Honestly tried to get a 6720...

[Lex Luthier]

But the powers that be laughed.

(Or maybe just the Colt's Manufacturing Company)

For years now, I've read threads from
all the stalwarts here, coonfingered a few different rifles, and decided that a KISS AR6720 carbine was what I needed. "Shoot the gun and learn" as they say.

Years pass.

In the meantime, bought a Sionics gutless lower & populated it with good basic stuff. No gimmicks. Still waiting on the LaRue MBT-2 trigger, otherwise done.

Finally came upon a deal for a complete 6720 upper, and bought it. What arrived was:



Yep, a 6960 midlength upper, minus the Centurion rail, but with a complete bolt carrier group and charging handle.
WTH, Colt?
Very clean, prettier than usual for a Colt, and in a properly marked 6720 box. 8/17 barrel date, all the right Colt markings. I think I just got a windfall peach.
A 6720-OEM2, if you will.

I'd return or exchange it, but I think with this week's events and the fact that the vendor is spotty
(https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....n-deals/page10), I'm likely better off just adapting and overcoming.


Now.... What rail for a *poor* guy who wanted a simple lightweight carbine?
I'd like to duplicate the 6720 handling & balance as much as is possible, and it has the stock barrel nut, so the rail needs to work with that. I don't intend to hang anything but a light, a front iron sight, and a qd sling socket off the thing.
Quad rails would not work at all for my needs.
Slim is better. This will be a first AR experience for my family as well as myself.

Anyone have any suggestions?
Please go easy, for I am of The Poors.

Are the Troy Alpha rails a horrible idea? Squid grips don't scare me, I'm from a fishing village.😀

[Grouse870]

Troy makes a good forend that uses the standard barrel nut
https://troyind.com/products/battler...le-low-profile

I had the previous version to this one and it works fine. This one had mlok so you can add whatever you want

[fwrun]

That's actually a pretty good score unless you were dead set on a FSB. I'd check forums/ebay for a used rail. You could score a KMR or Centurion for less than a new Troy Alpha.

[WobblyPossum]

How set are you on your rail being compatible with the stock barrel nut? As mentioned above, you could likely score a heavily discounted BCM KMR rail on the secondary market because the cool kids don’t want keymod anymore. With how lightweight the KMR rails are, you would get the light weight of the plastic hand guard that would have come on a 6720 upper combined with a metal rail that makes it easy to attach all your preferred accessories.

If you have a bench vice and have the mechanical aptitude needed to change a tire, you shouldn’t have a problem removing the stock barrel but and installing the KMR. You would need to invest in some kind of fixture to hold the upper receiver in place for the installation. Those vary in price.

[LJP]

I know you said that a quad rail would not work for you, but honestly, if I were working with that I would get a Centurion Arms C4 rail and call it good. Yeah, it’s a quad rail, but it’s lightwieght and relatively slim for a quad rail. And it works with the stock barrel nut. I have two of them. With MagPul or Ergo ladder rail covers, I’m quite happy with them. M-Lok is the in thing these days, but quad rails aren’t going away either.

[Casual Friday]

If you're not married to the idea of using the stock barrel nut, this place has the best deal on BCM MCMR rails that I've found. I ordered two and they ship very fast.

https://tssoutfitters.com/?s=mcmr&post_type=product

[dontshakepandas]

I know you said that a quad rail would not work for you, but honestly, if I were working with that I would get a Centurion Arms C4 rail and call it good. Yeah, it’s a quad rail, but it’s lightwieght and relatively slim for a quad rail. And it works with the stock barrel nut. I have two of them. With MagPul or Ergo ladder rail covers, I’m quite happy with them. M-Lok is the in thing these days, but quad rails aren’t going away either.

This is what I'd do also.

[theJanitor]

I'm using a C4 cutout rail for a FSB on my 6920, and am quite happy with it. I've used their gen1 CMR rail before and think highly of those too.

If that upper had a FSB, I'd be all over an older DD omega rail. those were great, and narrow/slim

[DamonL]

If you're not married to the idea of using the stock barrel nut, this place has the best deal on BCM MCMR rails that I've found. I ordered two and they ship very fast.

https://tssoutfitters.com/?s=mcmr&post_type=product

This is what I would do. When I was trying to buy a few inexpensive rails, I bought from ALG Defense during one of their blem sales. If I knew about the BCM MCMR at those prices, I would have spent a few dollars more.

[Beat Trash]

I wasn’t aware that Colt was selling complete 6960 uppers. I’d buy one if the price was right.