AR rail / handguard questions

I'm going to add a suppressor to a M&P Sport. I would like to remove the front sight, add a low profile gas block, and add a full rail all the way to the can.

Will a full length rail extend to the can? I think a 15" rail will leave an inch between the can and rail.

Which manufacture should I go with?

Why are rails so damn expensive?

Thanks for the assistance.

You can cut the front sight off the existing gas block, add the rail and save some money.

Here is my 16" barrel with a 15" Alpah Rail. Running a surefire qd suppressor it is pretty darn close to the rail.



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If you're spending the $$ to get the suppressor and stamp then you should just SBR the rifle. That way the rail can cover some of the suppressor. Thats a pretty cool look plus it keeps the overall length down. run like a 11.5" or 12" barrel with 15"rail. I think you have a carbine length gas system so you wouldn't have to buy a new barrel, you could just have someone chop yours down and re-thread/re-crown it. You'll have only a few inches of suppressor showing. That would probably only add ~$300 to your total cost. Just my

I may end up with a SBR but I like the 16" barrel length. I'm not a great long distance shooter (or short distance shooter to be honest) so decreasing the barrel length would not help my "skills".

I know UTG understandably gets a lot of flack, but their Super Slim line of handguards are really nice. We all use them at work and have sold many units to really happy customers. Made in the USA too.

A shorter barrel of the same profile is actually inherently more accurate than a longer one due to stiffness. So unless you're worried about losing velocity there isn't much reason not to SBR it. It will help to offset the weight of the can way out there at the end of the barrel and make for a weapon that's easier to wield. Even if you run iron sights, with the same length rail your sight radius isn't changed either.

Not really true. I SBR'd mine and went with the 10.5" select barrel from Rainier Arms and it shoots a lot better than my 16" spikes barrel I had on it before. Honestly if you're shooting off hand in the field that can hanging on the end of the 16" barrel is going to tire your arm and make you less accurate pretty fast.

Here is a pic of my 10.5" barrel SBR with a 9" CMMG KeyMod Rail system and the YHM Phantom 30 cal can. The target is the first group at 50 yards with a Aimpoint T1 RDS. The other pic is what it now looks like with the 5" dedicated 223 can instead of the 30 cal can. Huge difference in size and weight between the two.

Interesting. A lot of good info. Thanks.

I figure the weight of the can on a 16" barrel would be painful. Maybe an SBR is the way to go. Its a another $200 and 90 days (I think) though. That's painful. I have another AR project in mind. Maybe I will SBR that one. Lots to consider.

Right now you should be able to get a SBR stamp back in 1 month if eFiled.