Sweet blaster. I like it.

I'm starting to see a trend here in rails. A lot of these have Omega rails in place.

So guys, what's the real reason you went with the Omega?  

I like the lighting on that one.

Sorry that one's mine.

Just be patient. Late 2009 you'll be able to get the new and improved version, politics and production schedules not withstanding.

Well the one thing we know for sure is that the roll mark will be different. Other then that, we'll have to wait and see.

Some of this info is 3 years old....some of it 18 months to 2 years old....just copied and pasted from other threads I have written in the past:






Just my experiences:



VERTICAL FOREGRIPS:



      I copied the following question and my reply from another post in reference to vertical foregrips:








My reply:


No monkey arms here, I'm only 5'06".


Running the vertical foregrip all the way forward on a carbine length rail system is not anything new and it's not anything I thought up myself.

Guys much higher speed than me have been suggesting that I move my vertical foregrip all the way forward since 2003 or 2004.  I believe there was also a thread about this same subject in the CQB room.


I had tried moving the vertical foregrip all the way forward several times in the past and it just never "felt right" or was causing me some pain and discomfort due to an injured left shoulder.

In late May of last year, I tried moving the vertical foregrip all the way forward and everything finally "clicked". After several years and several attempts I finally figured out why there were so many advantages to having the vertical foregrip all the way forward.


Think of how things balance and piviot points and maybe the following will make some sense


I have found that the magwell hold or having the vertical foregrip toward the delta ring places the center of gravity too far to the rear.  Not a big issue when shooting in a CQB enviornment, but when engaging targets at further distances I have found this technique doesn't work well for me, and it's hard to keep the gun steady.


Kind of hard to explain this via a written message but here goes:

Think of your carbine like as if it were an old 1800's musket, you know the really long muskets.  The stock is in your shoulder, and thus is supported at one end.

If you wanted the best control over the musket when moving it up and down and left to right where would you want to put your support hand? Would you want your support hand in close (near your firing hand), in the middle (dead center) of the musket, or as close as you could get it to the muzzle?

Obviously you would want to get the second point of support as close to the muzzle as possible.


Here is an exercise to try to illistrate the point I'm trying to make.  Pick several targets out in your area, and stagger the distance both from left to right and front to back (ie. target #1 at 50 yards, target #2 at 350 yards, target number #3 at 175 yards, target #4 at 25 yards, etc).  

Now take the longest rifle you have avalible to you (it can be a hunting rifle, AR15A2, M1 Garand, etc....the longer the rifle the better) and put your support hand as close as you can to the firing hand and transition from targets 1 - 4 as fast as you can.  Do this a couple times.  Now move the support hand the middle of the gun (ie. as close to center as possible) and transition from targets 1-4 as fast as you can.  Do this a couple times.  Now, move the support hand as far out on the forend as possible and transition from targets 1-4 as fast as you can.  Do this a couple times.

I'm sure you will find that the further you get the hand out on the fore end the easier it is to control the gun, the quicker your transitions from one target to another, and when the support hand is in close you tend to "over shoot" your target but when it's further out, you can stop on a dime.

Moving the hand or vertical foregrip as close as you can get it to the unsupported end of the gun (ie. the muzzle) provides the best level of support and also helps you drive and control the gun much better.

With the vertical foregrip I'm constantly pushing rearward on the vertical foregrip, thus providing constant rearward pressure into my shoulder.

While at first having the vertical foregrip all the way forward feels ackward, I find that my support shoulder and arm doesn't fatigue as quickly and I can hold the gun up on target for longer periods of time.




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I have found that the magwell hold or having the vertical foregrip toward the delta ring places the center of gravity too far to the rear.

I have moved all of my vertical foregrips all the way to the front of the rail (closest to the front sight tower).

Kind of hard to explain this via a written message but here goes:

Think of your carbine like a board that is supported at one end.  If you wanted the best control over the board when moving it up and down and left to right where would you want to put the support?  Would you want it close to the end that is already supported, in the middle, or as close as you can get it to the unsupported end?

Obviously you would want to get the second point of support as close to the end of the board that is not being supported as possible.

Moving the hand or vertical foregrip as close as you can get it to the unsupported end of the gun (ie. the muzzle) provides the best level of support and also helps you drive and control the gun much better.

With the vertical foregrip I'm constantly pushing rearward on the vertical foregrip, thus providing constant rearward pressure into my shoulder.

When I'm NOT using a vertical foregrip, I wrap my hand around the handguard (like you would wrap your hand around any cylinder shaped object), with my index finger pointing in the same direction as the muzzle (resting on the 9 o'clock rail).  

With my hand in this position I can provide constant rearward pressure into my shoulder.  Having my hand in this position provides much more control and I can drive the gun much better and stop on a target without overshooting it and having to come back to it.  I have noticed that when I have my hand closer to the delta ring that I can't stop the gun as quickly when transitioning from one target to another at medium to long distances and often over shoot or go past the target and have to come back to it.

