Update: chose the kac urx 4 10.75 M Lok. thanks guys
Hey guys,
I sprung for one of the new 12.5in hodge barrels and plan on building this guy into a dedicated night training gun. My criteria are as much rail space as I can get without interfering with my surefire mini, extremely rigid as it will get my mawl and thats about it. Weight is not a consideration. Ideally I would use an 11.5in hodge rail but I can not find hodge 11.5in rails anywhere and geissele doesn’t make a good option for a 12.5in barrel. The options I have seen that might work are the CA CMR 11in, CMT 11.5in, v7 2099 11in. Am I missing any or overlooking any that might work better? Do any of you have any time on these rails under nods and have minimal deflection?
One of the most rigid options is the Aero enhanced handguard. If you use one of their enhanced upper receivers the entire upper is very rigid. If you run a suppressor you may not be happy with the lengths they offer (9", 12"). (I have been asking for 10.75" and 11.5-11.75" versions…) The 12" may work with a suppressor depending on the mount, but it is actually 12.6" long. The ID is large enough that a suppressor will fit inside. Non-suppressed you would be fine with a 12". They are a larger diameter than the latest thin rails, but I find that I don’t feel the heat as much when running the gun hard. I run the 9" on 11.5" barrels. Their main attribute, though, is stiffness.
Another option is one of SLR’s rails. The SOLO is the one I have experience with. It is thin, very similar to a BCM KMR, but more rigid. Personally, I think it is too skinny, but I have yet to find a better option for a 12.5" barrel. SLR makes many different lengths that work well with a 12.5" barrel, including 11.5" and 11.7".
Hodge Wedgelocks are still produced from my understanding, and from the same material. My understanding is that they were not affected by the Zev change. How quickly you can find them back in stock anywhere is another matter. Hodge 11.5 wedgelock and Hodge/SLR gas block would be a good combo.
It would be great if Geissele made some 11/11.5" rails…
Noveske NSR 11 Mlok would be my choice personally, even though timing the barrel nut sucks. They are pretty rigid thanks to the giant steel barrel nut.
Thanks guys, I completely over looked the KAC urx 4 and the larue 11in handguards. And yes, why geissele doesn’t make a 11 or 11.5in I don’t know, as that would be ideal. As for the mega/zev change, those wedgelock rails are now 6061. The hodge branded ones are still 7075 if my information is correct. Thanks for the help!
I just put a LaRue rail on my new LE 6920. The rail istallation was easy. Removing the FSB was the most difficult part. I went with the 7" rail cause I like the ramp front sight. You are gonna need a starter punch, punches, action block, strap wrench, and a armorers tool. I got all of mine from midway usa. I am very happy I went with the 6920 over the 6940. The gun is a good shooter (even with 55grn ammo). U can use the money the you will save from not going with the 6940, to buy the tools that you will need to work on the 6920 rail project. The Larue rail is rock solid.
I have a Hodge 12.5" upper and the Hodge rail is awesome, but like you said, availability is tricky. I do know that OP Tactical has them on order. I was in there last week and they said that they have a bunch of stuff on order and are awaiting delivery. If I had to pick another rail, it would be the URX4, it is a very solid rail and extremely rigid, but I also like the QRF and MCMR from BCM, they may not be as rigid as the URX or HDSI rails, but they are pretty solid and I have not had any rigidity issues with them on either of my SBR’s set up for night fighting/training.
My issue with the ZEV/Mega Wedgelock rails is their funky sizing and 12" rail should be 12", not 12.625". Plus they aren’t as rigid as the HDSI versions, due to them being 6061.
Bummer. Glad I snagged a few of the Mega Wedgelock when Brownells was clearing them out. Other than a Hodge Wedgelock, what are the 7075 options now? Was very pleased with the Mega WL and thought I could quit looking.
I decided not to wait for the rumored release of the pinchlock and picked up a 10.75 URX 4 in M Lok. Ill post some pics when its all done. Upper build parts list: BCM upper, gemtech adjustable bcg, radian charging handle, bcm gas block, hodge 12.5 barrel, urx 4 rail, SF warcomp.
I get it, 6061 is a step down from 7075. That being said, it’s not like there are many other options with 7075 handguards; F-1 Firearms is the only other brand I know of off the top of my head that manufactures 7075 handguards. Yet, it is almost universally agreed that the Geissele handguards are very durable and rigid, despite being 6061, like almost every other handguard on the market. Would the Zev 6061 WedgeLock really have any practical decrease in rigidity? Even if the raw strength is less, it’s still an impressively stout profile, and with an excellent barrel nut/handguard interface.