Why Are People Building Lightweight AR 15 Rifles
You may have noticed the trend toward a more lightweight AR 15 or asked yourself what the benefits of lighter, skeletonized lightweight AR 15 lower receivers are. There are several reasons why the firearm industry is moving away from big and bulky, and you may have already experienced these situations yourself.
The trend toward a more lightweight AR 15 typically starts with higher consumer demand and technological evolution that helps the manufacturer produce more features in a compact rifle than ever before.
The Market For Lightweight AR 15 Rifles
A recent report a year ago by the NSSF or National Shooting Sports Foundation shows that more women are taking up arms for either recreational or competition and even taking their AR 15 into the field on hunting trips.
Factor in that last year, almost 40% of first-time purchases were made by women. The expected benefits these female rifle owners needed and asked for were ease of carrying and comfort when shooting.
Lightweight AR 15 Lower Receivers Are A Great Place To Start
There was a time when big and bulky was the only type of rifle you could find. The technology for building sleek and lighter guns that were effective, comfortable to shoot, and easier to carry didn’t exist.
Rifles like the M1 or Browning automatic rifle, also known as a BAR, weighed approximately nine to eighteen pounds. These far too heavy guns sometimes weighed even more when fully loaded. In those days, you weren’t carrying your rifle around; you were lugging it. Put simply, toting around that much weight will typically result in an exhaustive day in the field or at the range.
However, modern technology has allowed manufacturers to pack a powerful punch into a much more lightweight AR 15 and only tip the scale at under six pounds. Skeletonized upper and lower receiver sets like this one from F-1 Firearms offer an exceptionally light package while still being durable enough for general use. A lightweight AR 15 lower receiver is the perfect way to start off your build.
Accurate and Quick to Aim
Another benefit of a lightweight AR 15, aside from being able to carry it all day long with little discomfort, is the ability to shoulder the rifle and quickly and acquire multiple targets with better accuracy.
Because of the lack of bulk or weight, keeping the gun in play and emptying a magazine without tiring is much easier. A lighter AR 15 means more effective action and reaction without compensating or altering a shooting style that should be intuitive and natural.
Regardless of gender, any weight conscious AR 15 enthusiast wants to have the lightest possible rifle they can get without losing the ability to place accurate downrange shots. Modern Manufacturing techniques and improved heat treating have allowed companies like Faxon Firearms to produce pencil thin barrels that reduce weight without sacrificing accuracy even after long strings of fire. Of course, thicker is always better when it comes to pinpoint accuracy, but these barrels are perfectly suitable for duty use even after they are heated up.
Lightweight Doesn’t Mean Flimsy
In these days of getting what you pay for, just because a lightweight AR 15 feels like holding a feather compared to other rifles doesn’t mean it won’t perform as well.
Lightweight AR 15 lower receivers aren’t flimsy by any means. From the charging handle to the muzzle brake and everywhere in between, lightweight AR 15s manufactured these days allow you to hit the target you intended.
Not only can you hit the targets intended, but with today’s lightweight AR 15s, you can continue to hit them all day long if you remember to bring enough ammunition.
No Longer A Grueling Experience
The best benefit of owning a lightweight AR 15 is that it’s no longer a rigorous workout each time you venture on a hunting trip or spend a day at the range.
Because of the less weight and technology-packed features that most AR 15s have these days, anyone from young adults to seniors can use them. For each, firing a lightweight AR 15 built in today’s world becomes a fantastic experience, not a grueling one.
Ease of use and comfortability, along with gentle recoil and simplified takedown, are all features you can expect to experience when you purchase a lightweight AR 15 built today.
One essential and fantastic thing to note here is that these benefits you enjoy now with a lighter rifle are sure to get even better as advances in gun-building technology and metallurgy hit the market.
Comfort and Efficiency
Most lightweight AR 15 owners don’t think too long about how manufacturers manage to produce such reliable rifles that weigh so little but operate and a much heavier gun.
What AR 15 owners are expecting is a comfortable fit, an accurate shot, and an enjoyable shooting experience. They seldom stop to think about the wonderful world of polymer and the fact that it, along with unique combinations of lightweight metal parts and pieces. It doesn’t matter to most owners if a manufacturer chooses to use fantastic plastic where another uses billet or forged steel.
Most owners want an AR 15 that is simple to operate, durable and dependable, and comfortable when they choose to stand at the range all day practicing. As the improvements continue to come and the ability to manufacture more efficiently and less expensively rolls around, perhaps we’ll begin to see these lightweight AR 15s get a little less expensive to purchase or build. Faxon Firearms also produces carbon fiber handguards that are lighter and more durable than aluminum and provide a comfortable place to support your firearm without getting hot in the sun.
More Than a Trend
The trend toward a leaner and more lightweight AR 15 is not in its infancy. Lightweight rifles have been favored by many for several years now. However, more and more manufacturers are taking notice and stepping up to the plate and responding.
These days, it’s not just about pink camo rifles for the ladies and mossy oak for the guys, and the industry is coming around with a renewed understanding. They realize what an aspiring AR 15 owner needs to make it worth their time and their money.
In today’s market, functionality has finally won out over appearance, but that doesn’t mean an AR 15 can’t look like it’s traveling a Mach two even when it’s sitting in your gun rack.
Big Things in Lightweight Packages
For most AR 15 owners, it’s not about big booms and even more prominent and heavily weighted blunderbusses that require a specialized cart to wheel them around.
Most owners need a lightweight solution that takes less money out of their pocket while still providing a thrilling and comfortable shooting experience and is easier to handle and carry in the field or on those days we spend at the range. Lightweight, portable, efficient, and comfortable. What can be better than that?
Those are the best benefits of all for an AR 15 owner.