America has always been one of the leading countries in weapon development and has invented several sophisticated ammunition. One of the weapons from this country is the AR-15 rifle which comes in different forms and capacities. In this article, we will consider the rifle in its basic form as we answer the question, how much does an AR-15 weigh?
AR-15 weighs about 16.5 pounds (3.5 kg) with its sixteen-barrel iron sights and handguard. However, the AR-15 weighs more when it is loaded with its bullets, but the basic weight is considered to be around 16.5 pounds (3.5 kg).
In conjunction with the above statement in the introductory part of this article, the AR-15 rifle has various categories with various weights, and it depends on the type of AR-15 that the weight is being considered. Read on to get more information about AR-15.
You might be wondering if it is possible for you to arrange an AR-15 yourself from scratch or if you can modify your existing rifle into an AR-15, we will list out some of the essential parts of the weapon in the subsequent paragraph to help you achieve this.
Scope which is categorized from 3x to 9x and should weigh 0.9 pounds (0.14 kg)
With the accessories of the above weights, it will be easier to create a lighter rifle; we both know how beneficial that would be.
How To Reduce Your Ar-15 Weight
If you discover that your AR-15is heavy to handle, it is pertinent to find a way to cut the weight down to ensure you can use the rifle the way you wish. However, you are in luck as we will be giving tips on reducing the weight of your AR-15.
In the first instance, the barrel of the AR-15 is the part of the rifle that takes the most weight; hence, reducing the barrel’s weight will drastically cut down the weight of the AR-15. There are three different styles of reducing your barrel’s weight: reducing the barrel’s profile, fluting, and shortening.
Fluting involves the total change of your AR-15 profile and can be done by purchasing a better profile. Profile reduction is another awesome way of reducing your AR-15 weight and involves changing your profile to pencils. Lastly, shortening involves cutting down the length of the barrel to a shorter length. Shortening is the most recommended method.
It would be best if you also remembered to check out the Bolt Carrier Group, otherwise known as BCG of the rifle while attempting to reduce its weight. The BCG is another important part of the AR-15 and is critical to the adequate functioning of the rifle, although it also adds to its weight. However, you can reduce the weight of the BCG without causing any damage to your rifle.
Your AR-15 buttstock might also add weight to the rifle, and to reduce the impact of the buttstock, locate a nearby gun store and purchase a buttstock of about 5 ounces, depending on your choice to replace the existing one. It would help if you also considered getting a lighter rail alongside the buttstock to reduce the weight. However, you may find divergent rails attractive, making it difficult to choose one, although this will depend on your budget. We suggest a light rail of 0.7 ounces (0.32 kg) or less than this.
To cap it all, the last accessory you should also consider is the lighter optics will go a long way in reducing your AR-15 rifle weight. However, you should not just go for any optics but the most suitable one for your rifle. There are several optics with varying weights, such as 1.3 or 1.2 ounces, 0.08 pounds (0.03 kg), and so on. Out of this, we will recommend you purchase the lightest available lighter optics since the big ones might be too heavy for your rifle.
Some Commons AR-15 Rifles And Their Weights
The following are the weights of some common AR-15 rifles without any basic accessories attached to them:
Colt Expanse CE2000 M4 weighs 6.4 pounds or 2.9 kg
Sig M400 VTAC weighs 6.5 pounds or 3 kg
Important Information About The AR-15
Before purchasing or having an AR-15 rifle in your possession, there is certain information you should know about the rifle and its usage. First, the rifle is not to be owned or used by any mere person for personal reasons except by trained soldiers during a period of war. It was used regularly during these periods, such as the Vietnam War.
It is also advised to fully load the rifle before usage to ensure it is heavy to carry and covers more range after being shot.
Conclusion
AR-15 rifle is a gun mostly used by trained individuals in the forces of different countries, especially in the United States of America (USA), which is its origin. However, the weight of an AR-15 can determine how strong you can handle and fire the rifle during operations.
Conversely, the AR-15 rifle should be light, ensuring that it can be carried when you need to take along more ammunition. Therefore, when you experience such a scenario, you will have to reduce the gun’s weight.
