The SSAR: The Squad Support Action Rifle

There is a lot that has changed with the AR-15 in the last 6 decades. Especially in the last two decades. This is thanks largely to the commercial marketing taking advantage of the end of the 1994-2004 AWB, and the popularity of the GWOT’s weapon of choice; The infamous, ever ready, always adaptable M-4 and M16 variants of the Armalite design. Many advances in material sciences and manufacturing have also contributed to significant upgrades to many weapons around the world.

Lighter, stronger, more accurate; We truly are living in the future.

The latest concept is the M-27 IAR. I think the M-27 is brilliant; As long as every single person is equipped with one. They can carry more ammo instead of more gun, and use multiple shooters to compensate for the lack of a belt fed system.

Other authors have written on this topic. Type SPR by N.C. Scout or ADW by Hawkeye into the search bar. Those are great concepts to model a rifle after. And you don’t need exactly the same setup; Understanding the role is most important. Both of these systems are more than “AR-15”; The theory of employment, and methods of fire involved in each is unique, and the rifle is flexible enough that it can be employed in either role if necessary.

Let’s examine mine.

The SSAR: The Squad Support Action Rifle

My weapon, an old school Noveske, was parted together like Frankenstein using a specific set of parts. There are no accidental or unintentional parts on this weapon. The role of this weapon is to fill the gap ordinary citizens are lacking; The M-249 SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon. The SAW is  modern weapon you simply cannot fight without in a modern war. The Russian equivalent is the RPD, firing a standard cartridge shared with the AK-47. This weapon is my conceptual copy of the role that the new, M-27 IAR, fills. The M-27 IAR is the western version of the righteous “RPK”; A larger, overbuilt AK-47 with a bipod, heavy receiver, medium weight barrel, gunner friendly stocks, and a windage adjustable rear sight. This is used, in pairs, as a support by fire weapon for assault elements.

What is Support By Fire?

“The SBF element’s focus is to gain fire superiority and cover the maneuver of the assaulting force as it gains a foothold onto an objective. Establishing the SBF is as critical to the deliberate attack as conducting the assault. Without the SBF, the assaulting element has to contend with an enemy that is presented with only one problem. When the assault element is covered by the SBF element, the enemy is now presented with a dilemma. A dilemma [which] causes the enemy to change their plan as they contend with multiple problem sets causing a weakness in their force, disruption of their current plan, and their ability to fight effectively.” –SFC Carter H. Conrad and SFC Johnny Tinsley, U.S. Army Infantry School Fort Benning Georgia.

https://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/magazine/issues/2014/Apr-Jun/pdfs/ConradTinsley.pdf

A necessary preparation during all offensive and defensive actions.

My medium weight Squad Support AR-15, or SSAR-15, has a fluted, machine-gun steel match grade barrel, flash suppressor, a quality bipod, one piece upper receiver, “heatsink” grip panels, SAW style front and rear pistol grips, an SPR Stock, a Leupold CQT with a 1.1-3.3 zoom using a circle-dot etched/illuminated reticle, and a 5.56 “Wylde” chamber.

Why use a wild chamber and MG steel? Two reasons, first, “MG” steel alloys handle heat MUCH better than your average barrel. Although, today’s material sciences are much, much better than they were 14 years ago when I built this rifle. Today’s barrels can be just as good as mine, if you purchase one with the correct specs, without the wild price tags of yesterday. You do need a machine gun steel barrel or a “stress relieved” barrel because the heat wave produced by normal barrels can be aggressive, blocking your view of the target with the mirage, the heat also causes a point of aim shift that can be dramatic, and can open your groups up considerably from 3-4 MOA to 6-8 MOA. The “Wylde” chamber does a good job of being a “middle of the road” chamber spec for a good general purpose “bullet-to-bore” mating which promotes accuracy and precision depending on the ammo used.

In other words; This chamber shoots most ammo quite well (Link Below)

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/11/15/223-wylde-the-ideal-ar-15-chamber/

The optic, a Leupold MkVI CQT, provides an excellent field of view, is crystal clear, takes one AA battery, and illuminates an etched “circle-dot” reticle. It doesn’t get washed out by bright lights, or brake lights, like a red dot can. Ask me how I know… The CQT is a dinosaur of an optic; I really like it and frankly don’t know why it was discontinued. It is zeroed to the reliable 25/350 meter standard for 18-20 inch barrels. It shoots one ragged hole at 25 meters, and is a 3-4 MOA weapon using M855 LAP ammo. The circle-dot allows me to adjust my point of impact rapidly if I witness any deviation from my point of aim; Assuming I can see the impacts. Observing splash effect from rounds requires a mix of good position and environmental considerations like vegetation, backdrop, and soil media.
The stock, a Magpul PRS, provides me with a lot of real estate to get a nice machine gun style grip and firing position. The pistol grip and vertical grip fill out my gloved hands nicely and both hold an oil bottle and bore snake respectively, and the bipod keeps me on target as I rock the cassette style drop-in 3.5 pound CMC trigger. A good trigger matters, but not as much as good fundamentals and practice. The trigger promotes good discipline and limits the volume of fire to something more controllable than a “binary”, “echo”, or “forced reset” trigger.
I can fire magazine after magazine with this rifle and the zero doesn’t shift at all and the machine gun grade steel barrel cools right down with a degree of speed not seen on my other AR’s. The fluting cuts some weight off an otherwise heavy for it’s class rifle, and, I’m told the fluting adds some rigidity, while increasing surface area for cooling. The grip panels prevent a heat wave from washing out my line sight and act as a heat sink to help cool the weapon. You would have a hard time firing this weapon fast enough to overheat it, or even carrying enough ammo to achieve this goal except on the hottest days in direct sunlight.
I own several AR’s designed to this type of standard. Each one with a personality of it’s own; Some are large, medium, or small. All have red dots or telescopes. Some are lighter, more compact, or more traditional in their appearance, but the core “SSAR-15” concept is there. The mission of support by fire is the function that drives the form; Which is accuracy and a high volume of fire when needed while providing a clear field of view through my sights.

