Well, the stock really is the first place to look. Carbon fiber composites were not available, or at least not affordable, when these rifles were designed. Any rifle with a wood stock can drop a pound immediately by just replacing it with a good carbon fiber/Kevlar design.Who has ever pushed the limit in weight reduction on the 14? I'M not talking Carbon Fiber stocks, but true mechanical redesigns?
ARMY1AIRASLT
I like what you're thinking. I too have a few things that I think about all the time but I know the hardcore traditionalists would probably scoff and turn up their noses ...and I get it. But I can't help dreaming of a different stock and an optic(on the wishlist.) And I do catch myself and think that I should enjoy this thing as it is and stop trying to make it an FAL -- "...if I want a DS Arms SASS, I should just buy one." I don't think it's wrong to have 2 loves, eh?.... But technology has come a long way since the rifles inception....
Best thing to do is an hour of rifle PT every day and after a month its not very heavyDI2. It will also assist in handling recoil. Probably the easiest thing to do would be to flute the barrel, I am not engineer but I think that is one of the few things you could do that would not require redesigning the entire system.Harrington and Richardson produced a prototype light weight M14. I think is was about 1 1/2 pounds lighter. It wasn't successful and the military did not adopt it. It has a lot to do with recoil forces in a combat rifle. While it's nice to have less weight to carry around, no one wants to get beat to death with all the rounds shot in combat.
Rawnerves Excessive weight said:that is so true! Besides that light weight 308s are not much fun to shoot anyways. The m14 just doesn't lend its self too well to aluminum or other light weight materials for action, other parts. Get a scout or socom, remove optic mounts, put in carbon/graphite stock. About as light as you're gonna get.
Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. made a lot of progress in this area in 1961 and 1962. From M14 Rifle History and Development Fifth Edition:Who has ever pushed the limit in weight reduction on the 14? I'M not talking Carbon Fiber stocks, but true mechanical redesigns?