building an aesthetic
Ok, so I have spent a fair bit of time researching various options online, and I have come to the conclusion that the upper package for B.O.M.B.E.R. is going to come from the good folks at Del-Ton Inc. More specifically, I am looking at a 16" mid-length custom upper, with a few frills and fiddly bits added on for good measure. Which brings me to my question, for the two regular commenters I have.
I am planning on the forearm for this new monstrosity to be straight-up, certifiably tacticool, and complete with the prerequisite picatinny rails to ensure this. However, the dillemma is this: should I go with a carbine or mid-length forearm, or should I go whole-hog and get a "stealth" gas block and a rifle-length forearm?
Courtesy of Yankee Hill Machines (fabricators of fairly decent pieces of equipment), I have these images for comparison:
A carbine-length forearm on a 16" barrel:
And a rifle-length forearm on a 16" barrel:
The only real difference I have found between the two is that getting a rifle-length forearm is going to cost me about $20 more for the entire upper - and this is including getting both back-up iron sights for the rifle-length, or a flip-up sight gas block and rear BUIS for the carbine-length. As for mass, the rifle-length forearm is only about 2.5 ounces more than the carbine-length, and while that is not negligible, it is pretty small. Additionally, I suppose a rifle-length forearm will allow for a longer sight radius, but considering that I am not planning on this firearm being my long-ranger (it is shooting 5.56, for Heaven's sake), I do not think a few more inches of sight radius will matter that much.
So, given the option, and a basically zero-sum difference, what would you all propose? I confess to liking the look of the rifle-length forearm, but I know that the extra three inches would not really be used. Thoughts? I suppose aesthetics overriding functionality is the very definition of tacticool...
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I actually like the looks of the shorter carbine length rails better than the rifle length.
In reference to Kurt P's comment here, I appreciate the look of the old-skool A1 and A2 frames, but something about that tapering handguard just rubs me the wrong direction. Thankfully, options seem to be... numerous... these days :). That, and I am trying to follow the Hitchhiker's Guide in terms of firearm construction.
I really cannot decide, Mike... I wish I had the time/motivation/money to go the SBR route and have just the flash-hider sprouting from the mass of rails, but I do not. Something about the rifle design looks more durable and mean, but the carbine design is lighter and, after a fashion, has more options. Bleh.
Of course, as dilemmas go, this is far from the worst ;).
Mid and rifle length gas systems are more durable/reliable than carbine length.
Oh, do not worry - it is getting a mid-length gas system regardless of what I decide concerning the handguards. The carbine/rifle-length question is only for the rails, and I am still at a loss :).
I am working on my first AR. I went with the standard CAR handguards, but you don's like those, so...
I would have to say that if I built one with a rail system, it would probably be Rock River Arms Half Quad Rail, it gives you the rails up front where you are most likely to mount stuff, and a little less spiky of a grip.
Hm, good suggestion, that! Though, a question - do you know how long the RRA Half-Quad is? And is it more typical for people to mount vertical grips on the front or back sections of their rails? I ask, because, by the time I am done with this thing, it will undoubtedly have a vertical grip, and I am not sure the Half-Quad arrangement would allow for comfortable mounting of one.
It is a mid-length, so somewhere between the two you show. Not sure about the vertical hand grip, I an not a huge fan of those on a personal preference level, so I haven't looked into them much. I would prefer the smooth area for a more standard grip on the handguard, but that's just me, and subject to change without notice. :)
Not sure how many options are between the two I showed... I think YHM's "Spectre"-length quad-rail system is about an inch longer than the carbine's, but I am not sure. The more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards the rifle-length, but that, too, is subject to change.
As for the vertical grip, I handled an AR-15 platform with one at a Jacksonville gun show, and have wanted one ever since - it seems to make supporting and controlling the weight a lot easier. Of course, this platform also had an EOTech on it as well, and I have wanted one of those ever since... go figure.