I remember reading somewhere (it might of been in this forum) that some people didnt like their magpul hand guards. They said it didnt fit snug and felt loose. Others seem to like it just fine. I like the look of Magpul ( and cost ) and am just curious with the add on rails and accessories does it all feel a bit flimsy? I do believe in the idea that you get what you pay for and am wondering if this is the case. Magpul appears to make a great product, I just want to know before I start investing in it.
I'm not sure about the aluminum quad rails, in my limited experience with it to me it felt to front heavy and unbalanced the rifle. Plus I'm not interested in puting on lasers, flashlights, ipod, etc etc. It does look sexy I have to say but I'm a believer of substance over style first. I would probably only add a pistol grip and sling attachment to the hand guards.
Any thoughts????

You're right, some people like them and to be honest, I think they look good and the shape rested well in my hand.

However mine was loose pretty quickly and the metal heat shield which is just pressed into the top half, seperated from the polymer and made the thing even looser. I had to keep re pressing it in to fix it and it kept seperating.

If you aren't going to have lots of hang on stuff, the stock handguards are a better choice in all but looks, IMHO.

I went through the whole gotta hang all the garbage on my rifle phase that I guess all new M4gery owners go through. Lights, laser, fore grip, bipod, etc...

This is now how I keep her:


The whole quad rail thing may be useful to some spec ops type but for most of us we don't need to make a seven pound rifle into a fifteen pound rifle. Most of us don't even go out and shoot said rifle often enough to stay in practice with it. Those of us that do I would love to see a showing of hands that still have all that junk bolted to the front. I still find the M4 oval hand grips the most comfortable. A quad rail also adds a lot of bulk to a slim rifle design. Now that I have gone full circle I find that less is truely more in most AR's. I still kept the better for my hand fit grip and I love the Ace short stock with thick rubber pad. Other than that, take your pick of optics or stick with irons.

Exactly! I like this.

I like the Magpul handguards. Cost effective, and good at what they are, which I consider to be a simple, more ergonomic replacement for the stock hand guard.

They are NOT stable enough to mount any sort of optics on; maybe a light. They are nothing like a bolted on free float tube. I don't ever mount anything to them; bipod, front sling attachment, ... all go on the small gas block rail. But I do think they made a comfortable grip.

I did have the issue with the heat shield on the first one (fixed by over smashing the rivets, if I remember correctly), the 2nd on right below is a later revision and the heat shield is screwed on.

These are my twins, S&W M&P 15 OR on left, and CMMG .22 on the right.

Hey CBR240, how did you get the rail on the bottom side of the gas block on your M&P15 OR? Did you swap the gas block out or attach the rail? Mine has no such rail on the bottom.

I switched the gas block to a Yankee Hill Machine "Hooded Folding Front Sight / Gas Block with Rail" on both of the above (my OR included). That's just enough rail for me, and I really like the semi hooded sight.

Front Flip Sight Tower w/ Bottom Rail, Hooded [YHM-9835-H] - $125.00 : YHM, Yankee Hill Machine Co., Inc. | Makers of High Quality Firearms, Accessories & Sound Suppressors, Makers of High Quality Firearms, Accessories & Sound Suppressors
You can find it way cheaper than $125 if you look around online.

Not that I didn't like the standard M&P15 OR gas block. I think it's a very versatile option for a stock gb, and like it came with the Quick Disconnect sling attachment hole.

Here's one thread about OR gas block replacement:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-w...gas-block.html

It links to others threads about OR gb replacement.

Ahhhh I see, good stuff man thanks!