Rail Options for a POF Puritan

[gipbmac]

Hi - sorry if this has been discussed before, I searched but couldn't find much info - I have a Patriot Ordnance Puritan ar and I would love to add a keymod, mlock or geissele type, or DD Omega rail or close equivalent to it. Can anyone help with this? I cant seem to find many options out there for a rail that fits a piston ar - I was told by a few people at ar15.org that there is a thread somewhere (here or over there) about a few guys modifying keymod or geissele rail for a piston ar - I really appreciate any help, ideas, thoughts etc....

[ColtSeavers]

Might help those of us that are unfamiliar with this rifle and/or piston setups to begin with to give some measurements of how much inner diameter you're looking for from a hand guard and/or the piston/gas block itself (height above barrel, width).

[gipbmac]

Great point, sheesh how could I skip this - I wont have it back for a week or 2 but will post specs as soon as I can.

[556BlackRifle]

I don't know anything about POF or parts comparability. Why not give them a call and ask them? Seems like the best way to go since a lot of their stuff is not mil-spec.

[Ice_templar04]

I picked one up recently as well. I tried getting the specs from POF... they were less than helpful. Simply said "no other handguard will work."
The only issue with the piston system is that the piston housing unit is high (about equal to the lower "dips" in a picatinny rail- sorry I don't know the proper term for it). So essentially you need a high-profile handguard or one that hollows out the picatinny rail section to allow a little extra clearance.
The actual piston itself won't be an issue for handguards from what I see.

I'm pretty sure PRI's triangle handguard will work (probably will require a little modification to the nut). I like its free float, but I don't like the cost or at it doesn't weigh much less than the regular handguard.
Pretty sure AP Customs' handguard won't work either (though I wish they'd make a more oval shaped ending to go over the piston housing unit).
The last idea I have is that UltimateArmsGear makes a carbine length handguard that could work if they make a mid-length handguard (their Deluxe Tube).. that one may be promising (but again they'd have to produce a 9" handguard).

That's my input. Let me know if anyone has found another alternative or ideas.