Maverick44
Youngest old man on TGT.
I've been pondering what exactly makes a rifle effective as a combat weapon, and how much of all the fancy doodads available for the AR-15 platform are just worthless crap we don't need. This is probably going to be a long post, so bear with me. I'm planning on utilizing one of the lowers I've had sitting in the safe for over a year, and figured having as serious fighting rifle (not a range toy or a bench shooting gun) would be a nice thing to have. Especially considering the career I'm getting into (LEO). I already have some thoughts of my own, though NOTHING is set in stone. I'm not even going to consider creating a budget at this point, as I feel that you can create pretty much any AR you want at any price point if you're willing to shop around and potentially compromise slightly.
To put things in perspective, let me define the sort of situations this rifle could potentially be pressed into. Long shots (anything over 100 yards) is pretty unlikely, though not impossible. Based on what I've seen of shootings, close quarters combat is far more likely. Being able to maneuver this gun around corners, in hallways, and possibly even inside a car would be very beneficial. Having a ton of crap hanging off your gun that weighs it down and serves to get hung up on gear is not something I think you'd want in a gun like this.
Now, let me also say this. I am not delusional to the reality of this gun. It will more than likely never see action outside of a range, even if I do join a department that will allow me to supply my own firearms. There is a possibility that it will never be used as an actual duty weapon. Being a SHTF/home defense weapon might be all it is. That is ok, it is still something I'd like to have and the process of designing and building it should be pretty interesting.
Now on to the gun.
BARREL LENGTH
This is going to set the stage for the rest of the build. Do I stick with the standard 16" barrel, or do I SBR this thing? I feel anything over 16" adds unnecessary weight and length to the gun, but anything under 10" can possibly cause reliability issues and sacrifices too much of the cartridge's potential. Something like 12" or 14" might be best.
CALIBER
What caliber would be best for the barrel length chosen? 5.56 is the standard, but 6.8 SPC has some definite benefits over the 5.56. 300 BLK would have an advantage in shorter barrels as well. Rounds like the .224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, and any of the big bores like 458 SOCOM are specialist rounds in my opinion and probably wouldn't be great fit for this build. I'm kind of leaning towards 6.8 SPC. The biggest issue I see with it though is that I'd have to buy new magazines for it, and at about $23 for a Pmag, they're not cheap. 300 BLK might be a better option from a simplicity standpoint. 5.56 is pretty much universal though and gets the job done.
SIGHTS
This is where things can start going from mild to wild if we let it. There are a TON of options out there, though I am partial to tube style red dot sights. I feel they are faster and generally better than irons for combat, and it seems like a LOT of soldiers and officers agree. Backup irons can always be added to the gun and they are light enough and loe profile enough that they should present no issues. Would a magnifier be beneficial in a combat situation? I have one on my 5.56 AR-15 that can swing to the side when not in use, and it certainly makes hitting 100 yard targets easier, but I can't say I'm happy with how much it obscures my field of view.
Other options are low powered scopes that can go down to as low as 1x, or even an ACOG, though that is an expensive option and might not be very useful in close range applications.
ACCESSORIES
And here's where we can really screw up, or make a good rifle excellent. The KISS method of building a gun is probably the smart thing to do with a gun like this.
Comp - Loud as hell, but makes follow up shots easier. Do the pros out weigh the cons?
B.A.D. Lever - Are these things even worth it? They look stupid, but people seem to like them
Light - I feel this is a necessity due to how useful they can be.
Laser - I feel this might be unnecessary.
Fore Grip - An angled fore grip can be a great thing to have. They're lightweight too.
Handguard - Do I go fancy with a free floating carbon tube, or go simple with a classic polymer guard? Also, M-LOK or Picatinny?
Stock - Lot of options for this, though most fall into one of two categories. Fixed A2 style stocks, or collapsible. Collapsible would probably be better for tight spaces.
WEIGHT
Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. I feel like this gun should be kept under 6 pounds, preferably closer to 5 pounds.
________________________________________________________
What are your thoughts?
To put things in perspective, let me define the sort of situations this rifle could potentially be pressed into. Long shots (anything over 100 yards) is pretty unlikely, though not impossible. Based on what I've seen of shootings, close quarters combat is far more likely. Being able to maneuver this gun around corners, in hallways, and possibly even inside a car would be very beneficial. Having a ton of crap hanging off your gun that weighs it down and serves to get hung up on gear is not something I think you'd want in a gun like this.
Now, let me also say this. I am not delusional to the reality of this gun. It will more than likely never see action outside of a range, even if I do join a department that will allow me to supply my own firearms. There is a possibility that it will never be used as an actual duty weapon. Being a SHTF/home defense weapon might be all it is. That is ok, it is still something I'd like to have and the process of designing and building it should be pretty interesting.
Now on to the gun.
BARREL LENGTH
This is going to set the stage for the rest of the build. Do I stick with the standard 16" barrel, or do I SBR this thing? I feel anything over 16" adds unnecessary weight and length to the gun, but anything under 10" can possibly cause reliability issues and sacrifices too much of the cartridge's potential. Something like 12" or 14" might be best.
CALIBER
What caliber would be best for the barrel length chosen? 5.56 is the standard, but 6.8 SPC has some definite benefits over the 5.56. 300 BLK would have an advantage in shorter barrels as well. Rounds like the .224 Valkyrie, 6.5 Grendel, and any of the big bores like 458 SOCOM are specialist rounds in my opinion and probably wouldn't be great fit for this build. I'm kind of leaning towards 6.8 SPC. The biggest issue I see with it though is that I'd have to buy new magazines for it, and at about $23 for a Pmag, they're not cheap. 300 BLK might be a better option from a simplicity standpoint. 5.56 is pretty much universal though and gets the job done.
SIGHTS
This is where things can start going from mild to wild if we let it. There are a TON of options out there, though I am partial to tube style red dot sights. I feel they are faster and generally better than irons for combat, and it seems like a LOT of soldiers and officers agree. Backup irons can always be added to the gun and they are light enough and loe profile enough that they should present no issues. Would a magnifier be beneficial in a combat situation? I have one on my 5.56 AR-15 that can swing to the side when not in use, and it certainly makes hitting 100 yard targets easier, but I can't say I'm happy with how much it obscures my field of view.
Other options are low powered scopes that can go down to as low as 1x, or even an ACOG, though that is an expensive option and might not be very useful in close range applications.
ACCESSORIES
And here's where we can really screw up, or make a good rifle excellent. The KISS method of building a gun is probably the smart thing to do with a gun like this.
Comp - Loud as hell, but makes follow up shots easier. Do the pros out weigh the cons?
B.A.D. Lever - Are these things even worth it? They look stupid, but people seem to like them
Light - I feel this is a necessity due to how useful they can be.
Laser - I feel this might be unnecessary.
Fore Grip - An angled fore grip can be a great thing to have. They're lightweight too.
Handguard - Do I go fancy with a free floating carbon tube, or go simple with a classic polymer guard? Also, M-LOK or Picatinny?
Stock - Lot of options for this, though most fall into one of two categories. Fixed A2 style stocks, or collapsible. Collapsible would probably be better for tight spaces.
WEIGHT
Ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain. I feel like this gun should be kept under 6 pounds, preferably closer to 5 pounds.
________________________________________________________
What are your thoughts?
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