Railed handguard or not?

[dirksterg30]

Help me decide - I am about set to buy my first AR- a RRA Elite CAR A4.
I can't decide on whether I should order it with a standard handguard or a quad-rail handguard.

I like the idea of having a vertical foregrip on the gun, and I probably would only hang a light on the rail, but what do you guys think? Do you prefer a rail or not? Is it comfortable to use with rail + railcovers if I don't have the vertical foregrip attached?

Does the vertical foregrip make it easier to shoot/more accurate, or is that more of a gimmick (I can see where it is necessary for FA M-16s/M-4s)?

 

[spacemanspiff]

depends on what rail you get. some are uncomfortable, some use rail covers that are horribly too large for my stumpy fingers.

as far as accuracy, i cant tell any difference. what is noticable is that with the surefire m73 foreend, shooting from the bench on sandbags is a lot easier. the rails, covered or not, seat into the sandbag, and they dont slip or move around like it did with the standard handguards.

the covers surefire provides are very comfortable. match it up with a surefire vertforegrip/weapon light, and you'll be good to go.

p.s. of all the foreends out there, i have seen far more praise for the surefire product than anyone else.

 

[VUPDblue]

I held off on the 4 rail handguard on my carbine for a long time but the convenience got the best of me. I added an EOTech on the top rail, a broomstick on the bottom and a Surefire on one side. The separate mounts for the above items would cost more than the 4 rail system ! Surefire is great, Larue Tactical is great and First Samco is good.

 

[OBIWAN]

Get the rails

They go nicely with your choice of weapon

Used correctly , the vert grip helps keep you on/return you to target

 

[USMC Tanker]

Get the rails. Aside from from vertical grips and weapon lights, you can add on different optics, infrared aiming lasers, and all sorts of other things that they've made to attach to rails.
Handling with the rail covers doesn't make much of a difference, but I could see how it could be difficult for someone with small hands.
Vertical grips are good for faster weapon presentation, faster target acquisition, and stability and control. If you want something that will fill your hand, get the vertical grip from First Samco, as it is molded for your fingers. If you want something more "streamlined" you can find those run of the mill vertical grips (http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/ARR328-3369-1888.html). There's also one out there that folds up and out of the way when it's not needed. If I didn't have the First Samco on my issue rifle, I'd get the folder.
Hope that helped!