SF rails do not line up with the receiver (on purpose). The rails were also designed by Dick Swan (FYI).
Does it matter? Yes and no. If you are going to mount a RDS on it with a BUIS mounted on the receiver, you are going to have an issue.
If you are going to mount a laser on the rail, it might be a benefit.
IMHO, there are better rails out there for the money.
C4
Just to add to this, the new Daniel Deffense drop in rail also bridges the gap and lines up with the top rail. It’s not free float, but it is also a little cheaper as well.
Thanks justin, I just want them to line up. I picked up a troy 9 inch ff battle rail, it uses a triangular handguard cap and a 11 3/4 gas tube that I ordered from brownells. I’m going to attempt to tackle that when I get a chance when the parts arrive.
You have a carbine length gas system the triangle cap aint going to help you niether is the long gas tube, all you need is a lo-pro gas block and someone to install it.
all you need is a lo-pro gas block and someone to install it.
i freakin’ knew it! i should’ve asked more questions. do you have a recommendation for the lo-profile gas block?
The gas tube wont help because the gas port in your barrel wont move itself, the triangle cap is for use behind a front sight block (you know the old A-1 triangle sight). The lo pro gas block will fit under the 9" rail, which is good setup IMO, ask C4I Grant about which gas block to use, all the ones I can think of off hand use set screws which is not what you want for a serious use rifle for that you need one thats pinned on.
I’d recommend a 10" Daniel Defense Lite Rail and a low pro gas block of your choice.
The M73’s can be a huge asset if you’re running a PEQ on it at 12:00 and an absolute cowitness red dot - past that, no.
Just get a KAC RAS, TROy MRF-DI, or DD Omega or EZ-Car.
Two things:
(a) if the rail uses a triangular handguard cap, it is not a free-float rail (most likely it is some kind of drop-in MRF-DI). Being that you have a carbine-length gas system, and not a mid-length gas system like the rails were designed for, you cannot use these rails on this weapon.
(b) an 11 3/4 in. gas tube is for a mid-length gas system, not a carbine-length, and therefore you cannot use it for this, either.
You can do two things:
(a) sell the rail and gas tube. Use this money to buy yourself a carbine-length drop-in rail (DD Omega, DD EZ Car, Troy MRF-DI, or KAC RAS), a free-float rail that works with your existing gas block (DD Lite 7.0, DD Lite 9.5 FSP, DD Lite 12.0 FSP, DD Omega X 7.0, DD Omega X 12.0 FSP, Troy MRF-C, Troy MRF-CX, LaRue LT15-7), or a free-float rail where you shave down or swap out your gas block (DD Lite 9.0, DD Lite 10.0, DD Omega X 9.0, DD Omega X 12.0, LaRue LT15-9, LaRue LT15-10, LaRue LT15-11FL, Troy MRF-M, Troy MRF-MX, Troy MRF-RX). Install and enjoy.
(b) keep the rail and gas tube, and buy a mid-length barrel from BCM or DD.
If you do any of those two steps, you’ll be G2G.
Measure twice, cut once. And it’s always better to ask than to screw things up.
I installed a Daniel Defense 7" Omega rail on my Stag Model 1 and it forms a continuous rail with only a micro gap and it lines up perfectly. I have from the back up iron sight forward an ARMS #40L-SP BUIS, then an EOTech G23 flip to side magnifier, and then an EOTech 553 holographic sight with the two throw levers. On the EOTech 553 one of the levers is on the Omega rail and the other is on the Stag upper rail. I also have a Harris bipod on the front end of the rail. I went this route because I wanted to keep the standard front sight base instead of a flip up sight and I wanted a user friendly installation with no modification for my first rifle. However, on my SBR rifle with a 10.5" LMT upper and FSB I am going to install a DD 9.5" Lite FSB rail so I can run a Magpul AFG as far out as possible because a 7" rail just doesn’t cut it.
On a side note I installed the 7" Omega rail on my LMT upper and it fit just as well, but have since moved it back to my Stag upper for the reason listed above.
Good luck…
Thread drift;
Anyone know how that DD rail drops in and is still a FF rail? I’m curious, the engineering interests me, and that it’s drop in thus easier to install on issued rifles.
Anyone know how that rail performs?
If you go to the “photos” tab on the product link above, you’ll be able to better see how it fits up. It’s a bit of a misnomer to call it “drop-in”; while it doesn’t require removal of the handguard cap and delta ring, it does still clamp onto the existing barrel nut. You can see the set screws that do the clamping in the detailed pictures.
it clamps to, and hangs off, the barrel nut. they’re very secure.