Quote History Quoted:
How much crap do you plan on hanging on the handguard?
If the answer is a lot, then the next question is how accurate do you want the gun to be?
If you answered no to the first question, then a free floated rail won't do much to help you.
If you plan on throwing a light, a laser, a forward grip, an optic and a set of silverware on the handguard AND want to shoot dime size groups at 100 yards, then I would get a free float rail.
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What he said, + I'll add some. IMHO, it depends on what you want to do with the rifle. If you want to squeeze out all it's potential accuracy (and yes, that means using a scope) than I'd say go for it. If you want a rifle that you can beat around, use irons or RDS on, I'd say rock the standards.
Some will tell you there's no downside to a FF (and that they're just as rugged) and I'll disagree with that. A FF rail places ALL of it's stresses (load/impact) directly onto the barrel nut. If you bang a FF tube hard on something, guess what... you've just placed immense stress on the barrel nut. Could that alter the "mating" of barrel to receiver? Stretch the threads? Alter the torque setting? I'd say YES, it could.
Standard type handguards will take an EMENSE beating will little affect to the barrel (at worst, they may pop off, and you put a new one on). They DO place a load on the forward part of the barrel, so yes, that will affect accuracy. But are you running a scope? How accurate do you think you'll wring out with irons? With RDS?
Again, it comes down to what you want to do with it. Personally, I don't like FF's, but I do run one on my scoped AR (and that get's babied). My "beater" (or more for hard use) use standard handguards.
YMMV.