This article ranks eight battle rifle models introduced from 20121 to 2017 by recorded empty weight. In this set, the heaviest is the Noveske N6 Switchblock at 4,355 g2 and the lightest is the 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308 at 3,062 g. The full spread is 1,293 g3.
That spread matters because it is large within a group of rifles that otherwise share broad format similarities. All eight are battle rifles from the 2010s, all use 20-round magazines, and the set sits within a decade that contains 24 catalogued battle rifle introductions in the series data. The chart below shows that the ranking is not a near tie. It separates into rifles above 4 kg4, rifles in the upper 3 kg range, and one model close to 3.1 kg.
The rest of the figures show where the middle of the group sits and what weight does, and does not, predict. Empty weight can be compared against overall length, barrel length and recorded muzzle velocity, but those measures do not move in step. In this sample, a heavier rifle is not necessarily longer, fitted with a longer barrel, or listed with a higher muzzle velocity.
The ranking, heaviest to lightest
Ranked by recorded empty weight, the set runs as follows:
| Model | Empty weight |
|---|---|
| Noveske N6 Switchblock | 4,355 g |
| SIG716 | 4,218 g |
| CMMG Mk3 | 4,080 g |
| PWS MK216 MOD 1-M | 3,969 g |
| Aero Precision M5 .308 | 3,856 g |
| F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308 | 3,402 g |
| CAR 817 AR | 3,300 g |
| 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308 | 3,062 g |
The chart below shows a clear upper cluster above 4 kg4: the Noveske, SIG716 and CMMG. Below that, the PWS and Aero sit in a middle band from 3,969 g5 to 3,856 g. The lightest group starts at 3,402 g6 and runs down to 3,062 g1.
That matters because all eight rifles use 20-round magazines, so the ranking isolates the rifles’ recorded empty mass rather than a difference in magazine capacity. Across the full set, the spread is 1,293 g3, or 1.293 kg, from the Noveske N6 Switchblock to the 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308. Within the ranking, the closest adjacent pair is the PWS MK216 MOD 1-M and Aero Precision M5 .308, separated by 113 g.
Empty weight, compared
The data in this chart
| Firearm | Empty weight (g) |
|---|---|
| Noveske N6 Switchblock | 4,355 |
| SIG716 | 4,218 |
| CMMG Mk3 | 4,080 |
| PWS MK216 MOD 1-M | 3,969 |
| Aero Precision M5 .308 | 3,856 |
| F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308 | 3,402 |
| CAR 817 AR | 3,300 |
| 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308 | 3,062 |
What separates the heaviest from the lightest
The widest separation in this set is between the Noveske N6 Switchblock and the 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308. The Noveske is listed at 4,355 g2 empty and the 2A at 3,062 g1, a difference of 1,293 g3, or 1.293 kg.
The length figures do not account for most of that gap. The Noveske measures 965 mm overall and the 2A 940 mm, so the heavier rifle is only 25 mm longer. Their barrels are the same length at 457 mm. That matters because it isolates the comparison: the largest weight difference in the ranking appears between two rifles with equal barrel length and only a small difference in overall length.
The rest of the recorded figures reinforce that point. Both are 20-round rifles, and both are chambered within the same full-power rifle class, with the Noveske in 7.62x51mm NATO and the 2A offered in .308 Winchester and 6.5 Creedmoor. Yet the lighter rifle records 820 m/s muzzle velocity, while the heavier Noveske records 838 m/s7. In this pair, then, an extra 1.293 kg does not correspond to a longer barrel, and it does not produce a large velocity separation either.
Length and barrel figures do not mirror the weight order
Overall length in this set runs from 884 mm4 for the CAR 817 AR to 965 mm2 for the Noveske N6 Switchblock, a spread of 81 mm3. Barrel length runs from 406 mm to 457 mm1, a spread of 51 mm8. Those ranges are much narrower than the 1,293 g spread in empty weight, so the weight order is not a proxy for external size.
The clearest examples are pairwise comparisons. The Aero Precision M5 .308 is 889 mm long and weighs 3,856 g, while the longer F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308 is 940 mm long but weighs 3,402 g6. That is 51 mm more overall length with 454 g less empty weight. At the top of the ranking, the SIG716 is 950 mm7 long and 4,218 g, whereas the longer Noveske N6 Switchblock is 965 mm and 4,355 g, only 15 mm longer but 137 g heavier.
