Guys, I have always gotten good advice on this Forum!! I just picked up my MP Sport II today but upon opening the box, you could tell the rifle was new, but the finish looked as if somebody sprayed brake clean all over, it was just so dry looking. Then the factory hand guards clearly did not seat all the way into the delta ring, how it left the factory like that god only knows.

Anyway, I have some concerns about installing my UTG 4/5th length that is all aluminum and goes about 2" past the gas block or A2 Sight. I like this rail because it makes this entry level look not so entry level. However, I don't like the way the two piece clamps down on the end cap(next to A2 sight post) because I am thinking any tension on that barrel nut can cause the harmonics of the barrel to change, thus throwing off accuracy and if the tension is there, could it be also changing the point of aim?

The plastic cheapee Magpul that I got for $34 dollars, it slides in and tucks under the button cap, thus I feel it will be less tension on the barrel as there will be nothing squeezing it together and the harmonics won't be as affected.

I just feel the aluminum quad rail that again clamps on by two screws that applies pressure to both can cause Point of aim shift and also harmonics.

You asked, so don't be upset: Seat the factory handguard properly and leave it stock.

I believe there have been other reports of the Sports coming out of the box looking kind of "splotchy". Those folks have said that a standard cleaning takes care of it.

OR

The finish on the one I got a couple weeks ago is even, and I had to clean it up out of the box due to the amount of oil on it. Far from dry at least on that one.

When I bought my Windham, it was very pristine and deep and textured. The way this rifle looked, it was hard to believe it would actually function. I haven't taken it to the range yet but crossing my fingers.

Leapers Inc. AR15 15" Carbine Length Super Slim Drop-In Handguard – White Knight Supply

the Leapers above will not fit on this Sport II. The button end is too fat. Thought most of this rifle was Mil Spec

If you're looking at the Magpul MOE hand guard,have you looked at their SL (slimline) as well? It has M-LOK and extends further around the A2 post. Lighter than a quad rail too.

Put that Leapers handguard on my Sport II and it fit just fine.

Do you actually need/ want a quadrail on purpose ? Or is tacticool bling apearence for absolute minimum $ the goal here ?

You are the first to post something like this... many folks have put that exact handguard on their Sports.

Beginning to think you are just a troll...

no not troll and no it will not clear the button end cap near A2 post. i am thinking possibly the barrel end cap was not centered at the factory because the stock handguard would not sit flush and the delta ring was not able to close on it. however, if the button cap was off center, the gas tube would have been misaligned

i just bought this for a plinking gun but wanted to dress it up a bit.

Expecting a rifle not to function properly is usually a self fulfilling prophesy. Clean it and lubricate in in accordance to the usual recommendations, buy some good quality 5.56 NATO ammo, and take it to the range. If it doesn't work, call S&W.

If you don't want a low end AR to look like a low end AR, why did you buy a low end AR? By spending over $100 for a new handguard you now have a low end rifle approaching a mid-range price.

I agree with cyphertext. Your posts are beginning to add up.

I am going to call Smithand wesson later. their regular quad fits but the end cap diameter is much bigger

Please post pics... The round front cap is a standard part and only comes in one size as far as I know. Would like to see what it is you are trying to explain.

I'm not understanding your stated objective and subsequent actions....

You've said you have (one? multiple?) ARs that you've upgraded so much you basically don't want to take them out. Therefore, you "....just want a plinking gun....." (which you've put in multiple posts) so you decide to buy the Sport even though:
* You stated you don't like the barrel steel
* You don't like the stock to the point you decide to upgrade it
* You don't like the handguard to the point you decide to upgrade it
* In a single post you ask if you should upgrade the trigger - then state you don't think it's worth it.
* You reported you have a friend that said S&W made low quality products.....yet your stated list of low quality vendors didn't include S&W...and you asked someone in the forum to send you a link to information showing the best manufacturers. If you were truly interested in getting a list of "the best" manufacturers - Google could have answered that question in far less time than it took you to write the post.

....and in the Reloading forum you ask if it's cheaper to load 5.56 ammo rather than purchase new.....and then later state you're a reloader. Someone already into reloading knows costing and has the base equipment - so you clearly know the answer to that question.

I agree with previous replies......something isn't adding up.

And now, after I ask for pics, he posts this...

Magpul ACS just installed now it is stuck when fully collapsed! Help!

Seems like we have been down this road before with Marathonrunner...

Aluminum Quadrail vs Magpul MOE Help!

MAGPUL always looks good on AR's.

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Magpul, over anything made by UTG, any day of the week.

Not all UTG products are equal. The UTG Pro line, which is American made, seems to be of better quality that the lower cost UTG line.

What ever works for you.
UTG is in the gun show "it's just as good as..." category for me. No matter where it's made.

So, just to be clear, you have actually handled the UTG Pro products, and are basing this decision on fact vs. just something you have read off the internet?

I don't know about this particular one the OP is using, especially since it has pieces that screw in past the front sight base, but the solid, one piece guards seem to be of decent quality... enough that the 15T was coming with them.

Hey Guys, sorry I did not mean to get way off track here, but I am the type of person that does not like "stock anything." i.e., when I bought my Triathlon bike, I did not like the stock components so my $2000 purchase ended up being almost $9,000 dollars after I upgraded every single part on that bike! I just like to trick everything out regardless if it is a cheapo AR or Tier1. Thanks for your patience.

Actually I have both, the lower end UTG quadrail which I still find very well made and solid. The fit and finish is very good and the screws are very heavy duty. The only thing perhaps lacking is the edges on the rail could have been sanded a bit to take the sharp edge off of it. The UTG Pro Slim is even nicer, however, the screws are a bit delicate and if the AR was tossed from a 30 story building, I don't think the Pro Slim would fair as well as the cheaper UTG that is a quadrail.

