Thinking of getting a new AR15 upper

[LVSteve]

I have a Stag carbine in the typical M-forgery style with a 16" barrel. That's how it came to me. Another thread had me thinking of changing a few things. http://smith-wessonforum.com/firear...wife-post139740053.html?534121=#post139740053

I'm thinking of going for a Palmetto 18" lightweight upper with a RIFLE length gas system. That should be really soft shooting, but I'm concerned that the extra weight may not work for my girl over Phil's solution. That said, M-forgery uppers are pretty chunky so maybe it would be a wash. For some reason the Palmetto site does not show weight, which is a bit of a curse.

Any thoughts from the AR builders here?

 

[JayCeeNC]

My AR is a Colt lower with a Daniel Defense 14.5" lightweight barrel, pinned flash hider, and mid-length gas system. Soft shooting and light.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

Hey Steve, what was the final verdict?

So far so good with the Palmetto light weight for my wife. Close to 1k rounds and no hiccups. Been shooting Fed XM193 because of the low prices with rebates.

 

[scooter123]

My Precision build

20 inch Shilen barrel, Gibbz side charging upper, Syrac Ordinance adjustable gas block, Timney Single stage 3 lbs. trigger, and some magic dust sprinkled by a merry little Elf.

Changes done after this pic are a more powerful Nikon scope and I swapped the green DGW lower for a black Spikes. BTW, the target was the first outing after getting it sighted in at 100 yards using a sandbag front rest. Since that time with some load tweaking I've managed to get sub 3/10 MOA using a front and rear rest. Credit for this accuracy all goes to Shilen.

So, at 11 lbs. with an empty mag it's not a lightweight and as a result it is a very soft shooting AR. In addition being able to tune the gas supply to the load allows you to minimize the impact of the BCG cycling. BTW, another benefit of a tuned gas supply is less crud in the receiver to clean up.

 

[spad124]

If you want light weight and soft shooting try the original configuration of a 20" pencil barrel. You don't have to use triangular hand guards, you can use round ones. Alternatively use something close to the Canadian C7 style with a gov't profile.

While weight is important in a long gun so is balance. I find the rifle has a much better balance with an A1 or A2 full stock. With better balance it "feels" lighter. Plus the full stock helps with proper shooting form that absorbs what little recoil the .223 generates. Couple the full stock and a 20" pencil barrel and you have a soft recoiling wonderfully balanced rifle.

 

[vonn]

What profile barrel did you use from Shilen? I would like to get a custom 20" barrel but would like a light weight barrel. I would not fire long shot strings where barrel heating shouldn't be a factor,just don't know if you can get that level of accuracy with a light barrel.

 

[LVSteve]

Hey Steve, what was the final verdict?

So far so good with the Palmetto light weight for my wife. Close to 1k rounds and no hiccups. Been shooting Fed XM193 because of the low prices with rebates.

That plan got back burnered due to other events.

For example, my car has been in the shop for a month after a water pump failure. Final diagnosis is the block deck is warped, so a rebuilt or new motor is required. The extended warranty company may want to scrap the car and pay me some paltry amount. At that point it will be game on with Jaguar.

 

[fyimo]

I bought a PSA Freedom Upper with the bolt carrier group for $249 today. This one has the 1/7 barrel twist Freedom 16 inch stainless steel barrel with Magpul furniture. I already own one of these and I really like the setup and the barrel is accurate enough for what I would use it for so I bought another.

 

[ChattanoogaPhil]

I bought a PSA Freedom Upper with the bolt carrier group for $249 today. This one has the 1/7 barrel twist Freedom 16 inch stainless steel barrel with Magpul furniture. I already own one of these and I really like the setup and the barrel is accurate enough for what I would use it for so I bought another.

Nice...

 

[fyimo]

Here's what the PSA 16 inch Upper with 1/7 twist in Stainless Looks Like