Hello everyone. I’m new to M4C but I see quite a bit of good content on here. After lurking for quite sometime I decided I wanted to build my own AR. I’m now to the point of choosing a free float handguard. The ideas I have in mind are the Knights Armament URX3.1, Noveske NSR, and Geissele Super Modular Rail. So far I like the look of the URX with the grip panels on it but I think it’s a bit heavier then the others. And I have no need to put any rails in the center part of the handguard. Also so you guys know I want to achieve a fairly light carbine. If you guys have any other handguards you like feel free to mention them. Feel free to give me your opinions on these handguards (pros, cons, etc.)
Only one I think your missing in the consideration would be a Troy /VTAC Alpha rail. Uses the stock barrel nut and is very light weight.
I dont have any experience with the rails you spoke of, but if you wanna do some searches there are a lot of good threads out there comparing them.
Oh and welcome to the site! It’s a great place to learn…
I don’t really like the way the troy rails look. But thanks for the reply. When I first started thinking about handguards I was considering the Midwest industries gen 2 ss but I kind of eliminated that one.
Seems like you are basing your decision a little to much on looks.
Do you want the lightest and slimmest? Get the NSR.
Do you want a ton of QD sockets and a quad rail up front? Get the URX.
Want a good rail for cheap? Get the TRX/VTAC.
Do you want something “different”? Get the SMR.
As for me, after a LOT of research and deliberating, I chose the NSR. And now that I have it, I don’t think I’ll ever buy a different rail for the rest of my life.
Is this your first AR? How about getting one with basic or MOE handguards first? Going by looks of a rail is an expensive way to learn. Preferences and needs change. I’d get a good AR first, shoot it stock, learn and evolve then acquire rails and other accessories as you deem necessary for how you use your weapon.
the yhm is even less than vtac
Yes, and UTG costs even less than YHM. What’s your point?
What do you plan to do with this rifle?
A free-float rail with rail-mounted sight may be unnecessary and expensive for your needs.
well i’ve yet to hear something bad about the yhm but plenty bad of the utg.
just throwing up another option for the op
Well I’m not really worried with QD mounts all over. And I want the rifle to be appealing to my eyes. But really the biggest thing to me is the weight. But I’m fairly certain I’m juggling between these 3. Could you post a picture of your rifle with the NSR for me? Also how is the heat distribution on it? Is that rail really thin? I wish there was a way I could see all of these mounted and feel them.
An NSR with lo-pro gas block and Troy flip ups will be a couple ounces lighter than an FSB with MOE handguards. I doubt anyone would be able to tell the difference if you put any accessories up front. It will also be much more expensive. A Noveske NSR alone will cost more than the Magpul MOE and FSB. The AR15 is already an extremely light platform.
I have the Geissele rail and the Knights URX 3. I have not weighed these on a postal scale, but I can tell you without a doubt that the Knights rail is lighter. The Geissele has a great feel and the weight is balanced close to the receiver so it does not feel heavy.
I would imagine the Noveske rail to be lighter than the Geissele as well.
The Geissele doesn’t seem to get as hot when shooting and feels fantastic in my hands. I have many rails from DD, Geissele, Knights, and even one of the stupid money PRI carbon fiber tubes. All of them meet the needs of the rifles they are installed on. If I were to build another, I believe I would use a Geissele if it came in the length I was looking for.
The same as any skinny rail, I reckon. But with the rail covers on its fantastic due to the fact that no matter how I hold it, my skin never touches the aluminum.
Thinnest on the market AFAIK.
If by ‘building your own’ you mean assembling the entire upper yourself (vs. buying an already complete upper, not an argument of the build/assemble verbiage,) just know that the KAC wrench for the URX bbl nut is over $100 all by itself.
Well if I went with the KAC I would just have a gun smith install it for me for $50. So technically I wouldn’t be building the upper by myself. But I would buy all the parts for it. If I went with the Noveske I would then build the upper myself though. But I’m certain that once a handguard gets put on it won’t come off for quite a while.
If it is your first rifle you might want to go moe or basic plastic. You can put on all the accessories you need like a light, and vfg. If you find after you have shot it that you need some accessory that will not work with the plastics you can then upgrade to a free float hanguard.
I just got an upper with the nsr about 5 months ago, and it is amazingly thin. It is light. I have not weighed it, but my 14.5 seems heavier than the new upper with a mur, 18" barrel, and a 13.5" handguard.
If you go with the nsr you might want to get the upper receiver from noveske pre drilled for the anti rotation pin. It is not necessary, but it is just an extra precaution so the hanguard does not rotate. If it is going to be a carbine get the covers the nsr gets hot pretty quick. The 13.5" nsr would look good on a 14.5 or 16" barrel. The heat is the only problem, but with the rail covers plus heat shield when available it should take care of the heat problem.
That’s cool, I just wanted to make you aware of the price for the wrench if it needed to be factored in. If you are a fan of the URX and plan to have them one more than one rifle, or even just the one for long-term, owning the wrench might be a worthy investment, IMO.
I’ll share my experience…I purchased a BCM lower and a separate BCM 16" mid-length upper with all kinds of “plans” in my head for a rail. I was getting all wrapped up with various features, looks, costs, installation issues, etc associated with rails. However, I kept reading here as I saved my pennies and found some excellent (and recurring) advice and reasons for initially keeping things basic and shooting the rifle before adding to it. My experience and the considered opinion of others on this thread lead me to purchase an MOE handguard for my particular application, and I haven’t looked back.
The primary reason for the MOE was that I found it more comfortable than the stock handguard. As simple as that may sound, it was good to have an solid, identifiable reason for replacing something on my rifle other than that’s what all the cool kids have. Second, I added an IWC sling mount to the MOE to give me some options there. Third, I can mount a light to the MOE and will be doing that if my wife takes the hints I’ve been dropping about Christmas. Fourth, I like FDE, so I was able to get the MOE in that color. Fifth, I may play with a vertical fore grip someday, but I can still do that with the MOE product. All in all, absolutely no reason in the world for a rail for me other than saving some weight and the aesthetics.
Not purchasing a rail facilitated an Aimpoint PRO purchase ahead of schedule (another excellent decision based in no small part on what I’ve read here), and those savings translated to additional ammo and mags. The lessons and advice found here are worth a lot…don’t discount anything provided by the more senior and respected members. They’ve saved me some money, but most importantly, they’ve put me on a road that I would never have found on my own.
Off my soapbox…
Consider the samson, or above, the rainier arms version. You can find serveral threads on this and other forums of guys using this rail for a good 2 years and still happy with it. Im installing mine later today. I picked it bc its a tube, it looks good, comes with a tiny qd mount, uses stocj barrel nut, but most of all it interfaces with the upper on both sides.
You could also check out the lancer carbon fiber tube. I think it looks cool.
sent from mah gun,using my sights
Uh, the YHM is a gigantic piece of shit. There. You’ve heard the bad about the YHM. Garbage quad rail that no one can fit their hand around.
OP: The NSR’s only downside I’ve seen is the price if you consider one decked out. I have the Rainier Arms rail in 11", I like it fine, but I’m replacing it with the NSR.