Which I understood. Heck, I think I even sneezed when I read your post.
So, I ordered in a Daniel Defense Omega rail yesterday. After much consideration, and researching a bunch points of view from this thread, I decided although any of the choices would be good ones, I think the Omega will achieve the highest percentage of what I want overall. It seems that there are plenty of options for different rail covers that I'll be able to experiment with, so hopefully my aversion to a quad rail will end up being unjustified.
Part of my thinking is that one of the reasons I decided on a BCM upper barrel assembly was because of the known quality of the build, which I don't really want to mess with on this all purpose rifle. I like the idea of having all the original parts in place, including the cap and Delta Ring, and I like knowing they were all put in place by a true professional. It's been pointed out how easy some of these mods are, and I agree, but I see anything I do after the fact as a decrease in quality, even if I do the mod perfectly. However, thanks to some of the posts in this thread, I know more now then I did before, so I'll be brave about cutting and pounding and whatnot on my next upper build, which I can already see coming a mile away. Hell, I'm already thinking about the build after that. It seems that I'm hooked on this new addiction, which I'm sure most of you know all about. For now I'll be satisfied to say I "built" my lower myself.
For anybody who cares, here is my final list, in order of choice, and the major pros and cons that I saw with each option.
1) Daniel Defense Omega Rail
Pros - Lightweight, free floating, true "drop in" style, quality manufacturer, good reviews.
Cons - Quad rail.
Reconciliation - Multiple grip and rail cover options to mitigate quad rail.
2) Centurion C4 Cutout
Pros - Cutout for extra length, free floating, looks cool, uses existing barrel nut, quality manufacturer, great reviews.
Cons - Quad rail, price point, minor rifle modifications.
Reconciliation - Very close second choice. Main decision factors are that I don't want to change the basic setup of my upper assembly, and price point. If not for the Omega rail, this would be my choice.
3) Midwest Industries M-Lok Two Piece Drop In
Pros - True drop in style, round profile, lightweight, M-Lok & Keymod versions, quality manufacturer, good reviews, price point.
Cons - Not free floating.
Reconciliation - If I wasn't set on a free float rail this would be my choice. It's really what I was looking for in every respect minus the free float factor.
4) Troy Delta Rail
Pros - True drop in style, round profile, good reviews.
Cons - UGLY
Reconciliation - This is another example of the specs I was looking for, but I just don't like the look of this rail, especially the pictatinny under the FSB.
5) Midwest Industries Gen 2
Pros - Lightweight, free floating, uses existing barrel nut, quality manufacturer, good reviews.
Cons - Quad rail, minor rifle modifications.
Reconciliation - This looks like a nice rail, but it doesn't really provide any extra advantage over the other choices that I can see.
So there you have it. Thanks everybody for your input and help. I'll post again once the Omega shows up and I can make further comments about it. I'll also post a picture once the rifle is complete, hopefully in the next 3-6 weeks.
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