PDA

View Full Version : Joining the modern age: a free float dilemma



Moonlight Again
06-11-14, 23:39
Gents:

I'm facing a dilemma. I'm interested in joining the modern age and switching to a free floated handguard for my rifle, but I'm not sure which way to go. Where am I now? Since I'm only interested in the upper receiver group, I'll ignore the lower receiver (except to say that it's a BCM lower receiver).

The upper receiver group is, I think, a damn fine setup. It's a BCM Gov't profile 16" middy, with Magpul handguards. There aren't really any flies on this . . . except that it's not a free floated setup, and it's a little bit heavy, and I'm interested in maximizing it.

Option 1. Suck it up, you wussy. In the Corps (long ago, far away, POG, peacetime), I could make regular consistent hits on center mass at 500 meters from a good solid prone with a rifle set up with handguards, and that's plenty of accuracy, and this Bravo middy is lighter by a good bit than the A2. What, you think you're an operator or something? Stick with what you've got, and if it's too heavy, hit the gym, or hit your face and push.

Option 2. Modify what you've got. Just like driving a car off the lot, your upper receiver group depreciated 20 to 30 percent when you popped the first primer. Pull the barrel, send it to ADCO for an overall slimming down, and have them chop the FSP while they're at it, and then put on a ALG or KMR 13" rail.

Option 3. Sell and build. You know, someone out there will appreciate a lovingly used (sub-800 round, no mag dumps) BCM 16" Gov't profile middy, and you could sell the entire upper, then put together a 16" Sionics middy lightweight barrel w/Geissele gas block, a Rainier non-f/a upper and a ALG M-lok rail, or the KMR if you're feeling really froggy and cutting edge, and you're really only running a Streamlight TLR on it anyway. (This part list can be fiddled with.)

Option 4. Sell and go turnkey. Dude, you must be high. Bravo Company has ELW fluted 16" upper receiver groups in stock this very moment, with a 13" KMR, for a slim beard hair over $700, and Grant's got the unfluted for less than that. Get that and never look back. You could wrench together the parts, but you know BCM will do a bang up job and it's a turnkey solution.

Sometimes I over think things. What does everyone say?

Lnxgeek
06-11-14, 23:54
I've done option 2 myself. This may let you do it without spending too much.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

MorphCross
06-12-14, 00:27
Well, what purpose are you trying to fulfill?

After all, there are specific setups for different applications.

Airhasz
06-12-14, 02:21
If you have the cash go with the complete KMR upper (option 4), this will put a smile on your face!

Moonlight Again
06-12-14, 07:23
I've done option 2 myself. This may let you do it without spending too much.

Sent from my DROID2 GLOBAL using Tapatalk 2

That's a very M4C question! All I can fall back on is, "It's supposed to be a general purpose carbine." I've got two optics I rotate on it, a Trijicon beer can (RX34) and a Leupold 1.25-4 VXR, with a Vickers sling and a TLR-1. The lower has an A1 length fixed stock, BAD-ASS 45 selectors and a Geissele SSA-E fcg. It's my pew-pew gun.

I do not envision any Wanat type scenarios, or engaging hordes of zombies. The occasional deer or hog hunt, range time, hopefully soon a carbine class (I have some mobility issues to resolve or I'd have already done one). Looking over both 3-gun sport shooting and the long slow slog of military procurement, it seems that free float is the future, and a 16" carbine seems to me to be about where the curves cross, kind of like a Lightweight Commander, for readers of a certain age.

Toecheese
06-12-14, 09:38
If you have the cash go with the complete KMR upper (option 4), this will put a smile on your face!

I would agree with this! I went through two different rails before I settled on an MI SSK KMR. KMR's are light, easy to add attachments, and are going to be the standard going forward IMO.

hatt
06-12-14, 09:52
If the current quality gun does everything you want I don't see the point in spending money just to "fit in."