How do you use it?

Just the same as any AR, but in the role of a semi-automatic machine gun. The SSAR-15 makes a good weapon for handling multiple threats, patrolling, stopping an advance, or covering an element’s movement to an objective. Having lots of rounds on tap helps too. I like the products linked below. The “Ready Mag” system is also pretty cool.

The Redimag System. (Linked Below)

https://www.brownells.com/magazines/rifle-magazines/magazine-couplers-amp-holders/ar-15-m16-improved-redi-mag-prod27533.aspx

The Sarco Mag Holder. (Linked Below)

https://www.sarcoinc.com/ar15-m16-mmh-g-i-multiple-magazine-holder/

Consider building an SSAR of you own. You already have most of the parts and the MG steel barrel isn’t a priority, but it helps, and there are zeroes you can use to compensate for this. You can also turn your AK into a Mini-RPK. Don’t use cheap grip panels, they will melt quickly.

Some quality grip panels linked below.

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/forend-amp-handguard-parts/handguard-amp-rail-accessories/rail-covers/ar-15-picatinny-battle-rail-cover-3-pk-polymer-prod31986.aspx

 

Thanks for reading.

-Johnny Paratrooper

 

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About the Author: Johnny Paratrooper

Born and Raised in Baltimore City, Maryland. History Degree. 8 Years Airborne Infantry and Scouts Platoon. Iraq Veteran. 4-5 Years as a doorman, bar back, and bouncer in Baltimore. Worked in Construction, Heavy Equipment Demolition, Corporate Security, Sales, Forest Service contractor, and the Hospitality Industry. Raised Catholic. Hobbies are race cars and sport bikes. Side projects are HAM radio credentials and long range shooting. MY EMAIL IS [email protected]. Founder of Green Dragon Academy https://www.patreon.com/GreenDragonAcademy

7 Comments

  1. Anonymous February 23, 2021 at 13:37

    5

  2. KOBK February 23, 2021 at 16:28

    JP….. thanks for this excellent article ! Perfect timing since I’m in the process of building such a beast now.
    Few questions if you don’t mind:
    – what barrel length and journal diameter are you using for the particular rifle described above ?
    – although I’m sure there’s several options do you have a new barrel recommendation without a stratospheric price tag ?
    I posted this on Mikes recent article for automatic weapons rate of fire because I think it’s relevant to this very type of build.
    Thanks for your very helpful detailed articles Johnny, really enjoying them and learning lots getting ready for the coming “festivities”.
    ————–
    The suggestion of a piston driven weapon vs a DI-AR makes good sense. However, I’d recommend this gas tube for AR’s to aid in this role if an AR is all you have.
    https://www.vsevenweaponsystems.com/v7-extreme-environment-gas-tube/
    The metal it’s made of INCONEL is far superior to resisting damage from heat than the typical nitrated stainless tube.
    To be honest, for a long time I thought this thing was an over-priced gimmick. Eventually I did a bunch of research on INCONEL and it’s other uses such as in fire suppression systems for off-shore oil rigs etc. I started to realize this gas tube is not a gimmick at all and purchased a couple for my main AR’s.
    This product might help someone if they have to get their AR real hot to get out of a situation.

