So I took all of the BS attachments off of my rail...

[Crash41984]

I could fill the bed of my pickup with all of the useless crap I've attached to my rails since I started shooting ARs fifteen years ago. I've probably bought and mounted close to every VFG, AFG, and Handstop that is in existence searching for my sweet spot. Granted, this is all personal preference and dependent on the length of your rail, need for other accessories, etc... That said, I took all of it off my rifles this past weekend and I am astounded with how much better I was shooting. Especially true with unnatural positions. Hate to say it, but this is pretty much proving to me that I got suckered by gun industry marketing and striving to make my rifles look "tough."

Has anyone else fallen into that trap? I.E. Come full circle with all of the cool guy stuff and wound up right back to a slick rail? I left a B5 Gripstop on my V11 that has a x300u at 12 o' clock, which is the only place I could feel a benefit. Even then, it was only a benefit if I was activating the light. What say you?

[orionz06]

A little. Less was hype and more of it was just trying stuff. I find that a small stubby VFG or finger stop is all I need. All the other stuff is annoying.

[Default.mp3]

Pedant alert:

Public Service Announcement:

Handguard:


Handguard:


Handguard:


Handguard:


Rail:


Rail:


Quad-Rail Handguard:


MLOK Handguard:


Railed MLOK Handguard:


Point: the thing you hold is a handguard.
The raised mount is the rail.
If you stick rails on a handguard, it's a railed handguard.
An "MLOK Rail" is a piece of rail that you stick to an MLOK handguard, not a handguard with MLOK cut into it.
Long ago, in the way back, we all got lazy and called "Quad Rail Handguards", "Rail Interface Systems", and "Rail Adaptor Systems"; "Rails". We did not have an eye on the future, we were just lazy. Now is the time to fix that.

Source: http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread....62#post2396862

Beyond that, I've only put on lights and QD sling sockets onto my handguards, outside of the 1200; I do use a Surefire SR07 as an index point, but that's up top. I have played with mounting a stubby VFG multiple times, but I just don't have enough training to justify the extra weight for normal shooting; I might get one the next time I roleplay, as I find myself magwell gripping a fair bit when holding a doorway from a deep corner in a static position. I'm also told that the VFG has a lot of utility as a brace against non-standard barricades.

[MistWolf]

Because I grew up carrying firearms in the field for hunting, I have always been resistant to adding anything beyond a sling and an optic to my rifles. It's only been in the last couple of years I've expanded that short list to include a weapon light and a direct thread suppressor.

I've avoided rails, vertical fore grips, hand stops, lasers, bipods and anything else that seemed heavier than necessary, complicated, fragile or uncomfortable. You learn a lot about these things when you're twelve years old and find that you have to hike yourself, your rifle and all that gear you thought looked cool at the army surplus store, back to camp, along with the brace of rabbits you took that morning

[Chance]

I.E. Come full circle with all of the cool guy stuff and wound up right back to a slick rail?

I think most shooters go through the process of focusing on gear and then eventually shifting focus back to the fundamentals. It's especially an issue with ARs, because all that real estate is so enticing.

Give me a light, and something to make sure my grip is consistent, and I'm happy. That's the case now - that was definitely not the case five or six years ago.

[texasaggie2005]

Yup, very guilty of this. I built my first AR upper right when Magpul's MLOK was coming out, so I went banana's trying out all the different stuff from multiple manufacturer's. Nowadays I just stick with vertical grip and a light, as I can't justify the added weight and cost of anything else.

[breakingtime91]

I started out trying everything I could think of. Now I only do a rds, light, and sling attachment.

[NH Shooter]

Yes, the simpler (and lighter), the better.

BTW, the same can be said for "weight watching" - heavy quad rail hand guards (and all the "stuff" that ends up attached to them), heavy contour barrels, heavy "urban sniper" stocks, heavy scopes, heavy scope mounts, etc. I once ended up with a 16-inch "carbine" that weighed well north of 10 pounds. After quickly tiring of its excessive weight, I've been a strong advocate of the KISS principle ever since.

[SecondsCount]

I started out with a 20" AR-15A1 in the 80's which was fairly light and reliable, and all it had was a sling.

While I would never tell anyone what they should or should not have on their AR, I still just have a sling, and a flashlight as an option if I needed it.

ETA: My precision AR has a heavy profile barrel and a big scope but that isn't setup for up close and personal, more along the lines of 500 yards and beyond.

[blues]

Sling, Streamlight, Aimpoint H2. (Okay, a Wilson Combat TTU trigger, but it's light.)