Alternative to standard handguards which will still fit in patrol car rack

AR/M4 AR General Discussion
1

I’m wondering if anyone knows of any alternatives to the standard plastic M4 carbine handguards which will still fit in a locking patrol car rifle rack. My rack has the rifle pointed at the ceiling of the car, and the locking mechanism locks around the about the middle of the handguard, with very little wiggle room. I don’t recall the maker off the top of my head.

I ask because with the standard handguards, I feel I’m going to be stuck mounting my light on the bayonet lug at 6 o’clock, which I think is less than ideal. I would like to try something with more options, like a quad rail or Magpul MOE, but I don’t want to waste money on something that won’t fit in my patrol car. I can’t really test anything myself where I live, so I’m hoping some of you might have some personal experience. Any thoughts?

2

Toaster , would a alternative light mount solve your problem ?
http://store.impactweaponscomponents.com/tmc1olimo1.html

3

The Troy/Vtac extreme rails are a possiblity. You may want to see if someone in your area can let you try with one mounted already.

Matt

4

Philipeggo, I saw those in the weaponlight mount thread, didn’t realize they would work with a standard handguard. I’ll certainly consider that option.

5

I live in the boonies three hours away from Phoenix, and I don’t think anyone in my area has them… I won’t be able to test anything until I buy it, so I’ll have to use someone with a really good return policy just in case.

6

Ha I think that may have been my thread ! Just a thought , im scooping these up once i can afford too. Good luck in your search.

7

i was thinking more like a board member near you. Most people on this board are very helpful if you ask.

Matt

8

Deciding what handguards you are gong to use based on how they fit in a rack is flawed logic.

I would look at modifiying the rack.

9

If you are talking about a personal patrol rifle in a department vehicle, it makes perfect sense. Most LE agencies would frown on an officer modifying his patrol car, if he even had an assigned vehicle.

10

I use the FSB mount by Midwest Industries. Very solid and inexpensive. My Surefire M600 sits at about 10-11 O’clock and I activate it with my left thumb. The stock handguards can be left alone if that’s all you want to mount. If you look at the pic below you can see the MI mount on the FSB on my 14.5" BCM.

http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=94

11

We have the same problem at work. No money to change to better locks. We use a side mount like the one above. I have a barrel mount from Zahal on my Mini 14 which I would use on an AR if the chief let me bring one to work. I may have gotten one of the last ones out there because it’s not there.

This might work if you want to mount the light on top of the barrel like LAV. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001WJ4DGA/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000XHFL04&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=09SHVQ6Q4NPRHQC7N05D

12

Is the gun lock one of these?

http://www.santacruzgunlocks.com/

If so, then I know that it won’t fit around a Larue quad with XTM rail panels iirc. I had one mounted to my wall into a stud and I believe that I could only get it around the D-ring of the rain, but I am not sure.

13

Those are on our PD’s short list to replace our current racks. What will they fit? Or if it is easier what doesn’t it fit?

14

Those are the Santa Cruz SC-5 locks. They are the only way to fly in my opinion. I’m not crazy about the Santa Cruz racks - I have a custom fabricated rack in my patrol rig, with the SC-5’s mounted so that they can adjust up/down several inches.

Not only will they fit around all kinds of fore-ends, but since I spend a lot of time off-road it’s nice that they can cinch down real tight to prevent rattling of the guns.

Deployment may be slightly slower than some, as once the lock is released I find that I have to manually open the pivoting bar.

15

As another poster has already deduced, this is a personal rifle in a department vehicle. Modifications or changes to the rack itself is not an option, otherwise I wouldn’t have posted the question I did. Everyone else, thanks for all the helpful advice instead of immediately assuming I’m a moron.

Unfortunately, it isn’t a variable loop like the Santa Cruz others posted, just a solid circular loop with a single hinge. Can’t find a good picture online or take a picture myself right now, but this is what the system looks like:

16

We run Big Sky racks and a similar knock off in our squad cars. With regular hand guards the best solution I found was running a flashlight on a FSB mount.

http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=04-MI&reference=/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi%3Fsearch%3Daction%26keywords%3D%26searchstart%3D9%26template%3DPDGCommTemplates/FullNav/SearchResult.html%26category%3DMIND

I’ve also used a Surefire barrel clamp it was functional but the shadow was pretty bad.

17

This may not be the most popular rail out there, but it does allow some flexibility in locating a light.

http://yankeehillmachine.com/store/product256.html

They also have a free float rail with 5 different sizes to accomodate your specific shooting needs.

http://yankeehillmachine.com/store/forearms.html

18

I think I know where you are located. I may be able to assist. Someone up that way purchased an AR from me with the Troy TRX rails on it.

19

Toaster, I would advice to stay away from keeping your AR in the squad cars rack if at all possible. I dont know about your dept, but my dept doesnt have asigned squad cars. Therefore we get a diferent car every day. I have seen rifle racks working just fine at begining of shift and just stop working randomly. I have seen plenty officers having to resort to using their handguns were a patrol rifle deployment would have been authorized due to their racks release not working.

What I do is keep my rifle in the trunk, yes I know, its an extra step, but better safe than sorry. I have trained my self to simply pull over when ever I hear an armed encounter or w/e high pri call comes out, get my rifle from the trunk, and put it on the passenger seat. If I ride 2 man, I have my partner hold it for me. Then we haul *** to the call. When the calls over with we lock it back in the trunk.

20

I mounted a Midwest Industries rail for the front sight on my father’s Colt 6520, and it’s working very well. Does not upset the balance of the carbine.