#Mid length quad rail handguards how to
#Mid length quad rail handguards full

M-Lok is much newer than Quad rails and accessories for them are not as plentiful (soon to be rectified). So why are Quad rails still the common standard? Well, there are many answers to that question. Many different companies make many different M-Lok rails, but like the Quad rail, they all have the same style. M-Lok revolutionized the game by giving people the customizability of the quad rail while keeping the handguard light and comfortable. It features the same direct mounting capabilities as well as new cammed t-nuts for mounting and recoil/impact mitigation lugs.

Where the manufacturer designed MOE for polymer specifically, the M-Lok design is created for both metal and polymer. After a few years, and some design tweaking, Magpul released the newer and better M-Lok system. Originally a part of Magpul’s Masada Concept Rifle in 2007, the “MOE Slot System” is designed to allow direct mounting of accessories only where they were needed without covering the whole handguard with rails. And behold, Magpul swung in for the rescue with the M-Lok system. With scratched and messed up hands the world fell to its knees and cried out for something else. They quickly turn a 6 pound AR into a 10 pound AR (I know, that’s drastic, but you get the point). And because of all the room, people tend to put a lot of stuff on the handguards. Quad rails have a lot of metal, which means more weight. ( Magpul & Daniel Defense).Īnother issue is the weight. To remedy this, some companies make covers for the rails you don’t use.

Many people will refer to the quad rail as a cheese-grater, and if you’ve ever felt one then you’ll understand why. The quad rail has many benefits, but with great benefits comes great downfalls… At least I think that’s how the Spider-Man quote goes. Someone looking to deck their AR out, however they want, more than likely ends up with a Quad rail. Therefore, the quad rail has great customizability.

#Mid length quad rail handguards full

You’ll notice they all have picatinny rails for the full length of the handguard on all sides (hence the name “Quad rail.”) This allows someone to put an AR accessory anywhere on the length of the handguard. The Good and the Bad of the Handguard Debate Quad rails differ from company to company, but they all have the same basic design. And where the military and LEOs go, the civilians follow, because the military and LEO guys know best. The quad rail became the staple in both military and law enforcement around the world. With the quad rail you can have a sight on top, a light on the side, a foregrip, etc. It’s perfect for adding all the goodies to the AR that you couldn’t add before. Coming to popularity in the late ’90s to early 2000s, the Quad rail was the best thing there was to replace that standard plastic handguard. The quad rail is probably the most widely known style of handguards, partly because it came out first. We have the great handguard debate for you. We decided that we wanted to give you a deeper look into the three most common categories of Handguards: Quad Rail, M-Lok, and Keymod. In that blog we mentioned that there are a ton of different options out there for someone to choose from.

#Mid length quad rail handguards how to

A little while back we wrote a blog on How to change your AR Handguard.