    • Johnny Paratrooper February 23, 2021 at 17:18

      Thanks brother. I am glad the timing is good for you. I recommend gas tube over piston. I have a piston gun, it’s bulky and requires extra cleaning contrary to the nonsense that it needs less cleaning. Piston guns with adjustable blocks make sense for a suppressed weapon. I have also seen two piston guns break in my day. I have never seen a gas tube AR break.
      Yes, I saw your post on Inconel gas tubes. Very cool stuff. They didn’t have that when I built my lady. Inconel was designed by NASA for rockets if I recall correctly. Inconel is also being used in additive 3-D laser printing. It’s VERY, VERY strong. Amazing stuff. I recommend a standard gas tube because it’s meant to POP! so the gun can be used as a bolt action; Like a Swiss straight pull. The Inconel gastube is likely to damage the gun permanently. Not ideal in a potential guerrilla war of attrition.
      The barrel length I use is a Noveske 18″ MG steel fluted Medium Taper Wylde Chamber with an extra long vortex flash suppressor(The one meant to be pined and welded on 14.5 barrels). An 18 inch barrel is good balance between weight, strength, and range for the 5.56. I painted the barrel so I don’t have to worry about an oiled barrel smoking after shooting. Which is a problem for two reasons. One, smoke is a very obvious marker, and it gives a wind tell right on your position. Second, the smoking will obscure your view of your target. Oil barrels really smoke bad. A high heat paint job, like the paint you use for a grill, works just fine. I put a primer and two coats on.
      I recommend a heavy or medium weight steel barrel, with fluting. Tapers help shave a few ounces. Why shave ounces on a medium weight rifle? Well, you’ll spend more time carrying it than shooting it. Look for a “stress relieved” medium or heavy barrel.
      If you live near a major population center, you might consider heavy. If you live in the sticks, I would find a medium taper. I live in a mix of both. All my gun barrels are medium or heavy. Even my bolt guns. Pencil barrels are garbage in my experience, they shift POI after a magazine or two. Not very useful.
      Below is probably the best barrel I could find in 10 minutes (In Stock…)
      https://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/barrel-parts/rifle-barrels/ar-15-m16-hbar-rifle-barrels-prod78011.aspx?avs%7cCartridge_1=AJO_223%2bWylde&avs%7cLength_1=18%2522%7c20%2522&avs%7cSpecial-Filters_1=In%2bStock
      Not much is in stock right now with our sponsors. I recommend a good old HBAR from Criterion Barrels. This comes with a headspace bolt which is nice. And I think you should go with 20 inch. But 18 inch is only like 50 FPS lower on average.
      You could have this barrel fluted for like 100-150 bucks. It increases the cooling surface area, and adds some rigidity to the barrel. While decreasing the weight enough to compensate for the flash suppressor.

      • KOBK February 23, 2021 at 18:37

        Hey thanks for the additional information JP ! That’s why I love this place. I spend more time here than any alt. media political locations these days.
        Very interesting take on the Inconel for a gas tube. Didn’t look at it that way. That “safety valve” aspect is certainly true and was probably looking for the cool guy part :-). I’ll have to rethink that.
        I hear you on the pencil barrel. The only place I use them are on the 14.5″ AR’s I build specifically for my 10 yr. old boy and my 110lb wife. I train them much as I realistically can, try to make it fun for them. (little guy really loves it, thinks it’s so cool he has a custom build AR just for him and is real hush hush about it, he’s really getting gun safety down and the kid is gonna be a shooter from what I’ve seen so far…. smart kid. Getting him into it young just like my father did.). I have extra mid-sized barrels just incase but the role of their weapons is if they have to unexpectedly defend themselves if bad guys get past the teams security. I’m not going to leave them with nothing incase I’m not in the immediate area. Making their AR’s light and not bulky makes sense at his stage.
        Thank you very much for the barrel link. No doubt Criterion make excellent barrels. I was debating a 16″ (secretly want a 14.5″) just for portability and weight but that’s not the role for this gun. Argh…. maybe I need to build ANOTHER one ..
        Yes, I hear you on the benefits of fluting as well, certainly for a bit of weight and I think there probably is something to the additional cooling prosperities. My GA Precision bolt action heavy barrel has fluting and glad I went with that option even though it won’t see this kind of rate of fire. Ounces do count.
        I was looking at a nice hand guard for this for this SSAR role made by a Canadian company called Maple Ridge Armoury. Nice piece but the open slots in the top had me second guessing for lots of heat casing optical issues. Lots of others to choose from through.
        Great tip on the BBQ paint. I do the exact same thing for gas tubes I could only get in raw stainless (like very long AR10 tubes). Works great !
        Thanks again JP. BTW, really dig the live show you did with NC Scout recently. Re-listened a couple times. Some real gems in there. I like the point you made on holding over for distance on Eotech reticle. I think there might be an article idea there ! Get the most out of your 2 moa – 65 moa circle dot kinda thing !
        Thank you.

        • Johnny Paratrooper February 23, 2021 at 19:09

          Hey thanks brother! Yeah, Criterion makes a great barrel, it also comes with a fitted gas block and headspace bolt head; Hard to argue with that deal.
          Check out those Troy Covers I put in the article from Brownell’s. They are big and sturdy; They seem to be made out of a fibered reinforced polymer. I have them wrapped completely around my SSARifle and my SSARbine and they absorb A LOT of heat. I also have a full size VLTOR monolithic upper and POF midlength upper respectively. Both have a bunch of material to act as a heat sink and radiator for high volume of fire. Which is very important, especially in the summer. The large rail covers on top also help to divert the heat wave away from your line of sight.
          Have good on brother. Hope you get your rifle put together without too much headache. I have rebuilt used uppers before, but never changed any specs on them. I know part out a gun can be a pain in the ass if you aren’t careful buying parts.

    • hitman February 23, 2021 at 19:20

      I have a 24 inch Wylde upper looking for a new home. LOL Has a Black Rain “Skulls” Fluted barrel.

  3. Anonymous February 27, 2021 at 09:21

    4.5

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