Ready to buy my first AR and have decided on 14.5" upper with perm FH from CMMG. Because the FH is perm and the handguard cannot be simply slipped on or off due to the front sight, I will need a 2 piece handguard to upgrade to a FF 4 rail system. Has anyone done this upgrade, and can anyone with a 14.5 give some insight and/or recommend a good 2 piece rail under $200?
Thanks in advance for the info.
one of the most common questions ever asked… to answer the question, yes- many, many, many, many, many people have done this, do this, and will do this.
daniel defense “omega” rails are the gold standard for two-piece free-float designs. but 14.5+freefloat is pretty pointless if you’re keeping the fixed FSB, so you could save about $150 by going with a blem RAS or one of DD’s new non-ff here: http://www.danieldefense.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=272
The above is true and good advice. I’ll give a different opinion for your project. You don’t see a lot of people touting the tried and true Troy system. Most seem to prefer Larue and Daniel Defense systems of one model or another. Lately there seems to be a lot of interest in the Troy TRX, which I know doesn’t help you as its a 1 piece. But as far as the 2 piece rails go my favorite for cost and ease of installation is generally the Troy. I generally put them together and rarely ever go cheap. I’ve owned most models at one time or another and still prefer the Troy for many of my builds both for me and friends.
and just to mention it… you can buy the upper without perm, install ANY handguard you want, then have somebody do the perm… opens up the options.
Get a BCM, they have a 14.5 just like CMMG, much better QC.
http://www.bravocompanyusa.com/BCM-M4-14-5-Upper-Receiver-Group-A2X-p/bcm-urg-m4-14%20a2x.htm
Get an Omega rail or a KAC milspec rail, there are a bunch of blemished 2nd’s floating around right now.
I’ve got one of the BCM’s and I put a used Mil set of KAC RAS on it. It fits very tight.
I recently decided to experiment with a rail on my 14.5" DD pencil and ran into comfort issues - the vast majority of drop-in rails are very wide, too wide for my tastes.
I didn’t want to drop the coin needed for a DD Omega without first determining if a carbine-length rail worked for me, so I ended up with an Ergo Z Rail drop-in - it has almost the same dimensions as a DD Omega for about $100.
If it works out for me (and early reports are favorable), I’ll bump the Ergo down to my .22 and pick up an Omega. I try and keep the .22 and the 14.5" carbine pretty much the same configuration anyways.
My advice: try and handle a few of the rails first (with rail covers mounted if you’re planning on using them) to see how comfortable they are for you.
I like the Daniel Defense route as mentioned. My friend likes Troy, a little cheaper and still very good. I used the Magpul MOE and liked it for very cheap and is an upgrade.
I have the Troy MRF DI on my Colt 6400 14.5" and the Omega on the Noveske 14.5" N4. I like the Troy just fine for what I paid for it. I would buy another.
My vote would be for the DD rail on account of weight, I have a number of rifles with DD rails and am nothing but pleased.
I would also suggest going BCM instead of CMMG. The quality of BCM products is top of the line. They will install pretty much any rail you’d like, and can perm your flash suppressor. If you’re dead set on doing it yourself, I’d go with the DD Omega, or the Troy that extends past the FSB, since they both go on without having to disassemble the upper.
I also have to disagree with the comment that the FF is pointless on a 14.5 with FSB. While it doesn’t suit my tastes, because I prefer to run rifle tubes on my carbines so that I can extend my support hand farther forward, I still think the FF feature is valuble. I don’t have numerical data to spit in your direction, but it doesn’t take as much force as one would think to cause POA/POI shifts when objects exert forces on your barrel. If your rifle will not be used hard, and just for shooting dots on a flat range, then it probably won’t be an issue. But if you start running your gun hard, under stress, and do any barricade shooting, you will notice shifts in your POI if you don’t FF the barrel.
I used to be of the opinion that it was pointless to FF anything but a precision rig, until I started doing real shooting with a carbine.
I would definitelyt go with a BCM over CMMG.
I went with a CMMG because I wanted the SOCOM profile - at this point that’s the only major selling point about it that I like. Running an LMT BCG in it helps, but I’d still take a BCM over from scratch - though my CMMG has been flawless, and very accurate so far.
As far as rails - I really like my TROY MRF-DI - a great rail, but the DD Omega would be an upgrade - if budget is an absolute restriction, the TROY MRF-C(x) can be chosen instead.
That said, if you can start from scratch, you wouldn’t be any less happy starting with a FF rail installed prior to pinning it (a 7.0 Lite, 12.0 FSP (Like the OmegaX), or 9.5FSP would work; LT 7.0), or going with a FF rail over low profile gas block, in which case the options are very much open.
Just a little thought here:
The most popular change that shooters make on their guns after they gain proficiency and experience is to shave the FSB and put on a long rail, for more than a few good reasons. Doing this with a pinned FH is cost-prohibitive.
Yes, there are rails with cut-outs for the FSB, but all they really do is allow the shooter to move lights more forward, the FSB still prevents the shooter from using the (subjectively) favored point for gripping the HG unless grip is compromised.
Just a thought.
IMO You can not go wrong with Midwest Industries MCTAR-20 hand guards. They are free floating. Easy to install. Much like Troy or Samson HGs all that is required for install is t cut off the delta ring assembly. Most dealers have the price of the MCTAR-20s at around $163.00 From MI direct they are at $184 and change. Very easy to install and are rock solid.
http://www.midwestindustriesinc.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_id=244
The DD omega 7.0 are also a great option, maybe save a little extra $$ and go with the DDs. Extremely easy to install, remove plastic HGs and bolt on the Omega. Not cutting required.
does anyone know if the DD EZ rails will appear in mid-length?
TROY MRF-DI…Can’t go wrong with this excellent rail. If you want you can remove it and try something else (it’s ‘drop-in’ without any mods to the gun) but once mounted it is absolutely rock-solid. Really well done with QD swivel points front & rear on both sides of the rail. BEST drop-in rail on the market IMO. 