Hey guys, as I stated in another thread I’m getting a bigger Christmas bonus than I thought. The main purpose of this thread is to ask this, what’s the best 9" drop-in rail for me other than the DD Omega (just too expensive)? Troy Drop-ins, Midwest Industries? I want the best possible quality but don’t really want to break out of the $200 range. All I’m going to do with it is hang a flashlight and VFG on it, no lasers or optics or anything like that. Here are the main two I’m considering:
Most of the drop-ins are going to have some wiggle to them. since you’re not mounting optics this may not be a problem for you. I had an MI drop-in with a fore-grip attached and there was noticeable wiggle. If i can feel the wiggle, its not good enough for me. I have no experience with the troy but I hear good things about them. DD makes another drop-in rail besides the Omega and it looks nice. The drop-ins run about $150, except for the KAC which is $320 (robbery) If wiggle won’t bother you, by all means go for a drop-in (I’d recommend DD personally) If, however, you want a SOLID platform, free float is the only way to go. I wish I would’ve gone free float from the beginning; I’ve wasted a lot of money on stuff for my AR only find that I don’t like it. Free floats run about $100+ more than drop-ins but they are worth every penny. Either LaRue or DD, you will not be disappointed.
I have the 9" Troy drop in rails. I can say that there is no movement or wiggle what so ever with them. Heck, they were locked up solid on my weapon even before I installed the screws that hold the 2 halves together.
They are not the lightest set of rails you can buy but they are quality all around. They are not that expensive and if you look around you can find them at around $150.00. I hope this helps.
I have not but they do lock up tight without the screws. The problem is though that if you don’t use the tensioning screw your going to have the tension bar flopping around inside of the rails.