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Posted: 9/2/2014 7:27:02 PM EDT
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I'm thinking about buying a free float rail system to replace my current MOE forend. I'm curious if:
1. Are rubber/plastic rail protectors required to keep the forend cool enough to hold w/o gloves? 2. Is there any noticable increase in accuracy compared a non-freefloated forend when using cheap ammo (i.e. XM193, AE223, etc.) assuming a tight sling is NOT used? |
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For heat, no. It'll get warm either way unless you have a quad rail then I'm sure they will help with no glove handling
Mine gets pretty warm but not enough to hurt my hand. Rail guards help with the edges catching on items and digging into your hand. I didn't notice any accuracy change. I don't do bench rest shots either. |
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1. Depends. Some of the heavier quad rails can go through quite a few rounds without getting too hot to handle. Other lightweight "slick" modular tubes heat up quick. Also depends on rate of fire and barrel profile.
2. Virtually, no. The biggest benefits will be from using a bipod or support sling. |
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The inherent accuracy of your rifle is important. If you can't shoot close to MOA with high grade ammo and careful attention to technique, especially supporting the handguard on a sand bag in the same position, then advancing to a free float rail is probably not going to show any accuracy improvement.
I say this because some of the so-called bulk ammo is better than one might think. I am getting very close to MOA repeatable accuracy from a particular lot of Federal Lake City M855 green tip. Yes, it is better, or at least that lot is, than I ever thought it could be. So, don't assume that all M193 or M855 is the same. As to heat, that, again will depend on how rapidly you fire the rifle. I'm running a Daniel Defense modular float rail (MFR) 12.0 over a pretty accurate melonite carbine barrel. While it gets a bit warmer than regular hand guards did if I shoot fairly rapidly, I've never needed to resort to gloves. Even if it did, the ability to eliminate pressure on the barrel and avoid point of impact shift would be worth wearing a glove on my support hand, if I needed to do so. |
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This is probably the best explanation. Slings and Bipods are probably going to put the most 'stress' on your barrel, followed by fore grips, short of putting an ATPIAL/Tandem Optics & NV/heavy light (like older Surefires, not ones like the Mini-Scout) etc.
As far as heat, it depends on the individual rail. A LaRue LT-15 will take more time to heat up than something such as a Noveske NSR. It is thicker in material and has heat sinks built into it. It's also considerably heavier than a slick or keymod style fore end. Do you have any particular rails in mind? Another factor is how many rounds you think you will shoot in a session and how fast you plan on shooting. Overall, you'll probably want some rail covers anyway to keep from dinging the rails and for comfort. I've used a lot of the Magpul/Ergo ladders and the KAC panels. I really like the KAC panels, as they have the familiar 'stock' plastic feel and also seem to deflect heat fairly well. The downside to the KAC panels is you'd need to dremel or otherwise cut them to size if your requirements aren't one of the sizes they offer and some of them have a bit of 'wiggle room' compared to ladder panels that you can cut with scissors. Ladder panels are also a thinner profile, as they match whatever rail you have, compared to KAC/Magpul XTM etc. that will had some bulk to the design. I hope this helps 
Quoted:
The inherent accuracy of your rifle is important. If you can't shoot close to MOA with high grade ammo and careful attention to technique, especially supporting the handguard on a sand bag in the same position, then advancing to a free float rail is probably not going to show any accuracy improvement. |
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Just for background, I moved from MA to TX last year and I'm trying to update my "shtf" gun.
Currently it's an Aimpoint T1, ACE fixed entry stock, MOE handguards with a G2 flashlight. Basically the lightest very-short-range carbine I could get under the MA assault weapon ban. Driving around in TX I'm seeing a lot longer distances, so I'm looking at 1-4x scopes, possibly a railed handguard (if the accuracy improvements are going to be worth the weight), and the lightest wobble-free stock I can find. Definitely want to replace the MA ban-barrel with something with a flash hider, but not sure 14.5+fixed FH, 16.5", 18", or 20" barrel. |
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