I love my AR, but....

thegrandpoohbah said:
What would you do about the close range shots without the ability to zoom out to 1X? I imagine I would be spending a lot of time hunting around for the target.
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I have no issues using a 3.4x Elcan at close range. Just keep both eyes open. Not as fast as a red dot but you can be pretty fast.

Leupold has a lightweight 2.5x that I've been thinking about trying on an AR. A german No. 1 reticle would be nice. Heck of a lot cheaper than an Acog TA33.
 
thegrandpoohbah said:
What would you do about the close range shots without the ability to zoom out to 1X? I imagine I would be spending a lot of time hunting around for the target.
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I was thinking about the leupold I mentioned earlier, its a 1.5-4 and silly light.
I have seen a lot of 3-4 fixed in cqb competition though, guys like R Stacey don't seem to have an issue.
 
It may just be me, but as I get older I am finding that my eyes don't adjust focus from near to far and vice versa as quickly as I used to. I've played around at the range with the scope at 4X and I definitely have trouble at close range. Maybe some more practice will help with that.

I have checked out the TA33 that everyone always recommends. That would take off over half a pound but the cost is certainly right up there. One day maybe.
 
Just wanted to update this thread. When I started out originally the rifle weighed in at a hefty 9.4 lbs (that would have been without the magazine as that is how I weigh them). After a few small and some not so small changes, here is where I've ended up for this year's 3-Gun season:

Before - Colt Canada IUR, Burris MTAC 1-4x24 mounted in a Burris PEPR mount, Magpul STR stock:
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After - Maple Ridge Armoury 16.1" Match Series upper, Trijicon ACOG TA33G-9, MFT Minimalist stock:
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Now she weighs in at a svelte 6.8 lbs without the magazine. I'm waiting for SLR Rifleworks to get more stock of their long TA33 mount which will shave an additional 3.1 ounces off the total. Wasn't cheap but she handles much better now. Weather at the range today wasn't ideal for shooting groups but I did get the ACOG roughly dialed in and the upper ran smoothly.
 
Travis Bickle said:
Ditch the optic, front grip, and put a lightweight barrel on it.
So much useless junk people hang off their AR's its ridiculous. A carbine AR15 should not weight the same as my M14!
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LOL, you didn't read the whole thread did you?

And a lightweight barrel would not have been easy with the IUR. A well made piece of equipment but not well suited to customizing
 
U don't want it too light. Id go for balance more than absolute lightness. I put heavy stock of guns with heavy barrels. I can still manipulate the gun with one hand although it weights 10 lb+ but it's absolute beasts for 3 gun.

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thegrandpoohbah said:
LOL, you didn't read the whole thread did you?

And a lightweight barrel would not have been easy with the IUR. A well made piece of equipment but not well suited to customizing
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Customizing adds weight.
Pointless, expensive weight. Usually at the end of the barrel or handguards. Like holding a 5lb weight at arms length in front of you vice close in to your chest.
You asked how to make an AR lighter? Shoot a bone stock config AR with an original profile barrel. The thing with the bone stock original designs is that not only is it light but it's balanced more importantly. You don't have a thick barrel going out to the furthest point away from your body. Adding grips, lazers etc etc and railed handguards (also as far away from you as possible) make the small amount of weight feel a lot heavier the more unbalanced the rifle gets.
If you can find one, handle an original C8. It feels like a toy gun. Can't be more than 5.5 lbs and perfectly balanced. You can shoot it all day without even using your support hand. That's not an exaggeration. You could get a flat top config C8 original and put a flip up rear sight making it even lighter still.
 
According to Colt Canada an empty C8 weighs 2.70 Kg or about 5.95 lbs. I'm at about 6.1 lbs empty and without the optic so I'm not too far off. I agree that balance is important and right now I am just a touch front heavy most likely due to the SS match barrel and the compensator. The thing is though that the M4-72 does such a great job mitigating muzzle flip that I won't get rid of it. Follow-up shots are so effortless now. As for the optic vs iron sights, not really an option for me as my eyesight is too poor to use irons effectively in competition. Hence why I've spent the money to get a decent and relatively light optic.
 
Final update: the SLR Rifleworks mount arrived and she now weighs in at 6.6 lbs, 2.8 lbs less than when I started this process. The balance is good, just a touch front heavy due to the barrel. But there is minimal recoil and negligible muzzle rise which makes for much faster follow up shots.

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