Barrel figures point the same way. The Noveske N6 Switchblock and 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308 both use 457 mm barrels, yet they differ by 1,293 g in empty weight. Within this sample, length and barrel length help describe configuration, but they do not explain the ranking by mass.
Velocity varies within a narrower band than weight
Recorded muzzle velocity in this set runs from 750 m/s9 for the CAR 817 AR to 838 m/s7 for both the SIG716 and Noveske N6 Switchblock. That is a spread of 88 m/s3. By contrast, the empty-weight spread across the same rifles is 1,293 g, so the chart below shows a tighter velocity band than the weight ranking does.
The figures also show that lighter rifles are not automatically the slower ones in this sample. The lightest model, the 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308, is listed at 820 m/s1. That is 40 m/s faster than the Aero Precision M5 .308 and the F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308, both recorded at 780 m/s4, despite the 2A rifle being lighter than either of them.
Within the heavier half of the ranking, velocity is mixed rather than ordered by mass. The SIG716 at 4,218 g and the Noveske N6 Switchblock at 4,355 g2 share the top recorded figure of 838 m/s, while the PWS MK216 MOD 1-M at 3,969 g5 is listed at 758 m/s. In this group, empty weight and recorded muzzle velocity do not move together in a consistent order.
Muzzle velocity, compared
1 of the firearms named record no muzzle velocity.
The data in this chart
| Firearm | Muzzle velocity (m/s) |
|---|---|
| Noveske N6 Switchblock | 838 |
| SIG716 | 838 |
| 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308 | 820 |
| Aero Precision M5 .308 | 780 |
| F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308 | 780 |
| PWS MK216 MOD 1-M | 758 |
| CAR 817 AR | 750 |
Shared cartridge envelope, mixed chamber labels
This set mixes rifles chambered for .308 Winchester, 7.62x51mm NATO, or both, but the catalogue dimensions show that they belong in one weight comparison. Both cartridges are listed with a case length of 51.18 mm8, an overall length of 71.12 mm and a rim diameter of 12.01 mm. The chart below reflects that shared envelope, showing both at 71.12 mm overall length.
The catalogue also shows that the labels are close, not identical. .308 Winchester is listed with a typical bullet weight of 9.72 g and a typical muzzle velocity of 860 m/s. 7.62x51mm NATO is listed at 9.5 g10 and 838 m/s7. Both are published at 415 MPa maximum pressure, or 60191 psi. In other words, the rifles in this ranking vary in empty weight from 3062 g1 to 4355 g2 while remaining within the same basic cartridge size class.
For the wider catalogue of chamberings and their dimensions, see Every cartridge in the catalogue.
The cartridges, to scale
Drawn from the recorded case and bullet dimensions, all at one scale.
Source: GET /v1/calibers/308-winchester, GET /v1/calibers/7-62x51mm-nato
The data in this chart
| Cartridge | Overall length (mm) |
|---|---|
| .308 Winchester | 71.1 |
| 7.62x51mm NATO | 71.1 |
Sources and methods
Footnotes
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GunSpec catalogue record for the 2A Armament Xanthos-Lite XLR-18 .308, which cites americas1stfreedom.org, thefirearmblog.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Noveske N6 Switchblock, which cites noveske.com, simplemanarmory.com, palmettostatearmory.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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Method, comparisons: a difference is one catalogue figure minus another of the same kind, in the same unit. Comparisons. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5
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GunSpec catalogue record for the Aero Precision M5 .308, which cites aeroprecisionusa.com, gunnersreview.com, americanshootingjournal.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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GunSpec catalogue record for the PWS MK216 MOD 1-M, which cites primaryweapons.com, swatmag.com, rainierarms.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2
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GunSpec catalogue record for the F-1 Firearms BDR-10 .308, which cites f-1firearms.com, f1firearms.net, web.archive.org, impactguns.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2
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GunSpec catalogue record for the SIG716, which cites americanrifleman.org, athlonoutdoors.com, policemag.com. In the API: firearms reference. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
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GunSpec catalogue record for the .308 Winchester, which cites bobp.cip-bobp.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩ ↩2
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GunSpec catalogue record for the CAR 817 AR, which cites edgegroupuae.com, militarytoday.com, web.archive.org. In the API: firearms reference. ↩
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GunSpec catalogue record for the 7.62x51mm NATO, which cites bobp.cip-bobp.org. In the API: calibers reference and ammunition reference. ↩
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