What Would Stoner Do - In His Own Words

[Paladin]

A sometimes opinionated take on what makes AR-15's great:



I wholeheartedly agree with the discussion on the "forward assist", use of lightweight advanced materials, and use of a smaller cartridge than the 7.62mm NATO.

It's always an advantage to have lighter ammo (biggest weight factor) and many times helpful to have a lighter rifle (heavier is better for managing recoil). It is a good idea to eliminate all that is unnecessary... but in the end the M16A2 really wasn't that heavy. The 20inch length and lack of a freefloat barrel/rails are the main drawbacks in my mind... and the 20inch length is sometimes an advantage.

A fair comparison to between the M16A2 loaded with 30rds at 8.8lbs would mention that the M1 Garand with 8rds weighed 9.5lbs. That is a MASSIVE difference in ready ammunition. The M14 with 20rds was even heavier at 10.1 lbs. The AK-47 certainly didn't have a weight advantage either.

I question the overconfidence in the 5.56mm cartridge. In 2021 there are more advanced cartridges. The 6.5 Grendel or 6.8 SPC come to mind. For a long distance rifle the 6.5 Creedmore is far superior to a 7.62mm NATO.

I also question the pencil barrel or overly simplistic sights if you are planning on having a versatile rifle. EOTECH, ACOG, ACOG/Red Dot, or Variable power optics are really state of the art. You want to be able to hit targets from Zero to 500 yards and even the M16A2 irons will let you do that. Heat has to go somewhere, and more mass on the barrel helps keep the rifle cool during sustained fire. Having an accurate and reliable rifle matters most, I wouldn't sacrifice those things for a little weight.

Weapon lights aren't that heavy anymore, and identifying your target is still critical.

[Paladin]

Brownells has a "WWSD2020: Barrel Selection Update" showing that they have fixed some of the problem with pencil barrels and heat (the zero shift part). The pencil barrel still gets hot fast and groups open up pretty quickly.

Personally I'm gonna stick with my LaRue upper.

[The Annoyed Man]

I agree with the whole point of the WWSD2020 rifle—to create a very standardized, capable, lightweight, and relatively affordable citizens' militia rifle. The AR platform is so modular and customizable that, with a couple of exceptions, there really isn’t a civilian standard. To my mind, those exceptions would be a close clone of the M4 with either a 14.5” pinned and welded barrel or a 16” barrel, or a close clone of the 20” barreled M16. Either of those clones should come with a flat top receiver, an A2 front sight block, and a detachable carry handle rear sight. Either form factor can be upgraded and/or customized to the user's preference as they become familiar with the platform, but a basic iron-sighted M4 or M16 clone is a great place to start.

The idea of updating the baseline to incorporate new materials and weight management techniques to make a better rifle is a valid one. But the concept remains the same.

[Paladin]

The lower is apparently an upgraded version of what CavArms used to produce. Which I think is exciting in itself. It was sad when CavArms shut down. I'm considering buying a lower as I was aways interested in a CavArms lower.

[bulletslap]

I received my Faxon 16 inch pencil barrel last week and I have had the KE Arms lower for a while, I plan on using a slick side lightweight upper, I still need to scrounge up a carbon fiber handguard.

[Paladin]

This is the What Would Paladin Do 2021 Rifle:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Nxvf3q ... sp=sharing

Need a few more parts before I hit the range and try it out.... but really liking the KE Arms lower so far. Super light.