's actually not that bad. The optic and mount combo on your Christensen build is around 46oz (37.6oz Tango6+ 8.4oz ADM mount) and has a 2" longer and thicker profile barrel. Compare it to the shorter LMT with a much lighter Leupold MK6 3-18 (23.6oz) and mount combo and lightweight 16" barrel. Basically you can make the Christensen build lighter by swapping optics around. I'd also estimate that the Christensen is sub-8lb (no accessories).

Weight is all relative though. I use traditional battle rifles (M14 - 9.2lbs, HK G3 - 9.66lbs, FN FAL - 9.8ish lbs) as the metric for comparison but I think you're off to a great start when your base rifle weighs even less than the newest modern battle rifles (FN SCAR17S/FN MK17 - 7.9 - 8lbs, HK M110A1 CSASS - 8.4lb) without accessories

So far no one has posted a suppressor with their build but that's easily another +12-16oz to a build.

 

[Paradox]

Not sure if this has been done here or not. I am always curious when I see pics of someone's rifle setup what it weighs. I figured I would start. Quick description along with the unloaded weight as pictured. Large-frame only. Really just for informational purposes. Its easy to look up rifles and get their weights from the manufacturer's websites but once we start modifying and adding optics it all goes to shit. Thank you guys. If this has already been done please point me in the right direction.

#1 - Christensen Arms CA10 G2. Chambered in 308. Has an 18" carbon fiber barrel. UBR stock, ADM scope mount with Sig Tango 6 3-18x44. 10lbs 10oz.

#2 - LMT MWS. Chambered in 308. 16" Lightweight SS barrel. Larue scope mount with Leupold MK6 3-18. Has JP Silent Capture and full weight Gemtech Suppressed BCG if it matters. 10lbs 10.9oz.

#3 - Aero home build. Chambered in 243. 18" Heavy SS barrel from Specialized Dynamics. No scope currently. 9lbs 5.8oz.

Here is almost 17lbs, empty with the scope, but honestly the large format guns wouldn't be my choice to run around with. Carbon barrel are light but i just watched three people this weekend, one A 300WM AR and the other an insanely priced Accuracy International in 6.5 and after 3 shots back to back the accuracy went to shit and had to wait 15 minutes to cool, I have another AR in 308 with a 20" supposed med/heavy barrel and there's nothing like taking 2 shots at 600, 2 at 700, 2 at 800, 2 at 850, and then not be able to even get on paper at 200 until it cools for half an hour. I'm curious if you've tested your accuracy with them hot, especially the carbon barrel. So let me know as i'm curious if carbon sucks that bad, or it was just a coincidence that a total of $13,000 plus dollars worth of guns were that bad. The poor guy with the 300 AR spent a good hour or more along with a professional long range marksman just trying to get a 100 yard zero.

 

[Paradox]

#1. Homebuilt Aero M5 upper/lower/handguard, 18" 308 Faxon heavy fluted SS barrel, Nikon Black 4-16 with Aero Precision mount - 9lbs 15.3oz

#2. Homebuilt Aero M5E1 upper/lower/handguard, 22" 6.5 Creed Criterion heavy SS barrel, Bushnell Forge 3-18 with UTG Pro mount - 12lbs even on luggage scale...my kitchen scale maxed out

The .308 will hold MOA with cheap M118LR while the 6.5 is a 3/8" tack driver with American Gunner. It's amazing how fast they can chew through ammo that I can no longer find

View attachment 7782134View attachment 7782137

What ammo can't you find?

 

[celltech]

What ammo can't you find?

140gr American Gunner...M118LR has come back but the prices are still stupid.

And I could try and make my own but have -0- large primers and can't find more...

 

[Ronws]

I have a Windham Weaponry R16SFST-308, their take on the Army's Mk 11 Mod 0. Or, if you prefer, basically an AR-10 platform. It is differently in a number of ways from the real Mk 11 Mod 0 which is the Knight Arms SR-25. I know about that one from reading two books by Sgt Nicholas "The Reaper" Irving, sniper and sniper team leader in the 3rd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment for a number of tours. He preferred it over the M24 because he did not have to move to fire again. As opposed to his original sniper team leader who was carrying a .300 Win Mag.

Anyway, so I changed the telescoping stock and tube to a rifle tube and Magpul PRS gen III adjustable stock. Magpul bipod. foregrip. Vortex Venom scope. with loaded 10 rd mag, about 14 pounds. Mostly just use it at the range but I could hunt with it. I could hunt with any of my rifles and that is the heaviest one.

 

[bfoosh006]

140gr American Gunner...M118LR has come back but the prices are still stupid.

And I could try and make my own but have -0- large primers and can't find more...

I haven't seen any Horn. AG 155gr 308 or 140gr 6.5CM in a long time.
I doubt Hornady is even producing it.

 

[lennyo3034]

21lbs.

What do I win?

 

[hlee]

21lbs.

What do I win?

An aching back?

 

[Ronws]

At the opposite end of weight and still semi-auto is my Windham Weaponry Dissipator M4 A3 in 5.56 x 45 mm NATO ( .223 Rem 55 gr). I changed to a Magpul handguard but everything else is the same, including using iron sights. I could remove the handle and put on an AR mount and a scope. This thing was combat zeroed at the factory. Literally, I took it out of the box and hit dead center at 25 yards.

 

[GUNNER10]

While large frame AR's are heavier than their 556 counterparts, I really don't think that weight is really an issue as long as the rifle is configured appropriately for the roles its going to be used for.

One starts to run into issues when they want the rifle to be just as effective at 20 yards at night, shooting steel, as they do at shooting 600 yards for accuracy during the day.

Take these two rifles for example, while they are both 308 gas guns, they are set up to do different things.

 

[Ronws]

While large frame AR's are heavier than their 556 counterparts, I really don't think that weight is really an issue as long as the rifle is configured appropriately for the roles its going to be used for.

One starts to run into issues when they want the rifle to be just as effective at 20 yards at night, shooting steel, as they do at shooting 600 yards for accuracy during the day.

Take these two rifles for example, while they are both 308 gas guns, they are set up to do different things.

Agreed and one thing I do like about my ARs is that they are balanced. Even though the 308 is heavy, it can be easier to carry than my Mossberg Patriot .308 W I have in an MDT chassis. That one feels a little front heavy. And my Mossberg MVP LR 308 with a medium bull barrel also feels a little heavy in the front.