Here is a visual of how I hold the gun without a vertical foregrip and can provide constant rearward pressure and have much better control:


Larger version of above photo.


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(Wrote this here on ar15.com in early 2006)

Someone asked me why I don't use a vertical foregrip on my mid-lengths (w/ ACOGs) any more:







Xxxxx,


         After much trial and error, I have come to the following conclusion:  -Guns that I do a lot of CQB work with I prefer the vertical foregrip.  The vertical foregrip helps me "drive" the gun on closer targets, is more ergonomical for accessing a weapon mounted light, gives more power on muzzle strikes and weapon retention, etc.  

         On guns that I do a lot of *long range shooting* with, I prefer NO vertical foregrip, because I can steady the gun much better on longer shots without the vertical foregrip.  The lack of a vertical foregrip also helps me drive and stop the gun better when transitioning from one target to another at longer distances, and has an advantage on barricades, etc.  The rifle match has 75%+ of the targets placed from 100 yards - 425 yards.

           Something that I noticed when using a vertical foregrip and long range targets....when I would transition from one target to another, I would always pass the target I was transitioning to and have to come back to it (ie. I would "over shoot" or by pass the target).  

           I don't know why, but on close targets I can drive the gun and stop on a dime at close distances....but at long range targets, I would always pass the target and have to come back to it.  

          Without a vertical foregrip, I can stop on a dime when transitioning from one target to another at longer distances.  Without a vertical foregrip, I wrap my hand round the forend and point my index finger in the same direction as the muzzle (index finger is pointing forward along the 9 o'clock rail)  Example:  demigod.org/~zak/DigiCam/PRM-2006.11/?small=D100_5707_img.jpg

          On my guns that have ACOG's, Leupold MR/T 1.5-5x M2's, (guns set up for medium to long range shooting) I have removed the vertical foregrips and run just the LaRue handguard and Tango Down pannels.  

          On my guns with Aimpoints / Short Dots (work guns or guns set up for close to medium range shooting), I still run the vertical foregrips.


          Distance = time.  Time affords you the ability to get into more stable positions (ie. sitting, prone, braced kneeling, the use of barricades, etc, etc.)  In these position a vertical foregrip has no advantage, and can often get in the way.  When most of your shots are closer and you are in the standing position or on the move, this is the area where the vertical foregrip shines.  I guess it's all about selecting the right tool for the job.  Just my opinion based on my personal experiences, as with all things, your milage may vary.  


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From my AAR of Pat Rogers May 2008 class:

This is the 2nd time I've hosted Pat for a 3 day Carbine Operator's Course and my 2nd time taking the course.

First time I trained with Pat Rogers was in May of 2007. If you want my opinion of Pat as an instructor and his training curriculum, I am working on bringing Pat back to Pueblo West in May of 2009. In some circles this is what they refer to as a clue. ;)

In 2008 I had planned on changing up a few things (guns and gear related). I don't change things for the sake of change, I change things based on performance. If it helps me be faster, more accuracte, more efficient, etc. then I will embrace change. If it looks cool but doesn't help me perform better, I don't waste my time with it.

The three main things that I wanted to try in 2008 was:

1) Run my guns (at work, in training, and competition) for a complete year without a vertical foregrip. The reason for this is I have been shooting run and gun competition with out a vertical foregrip and I have been using a vertical foregrip on my work gun. I wanted to see if there was an advantage to not using a vertical foregrip at CQB distances.


For the last several years at work and training I had been carrying 14.5" M4 carbine's with LaRue 7.0 rail systems. This worked fine for me when running a vertical foregrip. Due to the manner in which I like to hold my hand on the forend when not using a vertical forgrip, I found that the 7.0 was too short.

So in 2008 I had planned on going to a 16" carbine with a mid-length gas system and a LaRue 9.0 rail system. This would give me the real estate needed to hold the handguard in the manner in which I prefer (thumb over the 12 o'clock rail, index finger on the 9 o'clock rail pointed in the same direction as the muzzle, and my other three fingers wrapped around the bottom of the handguard...illistrated in the pic below, index finger is straight along the 9 o'clock rail pointing the same direction as the muzzle):



The 16" mid-lenght upper was finished in December, the same month that I ordered the lower for this project. By mid-March I hadn't received the lower from the vendor that I ordered it from, so I ordered a Noveske N4 low profile carbine (I finally received the lower for the 16" mid-lenght in April).

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For the last year or so I use the following set ups:

If the gun is a mid-length (9.0 rail / handguards) or a carbine with a longer rail (ie. 10.0, 11.0, etc) I don't use a vertical foregrip.  I use the grip method shown above (index finger pointed forward along the 9 o'clock rail, the rest of my fingers and thumb wrapped around the rail system).

