To MOE or not to MOE

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If you're only looking at price, then you're looking at it incorrectly.

For what it's worth, the MOE handguard is one of the most cost-effective upgrades for the AR15 platform. It's lightweight, it's robust, and it's cheap. However, if you find the need for the best accuracy possible out of your existing weapon, and/or auxiliary rail-mounted add-on's, then you'll likely outgrow the MOE and wanna look at a quality rail.