Advice on lightnening a carbine buffer ?

[TA338]

I have a 20" LW SS barrel with an adjustable UP gas block with rifle gas system. The BCG is lightened to 6 oz.The lower has a milspec carbine buffer tube. Right now I use a regular 3.0 oz carbine buffer. It works but I have been thinking about lightnening the buffer even more. I do not believe in empty buffers and want to have either aluminium or nylon buffers to retain the "dead blow hammer" effect.

I think I would like to keep one steel weight in the buffer but replace the two othere buffer weights with either aluminium or nylon. Does this make any sense or should all the buffer weights all be of the same material ?

If I use different buffer weight materials then in what sequence should they be in the buffer ? I think I would like to keep the steel weight up front and the lighter ones behind it.

Any experience on ligthening a carbine buffer with rifle lenght gas system and a lightned BCG ? Rifle is stricly a competition rifle so it needs to be reliable but it will be maintained well.

[B45C22]

I cut a piece of rubber hose and inserted it where the weights were.

[Mark Gale]

OP - Did you mean to say that your bolt carrier was lightened to 6 oz? I'm not sure you can a get bolt group that light.

The location of the weights in the buffer body is irrelevant. The material type however isn't. If you want to maintain the "dead blow" properties of the buffer assembly, your going to need to sharpen a pencil and do some math or experiment. I doubt a single steel weight and some aluminum or nylon will produce the desired effect.

[Kevin Holman]

I found a piece of nylon the same size and replaced a weight, been running that for years. Zero issues.

[fastshooter03]

IDK if you'd want to take out any more weight and replace it with something lighter.

Remember the A2 buffer is 5.1 OZ so you're already lighter plus your lightened BCA.

You're right to want the deadblow left intact.

I've had bolt bounce back-open with a solid buffer and a super-lightened spring on a 300BLK so it can happen.

You may not notice it on a heavier sprung setup unless you're pulling the trigger fast enough and get a misfire. Not good in any case.

Nick

Edited March 24, 2014 by fastshooter03

[TA338]

The custom steel bcg is 6oz empty without bolt, firing pin, cam pin and cotter pin. Bolt etc. will add some weight to the bcg.

Will have to experiment with alumium buffer weights and see what happens. Nylon is probably too light to matter at all as a buffer weight.

Edited March 25, 2014 by TA338