Like the title says. I am intrigued because the weight (or lack thereof) for a 16" rifle seems crazy.

Link for those that don't know what I'm taking about:

https://kaiserus.com/shop/fire...monarch-ar-15-rifle/

There's a local place called Wright Armory that does a 5 pounder and I've played with it a little bit but didn't get a chance to shoot it.

Very light, so the kaiser looks like it's a do able weight to me.

I don't have experience with their rifles, but I have used a Kaiser US BCG before, and it was quality (properly staked, fit/finish was smooth and even).

That said, I took a look at their rifle offering.

At first glance, it seems expensive for a polymer receiver rifle.

On second look, the noticeable seams on it make it really expensive for a polymer rifle.

I'm not sure if it uses internal bracing, or if it is 100% polymer receivers. Either way, I don't think I could justify the price based on what I'm seeing from their photos.

I'm assuming COVID madness on their rifle prices. Mostly wondering about fit, handling, function. I'm having a right shoulder issue and weight is a big thing for me now.

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
I'm assuming COVID madness on their rifle prices. Mostly wondering about fit, handling, function. I'm having a right shoulder issue and weight is a big thing for me now.

How does recoil affect your shoulder?

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
I'm assuming COVID madness on their rifle prices. Mostly wondering about fit, handling, function. I'm having a right shoulder issue and weight is a big thing for me now.

If you already own an AR, you'd be better off buying lightweight accessories for your rifle than to buy this, IMO.

Are you a right-handed shooter? With a proper sling setup, most of the weight should be on the left arm. The right shoulder would only be taking on the recoil, which this rifle could make worse.

If you are a Lefty, I would work on shooting supported (prone, or against fixed support).

As I said before, their bolt was very nice, but looking close at those photos of the receiver would make me hesitate before buying sight unseen.

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
I'm assuming COVID madness on their rifle prices. Mostly wondering about fit, handling, function. I'm having a right shoulder issue and weight is a big thing for me now.

How does recoil affect your shoulder?

It makes it hurt.

What actually happens is that my right shoulder spits out cartilage that gets in the joint and causes pain. Sudden sharp movements cause that pain.

I noticed this with the recoil from my SCAR 17 (which I recently got out and shot) that wasn't there the other times I've shot it. Which got me thinking that maybe downsizing is in order because that wasn't fun.

quote:

Originally posted by Gibb:

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
I'm assuming COVID madness on their rifle prices. Mostly wondering about fit, handling, function. I'm having a right shoulder issue and weight is a big thing for me now.

If you already own an AR, you'd be better off buying lightweight accessories for your rifle than to buy this, IMO.

Are you a right-handed shooter? With a proper sling setup, most of the weight should be on the left arm. The right shoulder would only be taking on the recoil, which this rifle could make worse.

If you are a Lefty, I would work on shooting supported (prone, or against fixed support).

As I said before, their bolt was very nice, but looking close at those photos of the receiver would make me hesitate before buying sight unseen.

That's a good point that totally slipped me. The lighter gun would recoil more, which whould hurt my shoulder more. I had gotten rid of my .223 to concentrate on .308 but do have a AR Lower that I can build up. Thanks for the rightminding on this.

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The lighter gun would recoil more, which whould hurt my shoulder more. I had gotten rid of my .223 to concentrate on .308

That makes zero sense to me. No matter what its weight a .223 AR will recoil substantially less than any .308. any.
My wife is very weight sensitive and loves to shoot an AR so I spent many years working on building various lightweight configurations. I never trusted them but never actually had an issues using the carbon lower and uppers which resulted in the lowest weights (5lb). But its completely trivial to build a totally reliable gun not using those 'unproven' plastic parts that is no more than a lb or so heavier. I also built some using the magnesium lowers and again it doesn't gain much and I'm not 100% convinced on durability.

An unknown AR with no reviews and the base price of $1795 ... DAMN!

I wouldn’t spend even your money on an unknown like that ... maybe it’s worth it but under non-panic pricing you can build a pretty durn good AR for that kind of coin.

**edited**
I had made a comment about it being 9 pounds, but went back and saw that was shipping weight, box & all ... but, 4.7, 5, 6 or 7 pounds is it really that big of a deal, or is it just a challenge?

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:

quote:

The lighter gun would recoil more, which whould hurt my shoulder more. I had gotten rid of my .223 to concentrate on .308

That makes zero sense to me.

I was five years younger and without a hurt shoulder at the time.

Fair enough and sorry about your shoulder injury. they are tough to beat. But in that case going lighter is simply in the wrong direction no matter the caliber. Build a decent AR for reliability and end up in the 6.5-7lb range and that will be in the sweet spot of recoil for a gun you can shoulder. If its bench shooting have at it.

Yeah, it sucks. Thanks for talking me out of expensive, lightweight components.

A muzzle brake, while not making you any friends on the range, is what will help mitigate recoil. A lighter gun will only make it easier to accelerate into your shoulder--unless my physics is off--causing you more discomfort.

An average weight gun plus an effective brake with an already soft cartridge like .223 will be the combination that you're looking for. The only low-mass component that would really help you here is a low-mass bolt carrier.

And this may seem counterintuitive, but using your support hand to pull the gun into your shoulder will also help because the gun will have nowhere to travel during recoil, so it should hit you more softly than if you give it space it can accelerate through.

quote:

Originally posted by Oat_Action_Man:
A muzzle brake is what will help mitigate recoil.

I've been looking at the JP type recoil eliminators like these: https://www.jprifles.com/1.4.3...php?menu_select=jpre

quote:

Originally posted by Loswsmith:
I've been looking at the JP type recoil eliminators like these...

JP's brake is very efficient, and probably reduces felt recoil energy by 2/3s or so. It is extremely unpleasant for shooters to either side of you. It is not great for your own hearing. Expect the noise levels at your ear to increase by at least 10dB, meaning that foam plugs plus muffs isn't enough to make the gun hearing safe to you.

For a few years I shot an APA Fat Bastard braked 6.5 Creedmoor bolt action and a 223 AR-15 in competition. The Fat Bastard is similar to the JP recoil eliminator -- great recoil reduction and substantial noise increase. I now have a tinnitus, a constant ringing in my ears -- despite using quality foam plugs plus muffs every time I shot.

If you intend to shoot a lot, consider a heavy AR15 plus an efficient suppressor. A quality suppressor, such as a Thunderbeast, reduces recoil substantially. Not quite as much recoil reduction as a brake, but still quite effective.

Fritz, interesting point. I wouldn't in an initial thought think any muzzle device could actually increase the noise level, but I guess that's actually possible per your post. Do you know of any source that measures various device increases?

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Do you know of any source that measures various device increases?

muzzle brake sound test

I never use a brake but that's a pretty big increase? thanks for that.

A good excuse for a second suppressor since I can't find a second 51T mount for my AAC 7.62 SDN-6 for love or money anywhere.