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Posted: 10/9/2015 3:39:46 PM EDT
| Looking for a budget 9 or 10 inch rail, I have looked at the ALG rails but what else is on the market |
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Quoted: Personally don't see the advantage to save just a few bucks on an inferior product, the ALG is pretty cheap and solid. |
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Op check out this thread on matrix arms rails Matrix Arms rails
I bought one from Joe bob's, it will be here tomorrow and I'll update that thread with my first impressions. |
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try the UTG super slim for good value and a good rail that is modular +1 I have used the nine inch (its actually 9.25") on two of my pistol builds. Very good quality and fit for the price of about $90 shipped to my door. And they are exactly the same I.D./O.D. of MI Gen2 SS handguards which I have on my 14.5" builds. |
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I actually found a pretty decent NSR clone, but the only bad thing is that it's made in china.
I'm not sure how much of a budget you are looking for. I used mine to make my budget build as cheap as possible ($415 before I got the brace/sights/foliage green stuff). I inspected the barrel nut before building it of course. The provided set screws were pretty good quality and had no risk of stripping. The only thing that sucked about them was the free keymod rail attachments. They were just heavy and the finish sucked. The rail actually had decent finish, laser etched T marks, rails are in spec, keymod slots were in spec, and it included shims. It seems like Rifle Supply has pretty decent quality control. The only pain was perfectly lining up the rail with my upper. I had a tiny bit of OCD there. There was a slight trick to tightening down the barrel nut screws. The rail/barrel nut is very solid. But this is only a 7" rail, there is no telling if a longer length will have wobble. Not bad for $53 shipped, but if I knew about the Matrix hand guards, I would have purchased one instead. 7" NSR Clone by RifleSupply 
The 10" version is here. 10" NSR Clone by RifleSupply Another nice option are the rails Primary Arms put out. They are made by Seekins. Primary Arms Seekins Rail 9" Model Also Parallax Tactical is a great company to deal with. Check their facebook They sometimes have blems for sale for only $110 9" model here. |
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Never put ANYTHING made in China on an AR-15!
You should lose your citizenship and membership on arfcom for even suggesting this. They are our enemy and we should all be actively avoiding as many of their products as possible. (I jest about the citizenship part...kind of  )
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Never put ANYTHING made in China on an AR-15! You should lose your citizenship and membership on arfcom for even suggesting this. They are our enemy and we should all be actively avoiding as many of their products as possible. (I jest about the citizenship part...kind of )Normally I'd agree with you. But since my build was 2/3 Anderson I didn't think it could get much worse. 
I did give OP several other options. Whats sad though is the Chicom rail is better quality than the version Guntec puts out. Guntec's version is supposedly made in the USA as well but has an inferior barrel nut/attachment screws It really depends if your short barreled upper is just a range toy or not.. The PA Seekins/Parallax Blems are very good for the money. PA has sales every now and then, sometimes their rails go for $100. |
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Quoted: try the UTG super slim for good value and a good rail that is modular there's a long thread about them here and people that have them are very happy with them.dont listen to people just parroting others listen to people that actually have them.. ALG makes a very nice rail as well here's the thread in BIY http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_3_4/628539_Opinions_on_UTG_PRO_AR15_Mid_Length_9_Super_Slim_Free_Float_Handguard___.html |
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I was looking for the generic seekins rails that several companies are selling, can't seem to find them online. Just put one of the Seekins they build for Primary Arms on a new build. Nice looking rail, really light, and feel good in hand. Here it is, just completed last week: 
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Define "rough". Quoted:
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Matrix Arms. I have two installed and am very pleased with the form/function. Very slim rail. Just ordered one. Is the anodizing the rough kind? Define "rough". Not sure if you are familiar with Anderson's finish? Kinda rough/sand paper-ish? Compared to smoother anodizing on other brands. Suppose I'm just nit picking here. |
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I happened to just receive a Matrix Aerospace Handguard today in 9 inch. I am personally very impressed with it. Made in USA.
For the 45.00 I paid it sure beats the heck out paying 3 or 5 times the Price. No I do not believe another 150.00 is going to get me a Handguard 4 times better. I believe Matrix makes stuff for Ruger among other people. You will really like it I believe. I was so impressed I am ordering one of their 15 inch later this week. My finish is very nice. Not rough at all. I will post a pic later if I have time. |
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I just got my 13" Matrix in today, along with the 14.5" pinned voodoo barrel.
I just did a mock up with a spare Anderson Upper I had. I think I'm going to like this set up. The anodizing seems really dry, almost powder coat-ish. Truthfully though I was surprised with how light weight and well made the rail is. I might replace the Chicom NSR clone I have on my 7.5" range toy with a Matrix. The fact that you don't have to screw around with shims and indexing seems like a huge plus. Just torque the barrel nut within military specifications, install the rail with proper torque/blue loctite and you are gtg. You get the slimness/light weight of an NSR style handguard, without the head ache. |
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Yep I bought a 9 inch then a have a 15 coming this week. I like them. Got rid of a JP VTAC, which is a expensive, quality Hand Guard, in favor of this "cheap" one. Third of the price and better. Cannot complain.
I had that same chalky dry look. Sprayed it with a little oil. Wiped it down and it disappears. I did discover something when I went to mount mine. In my case I am using them on dedicated .22 uppers. I use Taccom ULWs on both and found the nuts will not go over my Taccom barrels without modification. I had to turn about .003 out of the inside diameter to fit. Very simple for me as I have a small lathe. Took about 5 minutes. If you did not have a lathe it still could be done by hand. Just thought I would throw that out there if someone considers one for use with a Taccom ULW barrel, expect this problem. |
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Quoted:
Yep I bought a 9 inch then a have a 15 coming this week. I like them. Got rid of a JP VTAC, which is a expensive, quality Hand Guard, in favor of this "cheap" one. Third of the price and better. Cannot complain. I had that same chalky dry look. Sprayed it with a little oil. Wiped it down and it disappears. I did discover something when I went to mount mine. In my case I am using them on dedicated .22 uppers. I use Taccom ULWs on both and found the nuts will not go over my Taccom barrels without modification. I had to turn about .003 out of the inside diameter to fit. Very simple for me as I have a small lathe. Took about 5 minutes. If you did not have a lathe it still could be done by hand. Just thought I would throw that out there if someone considers one for use with a Taccom ULW barrel, expect this problem. Thanks for the tip about the oil thing. I rubbed it down with a Hoppes wipe. Dried it the best I could, I then took a lint free rag soaked with some rubbing alcohol. The texture cleaned up really nice and comes close to the finish on my uppers/lowers now. |
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