Good detective work!...lol....The reason I throw these questions out is because before I invest in something, I like to get others opinion who are more experienced than I. Yes I know reloading is cheaper but at the same time, buying a new set of dies and knowing rifle cartridges take a ton more powder to reload, I would be spending tons of money on powder which I am not fully convinced it would be cheaper than factory ammo. 9mm is indeed cheap to load as I reload for that cartridge but 9mm uses very little powder, something like 5.7gr where a 5.56 probably takes like 25gr and up!

<Edit: snarky comment deleted>

Sorry......

OR

Yes, that two-piece UTG drop-in slides into the groves on a standard barrel nut. Don't worry about "tension on the barrel nut" from the handguard. That's not an issue. Remember, on free float style handguards the barrel nut supports the entire handguard... lots off "tension".
On the other end of the handguard... Yes, the drop-in style clamps around a standard handguard cap. That's just the way it is.

I used a UTG drop-in handguard many years ago. I noticed no difference in accuracy from the standard handguard but I'm not precision bench shooting standard AR platforms.

The price of that UTG you have rivals lots of free float designs. If it's something you're going to fret over return it and get a free float. That said, I doubt you'll see much difference

Thanks! I have heard a lot of folks say they could not really tell the difference between a barrel that was floated and one that was not. However, my personal experience has been if you put a really nice trigger with a clean break like the Geissle SSA-E(3.5lbs), then you may see a difference. What I have seen is my non floated AR15 will shoot almost as tight as my floated, but once the barrel gets a little hot, it seems the non floated loses out a little but can't be sure. It could be just fatigue and lack of concentration.

I guess the only way to really tell if barrel tension clamped on the barrel end cap would be to do a 5 shot group with a standard handguard and then do another 5 shot group with the handguard that is tensioned with screws. Probably won't make much of a difference.

My two cents: I don't like metal handguards due to hand comfort; you just about HAVE to wear gloves with them, especially in extreme weather.
my MOE handguards are very comfortable and can mount enough rail for a light.

__________________
Registration? NEVER!

My line of work puts a lot of gear, weapons, and associated equipment on my desk. Accordingly, there's not a whole lot that I haven't handled or messed with. So, just to be clear, yes I have, and my statements are my opinion, which is based upon my experiences.
I'm sorry that I don't like something that you do.

That has been my experience, plus I get a little better accuracy with a wider selection of ammo. My hunting AR15s have free float tubes. My other AR15s are not free floated.

Going further, consider this. I have a heavy barreled non-free floating AR15 that is close in accuracy to the medium barreled free floated AR15. I think a float tube does give better accuracy OR the same accuracy with a lighter barrel. And better accuracy when the barrel gets hot.

This really depends on what you are doing. If you are mainly shooting IPSC style silhouette targets, well, that's a pretty large target. If you are making head shots on varmints, those are pretty small targets and wringing every bit of accuracy you can is important. That's why most of my AR15s do not have free float tubes. Only the ones where the target dictates the most accuracy.

No reason to be sorry... if your opinion is based upon actual experience. But curious, what UTG PRO product did you handle and what was it that you didn't like? What faults did you see?

I always buy Colt. My latest is an LE 6940, perfect out of the box. No problems what so ever, and shoots fine as well.

Here is my M&P Sport II


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And this has what to do with the OP's question about handguards?

And I bought a Colt and won't rush out to buy another where as my Sport I was prefect out of the box and shoots amazingly. We are even I guess.

I'll continue to say the Sport II is a lot of rifle for the money, but if it comes to you defective then send it back. All manufacturers can have similar issues with mass produced guns.

__________________
Still carrying my S&W 642

I like the Magpul furniture, have it on both my M&p 15's.
And a light mount that looks good is not a problem either.

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I have to say, this also sounds sketchy. You supposedly have the cash and refined taste for uber-accesorized $9000 bicycles, but you're buying UTG quad rails and S&W Sports ??
Also, I used to race bicycles, and have built numerous high-end mountain and road bikes, and you have to try REAL hard to end up with a $9000 bike. You can easily build or buy a super/ultra/deluxe, lighter-than-air, good-as-they-get bike for half that.
If you're really a bike racer, supposedly dropping 2-9 grand on just one of them, then you'd know enough about them not to have dropped $2000 on a bike that you didn't like any of the parts on.
And again, if you have this kind of money to just frivolously splash around, then we wouldn't be here talking about Sport II's and UTG products.
I agree with the earlier posts, I ain't buying this whole spiel.


edit: but to answer the original question, I'd go with the Magpul handguard over a UTG rail. I've had a couple rifles with them, and they're just fantastic. I currently use a KA quad rail, but that's just because I've had a couple fall my way in Armslist trade deals (a handy benefit of living close to Fort Benning), but I sure as hell wouldn't have dropped the money on one. The Magpul is light, comfortable,economical, and is sufficiently accessorizable, IMO.

Anyone else following this thread notice the OP hasn't posted anywhere on this forum in over a week?

i use the UTG 4/15 quadrail and it fits my sport 2 perfect, it doesn't have the extension you wanted, but otherwise a great rail

First time I've heard Magpul called "cheapee".

I've only used UTG parts to Gucci up airsoft guns. Never used their stuff on a real firearm.

I would go with the Magpul over the UTG, or "man up" and float it with a Keymod rail and low-pro gas block.

Only downside I've seen to UTG is that they are normally heavy. What little experience I've had have been solid products, just heavy in comparison to the pricier options.