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Posted: 4/18/2012 5:29:13 PM EDT
| I am in the process of re-configuring a "dissipator" I got a great deal on. I want to free float the barrel (a 16" 1 in 9 H BAR). I was thinking of leaving the front iron sight as a co-witness. I want a long hand guard and noticed free floated hand guards usually have a BUIS mounted on the end. If the rifle is on a bipod or resting on the hand guard wouldn't that change point of aim/point of impact if the front of the hand guard flexes? The whole point of free floating is to take pressure off the barrel, but if you put pressure on the hand guard, I think the free float effect would be negated. I was thinking of using a gas port with a picatinny mount and put the BUIS on that. Any thoughts/ experience would be appreciated. |
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There is a whole lot of talk about whether or not a front sight is more accurate on the barrel or a on a hand guard. It may be very well more accurate when attached to the barrel, but most of the time iron sights are for backup so extreme accuracy is not critical for the most part in comparison to your primary optic.
I personally like to have folding front sights on the front of my free float hand guard. No scientific reason, but that's just the way I like it. |
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You are correct about negating the purpose of a FF if your front sight is on it. However this is to a point. My LaRue Stealth is a full 20" barrel and extra long quadrail on which I have my front sight mounted at the same distance a standard 20" rifle would. I can hit 10"x12" plates at 320" all day long with xm193 ammo, Matech BUIS, and GG&G front sight.
If I were you I would keep the FSB on it if you can. It will be inherently more accurate than my setup. Personally, I've never been a fan of flip up sights on a railed gas block but that's my preference. ETA - depends how accurate you want to get. |
| This is pure speculation and not based on any testing done, but from personal experience, rail systems that are bolted up to a mounting plate behind the barrel nut are inherently more rigid than say a RAS rail mounted using the Delta ring setup. I'm sure the possibility is there to affect your POA/POI on different rail systems depending on their construction and rigidity, but I would postulate that the movement on a free floated rail would be significantly less than any movement imparted upon a non free floated barrel with a FSB. |
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