Guns-up.50
06-12-14, 09:59
Yeah I have free float rails but, looking back they are not needed. Stick with what you got and run it. Unless you're worried about being the cool guy. Free floats are great for mid range DMRs but for a 250m and in gun light handy with an aimpoint is what you want.
Semper fi

Eurodriver
06-12-14, 10:09
That's a very M4C question! All I can fall back on is, "It's supposed to be a general purpose carbine." I've got two optics I rotate on it, a Trijicon beer can (RX34) and a Leupold 1.25-4 VXR, with a Vickers sling and a TLR-1. The lower has an A1 length fixed stock, BAD-ASS 45 selectors and a Geissele SSA-E fcg. It's my pew-pew gun.

I do not envision any Wanat type scenarios, or engaging hordes of zombies. The occasional deer or hog hunt, range time, hopefully soon a carbine class (I have some mobility issues to resolve or I'd have already done one). Looking over both 3-gun sport shooting and the long slow slog of military procurement, it seems that free float is the future, and a 16" carbine seems to me to be about where the curves cross, kind of like a Lightweight Commander, for readers of a certain age.

I was going to ask what optics you were running, but here's the answer.

I would keep it as is. As every Marine knows, fixed handguards and iron sights will get solid hits on targets at 500 yards. Don't fall into the traps that many civilian shooters seem to get hung up on, that in order to progress passed the 100 yard targets you'll need a 20x optic and a free floated 24" Stainless Steel barrel.

If the rifle does what you need it to do currently, there is no reason to incur the extra expense for a free float. If you want to shoot precision matches at serious distances, then you have the wrong rifle/optic combo anyway.

Moonlight Again
06-12-14, 10:10
If the current quality gun does everything you want I don't see the point in spending money just to "fit in."

But but but . . . cool guy!

Moonlight Again
06-12-14, 10:11
Yeah I have free float rails but, looking back they are not needed. Stick with what you got and run it. Unless you're worried about being the cool guy. Free floats are great for mid range DMRs but for a 250m and in gun light handy with an aimpoint is what you want.
Semper fi

Solid advice.

Moonlight Again
06-12-14, 10:12
I was going to ask what optics you were running, but here's the answer.

I would keep it as is. As every Marine knows, fixed handguards and iron sights will get solid hits on targets at 500 yards. Don't fall into the traps that many civilian shooters seem to get hung up on, that in order to progress passed the 100 yard targets you'll need a 20x optic and a free floated 24" Stainless Steel barrel.

If the rifle does what you need it to do currently, there is no reason to incur the extra expense for a free float. If you want to shoot precision matches at serious distances, then you have the wrong rifle/optic combo anyway.

I was going to say, "Hey, I detect a trend here" even before I saw your edit.

Moonlight Again
06-12-14, 10:24
OK, if the mods want to stamp a big ol' "question answered, let's close this thread" on this, I wouldn't mind.

As I've come to expect from M4C, I've gotten good answers to my question, and I think I'm going to take the advice I've received. For now, I'm going to shoot it as is. I've thought of a new rule for myself: whenever I start looking at accessorizing, I need to stop for a minute, and put at least as much ammo downrange as the new accessory would cost. (i.e., for an approximately $260 KMR, I need to put $260 of 5.56 downrange.)

I remember looking over all the cool guy special edition rifles a while back, and yeah, they're all pretty cool. Fancy! Shiny! When I tried to be ruthlessly honest with myself, do you know the one that made the most sense? It was the "forgotten EAG carbine." Not the full on tactimal version, with the LaRue rail, but the one that was basically a lightweight 14.5" pinned middy with Magpul handguards. If I'm not running NODs (and I'm not), what's missing from that rifle that I'd really need?

The rifle I've got now is lighter, handier, has a better trigger and is probably more accurate than the A2 I shot on the KD range. I could throw another thousand or two dollars onto it . . . to no real effect. Or I could concentrate on shooting it. I think I'll do that.

Thanks, guys.

F-Trooper05
06-12-14, 10:52
Centurian C4 Cutout Rail. Quick, easy, and freefloat.

*since markm sold out to the keymod crowd, I've decided to fill in his old shoes ;-)

djegators
06-12-14, 11:00
Centurian C4 Cutout Rail. Quick, easy, and freefloat.

*since markm sold out to the keymod crowd, I've decided to fill in his old shoes ;-)

There are certainly a lot of great options, in a lot of price ranges now.