THIS IS MY M4 PART 6: RAILS
THIS IS MY M4 PT 6: RAIL AGAINST THE MACHINE
AFTER YEARS OF MAKING MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO RIFS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SUCCESS, STEVE T GOES ALL-IN ON HIS MWS TO FIND OUT JUST WHAT AN INEPT HOME TECH CAN ACHIEVE. THIS MONTH: NEW HANDGUARD.
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ast issue, we had the front end apart to fit a longer inner barrel. And since that means removing the rail, it seems like a good opportunity to swap it out for something beefier. In terms of functionality, as long as I have enough real estate to hang a scope, torch and grip then I couldn’t ask for anything more. But the rails on any weapon have a huge impact on its visual appeal, which is half the battle in airsoft (if we’re honest). My first instinct was to go for a slick M-lok finish - and even ordered a Geissele replica handguard with that in mind - but then I realised that I already have a smooth-snouted AEG in my Krytac Trident. By way of comparison - and as I’ve said before - what I’m aiming for with this M4 is an excitingly “chunky” form factor. Both M-lok and Keymod rails offer benefits for open or gloved hands especially if you use the flavour-du-jour C-clamp hold - but that’s not how I play. Since I’ve grown accustomed to a vertical foregrip on my assault rifles, that’s become more important than a narrower hand profile across the whole handguard.
If you’re aiming for 100% military beef, then what better choice than the Daniel Defense rail as adopted by the US Army and special forces alike? It’s all solid, completely functional and looks cool-as, to boot.
A BEAR OF VERY LITTLE BRAIN
Since we’re fitting aftermarket rails, this is where reassembly differs from standard and needs a little bit of thinking. As a bear of very little brain, I soon hit obstacles despite online research, then spent hours fitting, removing and refitting parts just to try to understand what I was up against. This is when I began to regret undertaking this project. What was I thinking? Well, dear reader, in some strange way, I was thinking of you. I had no idea when I began this series whether it would become a cautionary tale or an inspirational story - or maybe a combination of the two. Let’s work the problem.
OH, POOH!
back into the upper is about as easy as it gets. But from here, we were in for a rougher time of it. Had we just been refitting the standard parts, even I could have managed that. But we weren’t. Instead, I’d chosen to fit aftermarket with no instructions other than good ol’ YouTube. Having researched beforehand, I knew that we needed to use an adapter ring - in our case by PTS - to fit the 12in lite rail from Madbull. What I hadn’t anticipated was the need to work out which ring went in which orientation and which order with no diagrams or markings to refer to. Get it wrong and nothing fits - and even funnier - the barrels just fall out! But, even having narrowed the configuration down to the right combination through a process of elimination, there was still a problem - one ring would not seat as intended within another. Problem identified, a few minutes with a file to remove a coat of paint and problem solved. Only then could we get the mount as flush as it should be. Maybe a little too flush - as you’ll see later...
Inserting the the barrel assembly
“WHAT I HADN’T ANTICIPATED WAS THE NEED TO WORK OUT WHICH RING WENT IN WHICH ORIENTATION AND WHICH ORDER WITH NO DIAGRAMS OR MARKINGS TO REFER TO. GET IT WRONG AND NOTHING FITS - AND EVEN FUNNIER - THE BARRELS JUST FALL OUT!”
68
MAY 2020
