I’m planning to get a 16" lightweight midlength – similar to Sabre or Denny’s recon. I would like to retain the classic handguard (and look). I already have a free floated 16" carbine with a DD M4 rail.
The farthest distance that I would sometimes shoot is between 200-300yards with a magnified optic. But mostly just under 100. I DO NOT shoot with a VFG.
How much accuracy does a free float provide if you only consider barrel whip and stress from sling? Would it matter at such short-mid-range (200yd) distance?
>How much accuracy does a free float provide if you only consider barrel whip and stress from sling?
It doesn’t ‘provide accuracy’ but it will eliminate stress from the sling completely(which can be a couple of moa depending on how tight the sling is). It eliminates others ‘stresses’ too. Any stress you put on the handguards(sandbags, bipod, fencepost,etc) would impart a deflection to the barrel. If you could not precisely control that you would see that reflected in inconsistent shot groups and ‘wandering’ zero. A float tube is the single most important mod to improve accuracy. On my old 16", it cut my group size in half.
if you’re shooting silhouettes at 200m and dont need the forward rails, and you know how to shoot, floating guards are probably $350 you don’t need to spend.
I shoot silhouettes at 200-300 yards with irons and do fine (as defined by well under minute-of-paperbadguy) with stock A2 handguards. I guess it depends on what sort of accuracy you’re looking to get.
the 220 for a Daniel Defense Omega seems like a good deal and that is what I am going with. I mean I don’t even car about having a rail system as I like the look of glacier guards, But I want to have the best moa I can get. SO I figure buy once cry once.
Open sights my Sabre A2 and I using M855 can hit M855 white ammo boxes at 100 yards 4 out of 5 times. I think unless varmint hunting or something, you don’t need it.