The only guns I'm using a vertical foregrip on are SBR's and 14.5" M4 with LaRue 7.0 rail systems, and these guns are primarilly used for SWAT work (most of which is CQB).



Semper Fi,
Jeff

What follows are my opinions based on my first hand experiences using several different set ups over the years and my personal preferences.


Vertical foregrips are good for CQB, but hinder long distance shooting.  An ACOG is a medium to long distance optic and is not made for CQB.

My suggestion would be:

1)  Remove the vertical foregrip.  

2)  Move the light mount to the 12 o'clock rail (position the light so the light mount puts the light at 11 o'clock).  When you need to activate the light all you have to do is move your thumb and click the tail cap.

3)  Change the stock to a Vltor EMod or Magpul UBR (more info on that below)

4)  Try the grip I talked about on page 7 (and pictured below) (also please read what I wrote on page 7 in reference to vertical foregrips / ACOGs / shooting at distance)

Note the index finger is pointed along the 9 o'clock rail in the same direction as the barrel (keep the finger straight and don't wrap it around the end of the rail, as this defeats the purpose), thumb is wrapped over the 12 o'clock rail, and the remaining 3 fingers are wrapped around the 6 o'clock rail:



In reference to stock choices:

Repost of info I had written on another thread:





It really comes down to personal preference and that is not something that can be explained or decided over the internet. You really can't go wrong with either stock.


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Something I have learned about AR's over the years is, it's a game of matching the right part with the right gun. You may try a stock on a 10.5" SBR and hate it, and then try the same stock on a 16" mid-length carbine and fall in love with it.

Here is something I wrote in another thread in reference to my personal preferences on different stocks:


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There are some accessories that I like across the board on all AR's, there are other accessories that I may like on a 11.5" SBR but not like on a 16" Mid-Length or a 20" rifle.

Stocks can

1) help balance out a rifle

2) or if the stock too big or heavy can dominate the gun

3) and if it's too small or too light can make the gun feel muzzle heavy


After trying several different configurations over the year, at the current time I have found that I like Magpul CTR's on SBR's and some 14.5" M4's but I don't like Mapgul CTR's on 16" barreled mid-lengths or 14.5" guns with longer rail systems (9.0 - 13.2). The Magpul CTR is a light weight stock and doesn't balance out a front heavy carbine well.

SOPMODs (for me) fit perfectly on a 14.5" M4, but can also balance most SBR's and mid-lengths out fairly well.

Vltor EMods and Magpul UBRs balance out 16" Mid-Lenghts and most 18" gun with rifle length gas tubes quite well.


As a general rule I run:

-Magpul CTR's on SBR's (short barreled rifle) and some 14.5" M4's (with carbine length rail system)

-SOPMODs only on 14.5" M4's

-Vltor EMods and Magpul UBR's only on 16" mid-lengths

-Magpul UBR's on 14.5" - 16" barrels with longer rail systems (10.0 - 13.2) (example show above of a UBR on a Noveske with a 14.5" barrel and a 10.0 rail system)

I also recently had the chance to try a Magpul UBR on a 20" rifle and the UBR balanced out the rifle extreemly well.


Picture thread, so here goes....sorry if any of these are reposts:

Magpul CTR on a 11.5" Short Barreled Rifle:


Magpul CTR on 14.5" M4:


LMT SOPMOD on a 14.5" M4:


Magpul UBR on BRAVO COMPANY 16" Mid-Length:


Vltor EMod on a 16" Mid-Length:


Magpul UBR on a 14.5" Noveske N4 barrel with LaRue 11.0 rail:


Vltor EMOD on a plain 16" Mid-Length:




Hope this helps











I have no issues activating the light.  I use my middle finger.  All of my lights are Scout lights with clicker tail caps or x300's in LaRue mounts.

Hopefully you can see a little better in this pic where my middle finger is in relation to the tail cap of the light.  Very easy to activate, finger has to move very little.




Hope this helps.

I took Jeff's advice. Put my light on the top rail with a Vikings Tactics Mount. The light sits at the !!:00 and is very easy to reach. I can hit it with my thumb, and or index finger depending on how I grip the front end.

However, I have found that with the light in this position, your sling needs to be to the rear. If you mount the sling forward on the handguards or on the FSB the slilng may get in the way of the light. So light forward, sling aft.

I also am now a believer. A VFG is great, but on my middy I like it not. That is to say, right now, i like the middy without a VFG.

I hope some of you with BCM uppers can post information on what type of ammo your upper likes, and what kind of accuracy / groups you're getting.

Or, like another thread says, can you hit a grapefruit off hand at 50 yards?

Sweet. And you got the new cool hat too! Major scorage.

I keep gettin a lot of people asking me why a middy and or the BCM uppers are any better than the others. What are your thoghts? Anybody?