Looking for a good mounting system

[eng208]

I am looking for a good solid mounting system that will hold up to some classes and pretty hard training. I am a Tactical Medic and a carbine is not my specialty with SWAT, but do like to train with one when I can. I have a couple of STAG carbines that have had the upgrades, and just bought a Mid length lightweight chrome lined RRA, which I did all of the staking upgrades to. It already had the black insert but put one of Paul's spring and inserts in with the oring anyway. I have a BCM 16 carrier that I am considering using in it, but it will probably go into my Stag 2T.

Anyway, I want this mid length to remain a lightweight carbine. I require a light, which I use a G2 LED and it has always worked pretty good without being excessively heavy. I also use a basic polymer vertical fore grip. I need a solid system to mount these on without being heavy. I like the Magpul MOE handguards, but it appears they don't offer them in mid length yet. Should I wait? Or should I order a YHM free float system, or the MI free float system? I like the Troy units, but they seem pretty high. I am a lowly paramedic that has a fetish for all things that go boom. What is going to be my best option? I also need a good flip up iron sight. I have the ARMS 40 on now, and an ARMS 40L with the sight notches on my 2T which I like alot. I might decide to leave that on. I like the fact that they give if it by something and then return to the proper position.

I have been around the black rifles for years, but have recently increased my training with them, and subsequent desire to have a bunch of cool accessories. I have stayed with the basics though and not mounted everything but the kitchen sink. In fact I do not have an optic on any of them. I may eventually put one on my 2T. I like the Leupold Prismatic CQB sight. Any thoughts?
Post away.

[Blankwaffe]

I like my weapons as basic as possible and I dont use railed handguards.So Im not going to be much help in that regard.
Personally though I would not skimp on any of the rails or mounts.Just like anything else found on these weapons buying cheap always has negative side effects down the road.Not to mention the fact that these items can be considered an investment and used on other weapons in the case you decide to sell and or upgrade.
If you think you may have to use the weapon in any tactical situation I'd buy the very best accessories you can find and keep them limited to what is necessary..Set the rifle up,test and abuse it,then leave it alone.Adding bling is not much help to a weapon.
You might want to consider having gotm4 check the chamber on the RRA...my cousin has one that gotm4 had to ream to get it run reliably with 5.56 NATO.
For optics mounts Ive had excellent luck with ADM and they seem extremely durable.
For a RDS I'd look at the aimpoints for sure.
BUIS I'd go with a troy unit no questions asked.

[Failure2Stop]

What is the accepted upgrade to get Stags to run these days? Last I knew it was to replace the upper with a Noveske.
I kid, I kid. As long as you have taken the acknowledged steps to improve the performance, good on ya. I highly recommend replacing at least the bolt with a quality offering from either LMT or BCM.

As far as lights go, it's pretty hard to beat a SureFire X300. It's bright enough to deal with basically everything and lighter than any other option in the same category. The Streamlight TLR-1 seems like a viable and cost-effective option, but I have not used one personally so cannot comment on anything more than what others have said. The X300 lies very tight to rails and is great at 12 o'clock.

Why do you need a rail system? If it's just to mount a light there are viable methods that cost way less than a rail. If the answer is that you just want one, fine, but I would recommend a quality rail from the likes of Daniel Defense.

As far as folding BUISs go, I prefer the Troy offering. They are robust and simple. The MI SPLP seem decent, but I don't have personal experience.

Depending on optic you may want to go with a fixed BUIS. Of them I prefer the LMT and LaRue. The Daniel Defense looks very good as well, but once again, I do not have personal experience beyond a little hands-on.

As far as optics go, your needs will drive your choice. 1X, 4X, 1-4X, 1X with 3X magnifier- they all have their place, you just need to determine what meets your needs.

In the 1X category I really like the T-1. Light, compact, fast and precise. Truly exceptional when situated correctly. The 1X optics, whether an Aimpoint or EoTech will fulfill the needs of most users.
In the fixed 4X category my current preference is for the Trijicon TA11. The eye-relief and near 4X magnification make it stand out in the category. I prefer the "traditional" BDC cross-hairs or horseshoe dot reticles.
In the 1-4X category I am still trying to figure out what I like the most. I cannot make a recommendation for this category due to lack of experience.
In the 1X with 3x magnifier category I have a preference for a 2 MOA dot full-sized Aimpoint (M3 or M4) and the Aimpoint 3x in the Laue mount. Others really like the weight-svaings of the T-1 w/ magnifier, and are not really affected by dot size. I do not personally prefer this setup mostly due to where I like to have the T-1 mounted on my gun which precludes the use of a magnifier behind it.


Just my opinion.

[eng208]

:cool:Thanks for the advice, Failure2Stop. It means a lot coming from you.

I have taken the measures on the Stag and the RRA rifles to eliminate the "shortcomings". As I said earlier in the previous post (through all of the other uneccessary ramblings), I have one of the BCM F/A carrier groups in one of my Stags, and have staked the other one appropriately, along with my newest RRA. I also staked the castle nuts, and put the BCM extractor springs and orings in the two non BCM bolts. They all seem to be extremely reliable, but granted, two of the three have less than 1K rounds through them. The one with the BCM group has had about 1500 through it with no issues other than the Surefire rail screws coming loose in a class and just about coming out. That was my fault for not Locktighting them. I fixed that and will not be guilty of that stupid mistake again.:o

I was wondering about how the Magpul BUS were working out for people. I like the way they are designed, and they certainly should be feasible on a LW build. Again, this is on my RRA LW middy which, after about 800 reliable rounds, will see duty as my home carbine that my wife will shoot some. My Stag 2T will be my carbine I use when training with the local unit when the time comes. I will NOT be carrying my personal weapon in on any entries, but just want to be able to "prove my worth" to the other operators by being able to show proficiency with all weapon systems.

It is my understanding that the middy gas system is ok with a carbine buffer and S/A carrier due to the lower gas pressures, right? It does seem much smoother than a standard carbine gas system Bushmaster I fired back to back.

If need to, I would appreciate any more opinions you might have. You can PM me if that is better. Think I have a pretty good idea of what I "need" versus what I "want", but am always willing to listen to some sound experience.

[Failure2Stop]

I have no experience with the MagPul BUS, so I can't comment on them. They seem like a viable product but I have a stong preference for fixed front sights on fighting guns. I guess I am kinda old-school in that respect. Hopefully other users will be able to give you their opinion on the MBUS.

I find that my BCM middie prefers a car buffer. I use F/A carriers on all my guns and I have found that I will have about 50% failure to lock the bolt to the rear on my middie when using an H buffer and PMags with Prvi 75gr. I can't remember for sure if it had problems with M855 or M193, I think that it did though. With a CAR buffer it runs 100% with all ammo with no perceptable increase in recoil.

I really like how the middie feels and handles, though it might be a little long for dedicated entry work, for that I have a distinct preference for 14.5 and shorter guns. The 16" middies are tough to beat as far as GP carbines go though.