These days all that it takes is a couple of hundred dollars & a trip to the nearest gun store, to build an assault rifle from the scratch. Because of the ease with which one can build an assault rifle from scratch, there are no hard and fast rules to how you can do it.
In fact, there is virtually no limit to the extent to which one can actually customize one weapon.
With the vast array of options available to customize a rifle, owners can design it to be either lightweight or heavy depending on its purpose. This article will focus on the benefits of using lightweight rifles, and the global leader in mounting solutions for a variety of optics, lights, lasers, and accessories for firearms, American Defense Manufacturing (ADM).
Who is American Defense Manufacturing?
As said, American Defense Manufacturing is a global leader in mounting solutions for a variety of optics, lights, lasers, and accessories for firearms. With an expertise of more than a decade, American Defense stands out from the rest when it comes to innovation and marketing.
Being committed to customer satisfaction, American Defense Manufacturing offers its customers fully American designed and built mounting solutions & parts for rifles. Among all the components American Defense Manufacturing has designed, their patented Quick Discontent Auto-lock system is unrivaled and is famous among enthusiasts.
Apart from offering mounting solutions & components with intuitive design, American Defense Manufacturing is known among rifle enthusiasts for its light-weighted design. For people who dream of having a lightweight rifle, American Defense Manufacturing is the key.
American Defense has kept lightweight as a benchmark for their complete line up of optical, illumination, and target acquisition device mounting solutions.
The fact that American Defense Manufacturing makes lightweight components without compromising on its quality & accuracy, makes it a favorite among enthusiasts.
How does American Defense Manufacturing make lightweight components without compromising on quality?
Titanium is the key to designing lightweight yet strong metallic components. If you don’t know what titanium is, it is a strong, highly pliant, non-corrosive & dense material. All the features one would want to have on their rifle. Notorious for being expensive and as a difficult metal to process, its use was limited to the aerospace industry until ADM stepped in.
After investing a lot of money & time in R&D, American Defense Manufacturing has finally cracked the code to efficiently using titanium in the manufacture of components for the rifles. Since 2019, American Defense has been using a full 6-4 aerospace titanium lever assembly in their mounts that include an aluminum/steel QD Auto-lock assembly.
With the new technology in place, American Defense has been successful in reducing the weight of current lever systems in rifle by almost 60% without compromising on its strength. In fact, the cross-bolt thread strength has increased to over 1,800 lbs from the 900lbs (steel).
American Defense Manufacturing uses leading and sophisticated technologies in the manufacture of the components. Club it with the state-of-the-art pieces of machinery & process flow, they remain unrivaled.
How is titanium is molded?
As said, the firearm industry had identified the potential of titanium as a potential light-weight alternative to using Aluminium in firearms. But the technology to efficiently & cost-effectively process the metal was not there in place.
After years of research & development & thousands of dollars, American Defense finally arrived at the Metal Injection molding methodology. A technology that could revolutionize the firearms industry.
- Metal Injection Molding
It all begins with grinding a solid block of titanium to finely grounded powders which are then mixed with a thermoplastic binder to impart plasticity to the mixture. It is later injected into a precision mold. The whole set up is kept at elevated temperatures.
After molding, the fat is removed from the mixture. This is more like a trimming process in which unwanted and protruding portions are removed/ground. It is finally subjected to sintering ( the process of compacting and forming a solid mass of material by heat or pressure without melting it to the point of liquefaction)
What are the advantages of sintered titanium?
- Elasticity is improved which helps the manufacturer to forge near-net shaped products.
- The structure of the object is advanced significantly with a relative density of 97%.
- The firearms manufacturer demands a certain degree of hardness, which is met by Metal Injection Moulded titanium that has been Sintered.
The need for lightweight accessories in rifles
When it comes to rifles, their weight is purely a personal choice that depends on its intended purpose. If you were to ask a veteran or a gunsmith, they would probably tell you the heavier the gun, the better it is.
To get a better understanding, let’s first understand why guns are made heavy. Well, Guns are made heavy considering the recoil factor. Most of a gun’s weight comes from its recoil plate that is made strong & heavy to efficiently absorb the gun’s recoil. While heavier guns handle the recoil well, it greatly reduces the ease of mobility.
That’s why most gunsmiths suggest people go with a heavier gun & lightweight accessory. The accessories, if made heavy, can lure away versatility in range, ammunition type, and mobility in the field.
Heavier guns and lightweight accessories combine to give high accuracy, readiness, firepower, and range.
What is so special about American Defense Manufacturing’s mounts?
American Defense mounts are comparatively lighter as they use titanium quick detach levers like their Aimpoint M68 NV mount and Aimpoint ACRO.
From 2019, every American Defense mount comes with a Quick Detach Auto-lock assembly which has a full 6-4 aerospace titanium lever assembly. Upgrading to this system include benefits such as;
- 60% weight reduction
- Double the strength when compared to steel which has 900 lbs.
- 63% lower thermal expansion. This corresponds to less optical shift.
ADM’s Delta and Recon 30 mm, cantilevered scope mounts, the 170 and 170s mounts for the Surefire® Scout Lights, as well as low, co-witness, and lower 1/3 co-witness mounts for the Aimpoint® T1, and Trijicon® MRO red dot sights are all made of full titanium. They are proven accessories that offer significant weight reduction and thermal performance.
Conclusion
If you are looking forward to installing lightweight accessories or replacing aluminum/steel accessories, accessories made by American Defense Manufacturing are the best available option. Feel free to check out the lightweight American Defense Manufacturing accessories we have on offer.
