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New AR for Christmas, looking to accessorize

3K views 51 replies 12 participants last post by  12fretter 
#1 ·
I'm new to the AR platform, and my daughter and new son-in-law bought me a Ruger AR556 for Christmas.

One of the first things I want to do is replace the front hand guard to a quad rail, gas block with low profile, and mount a green/red dot scope. I've watched the videos and nothing concerns me about the work. But none of them said where to get the low profile gas block or suggested quad rail hand guard. Also, if I remove the front site/gas block assembly, does that contain any parts needed for the new quad rail?

I am new to the platform, so do I have to get accessories specific to Ruger or are all AR's built the same and all parts are interchangeable?

Suggestions for the gas block and quad rail, and anything else I will need to get this part done, would be appreciated.

Thanks for putting up with a newbie.
 
#4 ·
I had to have a gunsmith replace the gas block on my Bushmaster. The parkerizing (or whatever finish) was applied over the roll pins and they would not budge. The gunsmith used a hydraulic press to push them out.
 
#5 ·
My personal opinion, and it's just that, my opinion.

Don't get a quad rail. Get a Key Mod or a M-loc free float rail. I prefer key mod and Bravo Company. I also like the UTG USA made free float rails. I use mostly CMMG gas blocks, mainly because that what all the local shops carry. Along with Anderson blocks, but they are aluminum. Get a steel one.

The quad rails, aka cheese grater, can be a bit rough on your hand. You will end up covering the rails you don't use and make a already fat rail even fatter. With the Key-Mod or M-Loc you put the rails and other attachments just where you need them.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I'll throw in my 2 cents...
Source :I shot about 40,000-50,000 rds out of maybe a dozen differently configured ARs in the past 5 yrs.
Quadrail, keymod, mlok.. you name it.
Its too late in the day for me to write out my last "In defense of the quad-rail" editorial so here are the cliff notes:

- Quadrails are easy.
- Quadrails give great granularity for you to mount an accessory like a vertical front grip or a weapon mounted light, or IR Laser etc exactly where you want it. The spacing between positions on key mod and Mlok is greater making for less granular position choices.
- Quadrails offer very positive engagement, that to boot is easy to achieve... none of this dealing with attaching a rail to an mloc to mount a picatinny rail for my weapons mounted light and the screws falling out at the end of a course of fire thats a bit heavier than normal ( loc tyting them can be a mess too I am not the worlds greatest armorer I need things simple and field changable w/o carrying loctite around).
- Even now, the majority of accessories with a good balance of quality and price still are designed to mount directly to picatinny quadrail..

- Con with quad-rails is they impose a weight penalty because you attachment points where none are needed. But even for me (and I am bit weight Nazi when it comes to gear) I find this advantage of these now "more modern" rails insignificant.
- Another Con is supposed to be that they are "rough" on your hands when you use the rail as a handguard w/o either a vertical grip or without gloves...
First of all, thats what your vertical front grip is for.. Second, most folks wear tactical gloves anyhow if they run a tactical rifle.. and third the ones who dont get real toasty hands if they run "modern" C grip or such on their key mod or mlok handguard w/o an addtional grip or gloves.... In other words. running a tactical rifle w/o either gloves for a VFG ..Thats maybe more a thing for low fire volume competitions.
I have fired my weapons w/o gloves before ( when I forgot them) but I felt was always just a small slip away from a bad burn .. maybe that wasn't 100% rational but gloves are the way to go regardless IMHO.

So Having said all that the theoretical advantages of keymod and mlok have anointed them as the new "it" accessory.
But after running keymod and mlok from quality companies ( Daniel Defense and BCM) I am still unconvinced of the value of this new trend.

As for me, I own a couple rifles with each but I find myself enjoying , and using harder the quad-rail rifles.. and am slowly converting my entire fleet back to quadrails.

PS: That Ruger is a nice rifle especially for the money.. One of the few cold hammer forged barrels in that price class. Good stuff.
Also agree w/ your choice of flat gas block.
As for optics tell me what your budget it and I may make a recommendation.(But the actual budget.... so many times buddies told me they can spend X dollars.. I make a recommendation for a serviceable optic in that price range.. then they go out and spend 2-3 times the money and say "I like this better than your recommendation after the sales man showed me how much nicer it is...." aargh..)
 
#8 ·
my personal preference? i like that less, is more.

i'm not going into battle, and i don't want anything on any of my guns that isn't needed or used.

but some people want to rig their guns out like "Tactical Timmy" and the makers of all that equipment love them. they get bigger bonus checks at the end of the year!

to each their own.
 
#10 ·
You can buy picatinny rail sections to install on all of the profiles. So the argument that the quad rail is more flexible is a bit spurious. I think the quad rails are clunky, and heavy.

Also, look at the cost of just building a second upper, rather than modifying your stock one. If you look around, and shop for bargains, you can do the second upper for not too much more than modifying the stock upper.
 
