I intend on installing the MagPul M-LOK carbine length hand guards so I can put a light on my 10.5" AR pistol. I see lots of offerings with pistol uppers that have M-lock FF rails. Why? Is it just modularity? I mean, for a pistol, you really just need a red dot, a front and rear sight and maybe a light, right?

Are the FF rails more for the real short pistols and SBR's that can't have a carbine length hand guards?

Am I missing something?

Tony.

Depends on the build, the shooter's skill, and the intended purpose.

As a rifle builder, you of all folks know that a free-floated barrel has greater potential accuracy.

But while I don't have hard data, my gut is that for the average AR owner, free floating the barrel isn't all that necessary. Most won't have the quality components or the skills to wring maximum accuracy out of their AR.

And it likely matters even less on a 10.5" pistol.

Right. Yes, I do understand the accuracy aspect, but what distances are people realistically shooting these pistols/SBR's out to and what are the accuracy expectations? I sand-bagged my pistol and zeroed at 50 yards and was getting 1" to 2" groups at 100 yards with an aimpoint.

In my mind, I don't see anyone putting a high power optic on this to utilize max accuracy in any realistic scenario.

But I'm new to these and I'm open to learning.

I absolutely see and understand the necessity for FF tubes using any barrel length longer than 14.5".

Tony.

For myself, the carbine length handguard/rail is to short.
I can use it but feel all scrunched up.
I don't have anything with an FSB so my choices are a bit broader for length and choices.

I have a 7" FF rail on my AR9 and will be swapping that out for a 9" one, most likely an Aero Atlas One.

If what you have works for you then getting a FF rail would't necessarily be a waste of money, but if it's working for you then spending money on it would be for cosmetics and could be money spent on upgrading the trigger and such or ammo.

I'm with the above. It really has nothing to do with the accuracy aspects, but the real estate aspects. If what you need to run fits in the space you get with just swapping the handguards have at it. And if you have an FSB then you are probably stuck at that point anyway. But I like to run a longer tube to get some additional room.

quote:

Originally posted by powermad:
For myself, the carbine length handguard/rail is to short.
I can use it but feel all scrunched up.
I don't have anything with an FSB so my choices are a bit broader for length and choices.

This is all applicable to my situation. I'll have to dig mine out of the safe and take a picture of it, but I went with enough rail to almost completely cover the barrel to give me more real estate for my hand. Since it was all built out of random parts anyways, I didn't have a FSB attached and went with a simple low profile gas block and some Magpul flip up sights. I use the same thumb-over-top grip with it that I use on my rifle that also has the same rail (just longer), and use the front sight as a hand stop on the pistol. Feels pretty comfortable.

I like having the front sight as a hand-stop.

Please pardon the bizarre shadows and poor pics, but they show what I'm talking about well enough.

10.5" barrel and 10.25" Diamondhead VRS-T. With the forward comp and the lower protrusion, the length works out fine for this style grip.

quote:

Originally posted by benny6:
I like having the front sight as a hand-stop.

Me too. Admittedly, this is a bit of a bizarre setup, but it feels good in the hand, despite looking kinda goofy.

Where is your light? Your light switch? Your peq/dbal (just kidding not everyone runs on of those). Etc. that all might seem fine on a bare hand guard but what’s the point of a 10-12 inch 5.56 barrel if not defense? And at least a light?

quote:

Originally posted by hrcjon:
Where is your light? Your light switch? Your peq/dbal (just kidding not everyone runs on of those).

I am accepting handouts if you wanna ship me any of the above.

All things in good time.

This thing has been buried in the back of the safe for a few years as a project gun and other things have been prioritized ahead of it.

If your desperate I'll help, especially given your location... but as you might guess my point was that how you get to grip the gun will be driven by what's in the way. And that grip won't work with any light setup I've used...

Thanks, it was just a joke. I get your point. I think this should work mounted at 6:00 and allow me to use the same grip:
https://www.impactweaponscompo...scout-pistol-lights/

With the slanted protrusion on the bottom edge of the float tube, I think it should still be reasonably out of the way. Either way, this is still very much in "project gun" status so I'm not horribly worried about it just this second. I guess I'll find out.

Not my picture, but this is what it looks like underneath:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals...1b5a6f7c492a49eb.jpg


Edit- You got me wondering, so I threw this bit of nonsense together. It looks goofy, but it works, and I can reach the activation switches easily. Just need to get a hand stop mounted at 6:00 so I don’t blow my hand off. That’s the WML problem handled in the short term.



I could do it this way with the pressure switch fairly easily, I would think. Using the thumb over grip behind the sight, yes, I lose a bit of real estate, but I don't think it would be any worse than if I had a FSB on this barrel, and the light is now mounted forward of the sight almost flush with the end of the barrel without need of a longer light mount. Six of one, half dozen of the other.