Prepper engineering: card #5 - GHB Rifle

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1krr

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Been a while and I've wanted to do another one of these. In the first four, I've put up scenarios and you guys have come up with some pretty awesome solutions and posted technical details that someone could replicate if they choose. It's about getting information out there so we in the preparedness may all benefit. The one thing I've wanted to do is put a build thread together to go along with these scenarios and being that this is #5, it might be a good place to start. Just a quick bit of credit, Travis73 posted up pics of his TNW ASR which has become an inspiration for this and my next build. So thanks Travis and here goes...


World is getting to be a very scary place. You've got some basics covered at the house for at least a few weeks of self-reliance and you've got good stock piles of extra weapons and ammo. Recent political events around the world including former 3rd world nations becoming superpowers, former superpowers allying with the former, everyone becoming nuclear armed and completely willing to freely talk about their use. You see the clouds on the horizon and they are mushroom shaped. You are old enough to remember the cold war and young enough to remember most people paid it little mind to it. Today is different with news of growning nuclear arsenals, and overt actions taken by countries in hot regions of the world. On your long drive in to work one day, a bit of talk show news gives you a moment of pause and inspires you focus on finishing your preps and deploying a plan. You know you have the basics covered at home, you will likely bug in but your work and life often has you at least a day or two's walk from the house. So you need a Get Home Bag and in it, some versatile, easy to use, and comfortable weapon to provide security, hunting if you can, and general use scenarios.

So for this, your job is to design a rifle. A super light weight, infantryman tough and accurate, and capable of surviving 3-5 days of rigorous field use full of mud with the little maintenance than you think you would be able to perform under duress. Also, you aren't rich so you could of course blow up your credit card picking up the latest low mass this and polymer that but a 2000 dollar AR isn't what you are after. Using off the shelf parts focused on the greatest value, assemble a light weight AR pattern rifle that will fit in a small bag.

The targets are:
- Less than 5lbs dry (just a goal, not a requirement)
- A rifle that can fit into the below bag (you are allowed to disassemble the rifle to the extent needed to make it work but quick reassembly is crucial such as joining an upper to a lower) : http://www.amazon.com/Condor-Hydration-Bladder-Carrier-Black/dp/B0082CW6U0
- And finally, value. Use your best judgement here. Half an ounce isn't worth another $300 dollars on an otherwise functionally identical part.

Really tired writing this so please ask questions as needed and let's see those ideas designed up!!!

* - The target criteria are intended to be guidelines only to set a ball park. If you find an good option that weighs a couple extra ounces or requires an inch longer bag, post it up. Everything in SHTF needs to be flexible.
 
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SMS

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AR platform that is less than 5lbs, can fit into a 17" high bag, Infantryman tough, capable of hard use for days with little maintenance, reliable enough to bet your life on AND $2k is too much? I think you're looking for a unicorn.

Unless you go with an SBR (which will eat up funds), you'll have to go the AR pistol route or a removable barrel variant. http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/mobile/product/411553112/redirect
 

uncle money bags

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Yep, unicorn.
6 pounds is doable, but relying on a cheap weapon to protect your life under extreme circumstances is an exercise in false value. Otherwise, you dont need to design anything, really. Colt 6933 right off the shelf, or build to that form factor with quality parts. Hell, there is one in the classifieds right now for a decent price.
 

1krr

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Not looking for a unicorn, 5lbs is just a goal but 5.5lbs and 1000rnds of ammo for the same money is infinitely better. Just needed to give people a number to shoot for. These answers are totally appropriate and the link SMS posted is very cool. I didn't know about that product and now I have it as an option. You never know when a really high value product might be lurking in the bowls of a Google search. Really the design part is a creative thought exercise combined with some shared research. What I would love to see is a list of parts with some analysis detailing explaining why it's a good idea. Value to me is the most bang for the buck so that's why I say a 10 gram lighter BCG for an extra $300 doesn't offer a good value for this configuration (balance weight, toughness and cost, if I could only pick two, I would buy an AK and forget about the rest). Let's have some fun!
 

Jwryan84

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Under 6lb Light weight AR with 1-6 scope shooting MOA or under. Believe it weighs 5.6 lbs with Full weight internals for reliability. Could get lighter with forged lower and A2. It will get tested in the R&Gs end of the month and July on Pawnee.

That was easy

 

uncle money bags

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I dont think that rifle weighs 5.6 lbs. Can you confirm that?
A dry, non scoped DD MK18 weighs 5.88 lbs, and has 6 inches less barrel with a standard A2 flash hider.
 

Jwryan84

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14.5 barrel

And yea you got me. It's 7.5 with scope, lil over 6 without. Don't know why I typed that. I was trying to say it would be hard to get to the weight limit let alone a folder. Guess I was grunting one out and had a brain fart. Maybe I shouldn't post while on the pot, hard to do 2 things at once.

It could get a lot lighter with MAG upper and lower.
 

1krr

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Could get lighter, but it's still too long, even broken down.

Like I said. Unicorn. Lol

Unicorn.. got it. Or maybe not.



EDIT: I added a note to the original post to offer up a little flexibility so we don't get too stuck on rainbows. ;)
 
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