#11 ·
Here is a link to the BCM handguard page. I prefer the KMR, but they have Quad rails as well, also the covers for the rails you are not using.

https://www.bravocompanyusa.com/Tactical-Handguards-s/7.htm

Here is a picture of my 5.56 with a drop in quad rail (probably your cheapest option) and a couple of my 300 Blackouts.
Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory Machine gun

Air gun Machine gun Trigger Shotgun Gun barrel

You can see the difference in the bulkiness of the quadrail vs the slimness of the free floats. You can get thicker free floats if you desire them.

The vertical fore grip on the quad rail is to migitate the cheese grater feel. I don't like gloves, even the best pair degrades your sense of touch.

The free float on the top 300 Blackout is the BCM KMR 15". The one on the bottom one is a 13" from Acme Machine.

A.s to durability, granted, the picatinny rails on the quad are machined in. No amount of force will remove them without destroying the handguard. But the same can be said of the Key-Mod slots I am so fond of. I have never had one come loose, and force required to knock one off, when properly installed would likely damage the rail or accessory as well.

FWIW, the military did a test comparison between the M-Loc and Key-Mod not too awful long ago, while both the Key-Mod and M-Loc did well, the M-Loc came out on top.
 
#12 ·
I'm new to the AR platform, and my daughter and new son-in-law bought me a Ruger AR556 for Christmas.

One of the first things I want to do is replace the front hand guard to a quad rail, gas block with low profile, and mount a green/red dot scope. I've watched the videos and nothing concerns me about the work. But none of them said where to get the low profile gas block or suggested quad rail hand guard. Also, if I remove the front site/gas block assembly, does that contain any parts needed for the new quad rail?

I am new to the platform, so do I have to get accessories specific to Ruger or are all AR's built the same and all parts are interchangeable?

Suggestions for the gas block and quad rail, and anything else I will need to get this part done, would be appreciated.

Thanks for putting up with a newbie.
If you go to http://gaanow.com and scroll down to the rails/optics/tact gear section
Click on the link and you will find all the accessories, info and video on what your looking for especialy quad rails
 
#13 ·
Both of the AR's I put together are Key-Mod, LGS's don't have a lot of accessories on hand for those but one ordered QD bases for me, they are from BCM, $20 a piece, spendy but excellent quality. BCM site has a lot of Key-Mod stuff so if I feel the need to add things, I'll order from them. I too like to keep things as simple and light weight as possible, so presently all I have on the AR's is the QD sling bases and peep sights, I'm temped to get flashlight mounts due to the occasional need to take care of undesirable night creatures.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll renew my statement about being a newbie to say...

I'm not going to go crazy with accessories just to have accessories. My plan, for practical reasons of my own, are to have a red/green dot instead of the open sites, plus one laser optimized for 20 feet, and another for about 25 yards. Then a forward grip. I want to be set up to defend the inside of my home with the short lazer, my yard with the long lazer, and the neighborhood with the red/green dot.

Maybe this is crazy.

Now, onto another round of questions showing my utter ignorance. On this AR, there is a ring that you turn to loosen and remove the handguard. On the site/gas block assembly in place, there is a ring that catches the front of the guard. So...when I remove all that, what holds the new guard, either free float or quad rail, in? Do the new guards come with everything needed to mount if that front site/gas block is not there?

Thanks again for all the replies. Looking forward to learning.
 
#15 ·
Also...I've read that the free float is supposed to somehow minimize the barrel flex...which must be measure in...like....quarks or something. Anyway, how does a free float attach to the barrel if it can't really come in contact with it in order to minimize the barrel flex...in...quarks??
 
#16 ·
No offense intended. A red/green dot plus iron sights, plus 2 lasers IS crazy. Stop.

A red dot (and backup sights) is sufficient.

There is no need for all the stuff you have listed, therefore no need for a quad rail or free float handguard.
 
#17 ·
#18 ·
I don't want iron sights that's what i want to remove. I don't really want a high rise rail for the optic. I'll forgo the lasers no problem.

But my question still stands....if i remove the front sight and gas block...how will a free float attach to the weapon?
 
#19 ·
There's a standard barrel nut that holds the barrel on. When you get rid of your handguards and buy a free-float handguard, the new handguard comes with a new proprietary barrel nut. Your old barrel nut goes in the spare parts bin, or trash.

Only as an example, you can see the barrel nut on the right hand of the picture here:
https://algdefense.com/13-ergonomic-modular-rail-v0-purple-blem.html
 
#20 ·
Without a riser of sorts on the optic, you'll find it difficult to shoot with good ergonomics. The cliffnotes version is that the straight buffer tube on an AR15 needs higher rings (or riser) than what you would typically use on a bolt action rifle

Here is a more thorough (but still concise) explanation:
https://tinyurl.com/ybmml66f
 
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#21 ·
A drop in rail will simply replace the existing handguard. it fits the ring behind the front sight you mentioned and the rear ring screws over the back side. Just like the factory. FWIW, the SR556 has the ring that screws, most others have a spring loaded ring you have to pull back on..

A ferry float will likely replace the barrel nut and the rail attaches to the new barrel nut. The barrel is truly free floated, touching nothing but it's attachment to the reciever.

A Lazer is not a bad idea, the difference between one sighted at 7 yards and 20 yards is not much though. The 7 yard Lazer will be about 3 inches lower that the 20 yard Lazer. The 20 yard Lazer will be on again at about 100 yards, depending on the bullet weight you are using and if the Lazer you choose has the capability to reach that far. Really only one Lazer at 20 yards is all you need, but hey, it's your rifle, go with two if you want.

The advantage to the iron sights and a dot sight is redudancy. Most dot sights are battery operated. If the battery goes dead, you still have the sights to fall back on. Your Ruger has a folding sight on the rear and a fixed front sight that is part of the gas block on the front. Just fold down he rear sight when you don't want to use it. The front sight, if you don't want it will have to be replaced it the top part of the sight simply cut off. if you remove the front sight, you will have two grooves in the barrel where the pins went to hold the sight on. Dosen't hurt anything though.

Personally I would leave the iron sights and co witness with my dot sight. In other words, the dot in the red dot will line up with the apreatures and post on the iron sights, simply look through the dot sight to see the irons.

The rails, either the quad, or the rail sections you add to your free float come in handy to mount things like your lazers, flashlights, dot sights, angled or vertical fore grips, sling mounts, bi-pod mounts, or any number of accessories you may want. You can have your AR looking like a Swiss Army knife if you want! Personally I like the K.I.S.S. principal. Keep It Simple. The more you attach, the heavier and more stuff to go wrong. I would probably start with a vertical hand grip, sling, flashlight, and your preferred sight. You can add from there if you like. Count any rail risers as an accessory. Something else to come loose.

You will undoubtedly hear the AR referred to as a tinker toy set for adults. There is a lot of truth to that statement!
 
#23 ·
Here is what you get if you buy a BCM KMR free float hand guard.
Tool Rectangle Font Auto part Fashion accessory

On top is the hand guard. Below it from right to let is the replacement barrel nut and the supplied tool used to tighten the barrel nut. The barrel nut will slide over your barrel and attach the barrel to the reciever. The small piece just above and left of the tool is a tab that aligns the handguard to the receiver. Between that and the Allen key is a screw and nut assembly that attaches the handguard to the barrel nut. The piece below the tool with a hole in it is a mount for a sling swivel, and to the far left is a length of picitinny rail attachment.

Hope this was helpful.
 
#25 ·
risers do work for their intended purpose, but i would rather use a ring or base that was higher to begin with and have one less part that could end up loosening up and causing accuracy issues. less is more. and there is no shortage of bases and rings out there for the AR platform to have to rube-goldberg something up to work. buy a quality base and rings and be done with it.
 
#26 ·
Thanks for all this help....these explanations make things much more clear. Sounds like if i can add an optic that will work in conjunction with the existing front site that would be a perfect first step. How do you know when you're looking at catalogs that it will do just that? Our do i need a mount that is adjustable for that purpose?

Thanks again guys.
 
#30 ·
In the description of this unit, "Includes low and high mount options for co-witness or lower 1/3 co-witness."

It can be used in conjunction with the front sight and can make either sight picture.
 
#29 ·
A lot of times you need to read the Q&A section on places like Amazon. The terminology you want to que into are "co-witness" and "1/3 co-witness". Some mount heights are intended for absolute co-witness, and others for "lower 1/3 co-witness"

Font Line Circle Happy Symbol

Only as an example, here is a Holosun red dot (has a solar panel+batteries).
https://www.amazon.com/HOLOSUN-HS40...8&qid=1515082508&sr=8-2&keywords=holosun+503c

In the link to "72 answered questions", you'll read things like, "included riser will give you a lower 1/3 cowitness"

In the example of the Bushnell TRS-25, you can use different riser heights. One riser height gives 1/3 co-witness, the other riser gives an absolute co-witness.
 
#33 ·
A lot of times you need to read the Q&A section on places like Amazon. The terminology you want to que into are "co-witness" and "1/3 co-witness". Some mount heights are intended for absolute co-witness, and others for "lower 1/3 co-witness"

View attachment 180542
Only as an example, here is a Holosun red dot (has a solar panel+batteries).
https://www.amazon.com/HOLOSUN-HS40...8&qid=1515082508&sr=8-2&keywords=holosun+503c

In the link to "72 answered questions", you'll read things like, "included riser will give you a lower 1/3 cowitness"

In the example of the Bushnell TRS-25, you can use different riser heights. One riser height gives 1/3 co-witness, the other riser gives an absolute co-witness.
What does 1/3 co witness mean?
 
#31 ·
Just something to consider. If the rifle is intended for emergency/self-defense, some of the red dots have a battery life in years in constant, always on use. You could leave them on all the time, and change them every year when changing smoke alarm batteries.

This means in a stressful situation, you're not trying to fumble and power on your optics.
 
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