AR-15 Upgrading and Customization

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AlexKk

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Hey all!

I'm fairly new to upgrading and changing parts out on firearms, meaning that most of mine have been stock since purchase.

I'm looking in to doing some aesthetic upgrades and was hoping for some direction from some more experienced members.

Project : S&W MP 15 - Sport 2
Goal : Remove the front sight and replace the current hand guard with a 15'' free float rail system

My questions:

1) Do you guys have any suggestions for rails? I've been doing some browsing online and the Canadian options are priced in the CDN 300-500 range at times, while their US counterparts are going for USD 179-285. Are you guys ordering them from the States or buying local?

2) If you are ordering from the US, which online stores do you use? Most of the one's that I've looked through do not offer shipping to Canada.

3) When it comes to the installation of the rail itself will I need access to any special tools or can it be done with the basics?

Looking forward to some advice from the community!
 
I's stay with a Canadian Company, unfortunately the price is the price. Lots of things like duty, brokerage and freight to consider in the equation as well, plus if you ever needed parts in a hurry wouldn't you want to be able to go and buy it at a local shop? They need the support all the time, not just when it's convenient.

I have some Odin Works handguards on a few rifles and like them, just go to their site and see who the Canadian dealers are, that's what I did.

You should be able to install it yourself, but you will likely need a new gas block as well - not sure as I'm not sure what the S&W;'s come with, but if you are looking to remove a front sight post gas block, then you will for sure need one.
 
I order most of my stuff from various Canadian retailers. Find one you like, and is well made and pay the price. A good rail is worth the money.

First and foremost, I’m sure you know, you’ll need to swap over to a low pro gas block. A simple process that requires a hammer and pin set to remove the taper pins and an Allen key for the set screws on the low pro gas block. Find a YouTube video for the taper pins as there is a very right and a very wrong way to do it. It’s easy when you do it the right way.

As for rail install, you’ll also more than likely have to swap the barrel nut. Doing this requires an armorers wrench, a torque wrench and usually a barrel nut wrench that often comes with your new rail and barrel nut. You’ll also need something to secure the upper receiver while removing the barrel nut and reinstalling it. I highly recommend a reaction rod type. Again, a simple process if you do it the right way, but if you don’t have access to the tools it’s going to cost you around 100-150 bucks just in tools. If you don’t want to spend the money, or are unsure of your own capabilities, either find someone on here that is competent in building AR’s or take it to your local gunsmith.

Building or assembling an AR is a very simple process and isn’t much more complicated than building a Lego set or an IKEA shelf, but the consequences are much greater should you make a mistake. Something to consider.
 
Cheapest solution for removing the front sight post is cutting it down so it fits under the new handguard. That way it can be reinstalled after and you don't need to worry about the gas port position.

As the guys above have said, a new barrel nut will likely be used for the handguard. So the FSP has to be removed to remove the old barrel nut and install the new one.
 
Brianma65 said:
Is it possible to get a FF Handguard that would allow him to use his existing Barrel nut?
Click to expand...

Troy Alpha. There are several on EE right now, $130-ish shipped, albeit only 11"

That would be your cheapest and easiest option - dremel down the front sight, slide on the new handguard and that's it.

Do you think you might want to try different muzzle devices later on? A shorter handguard = will be able to clamp the barrel and torque the muzzle brake properly without having to take the handguard off
 
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Thank you all for the advice so far.

I'm aware that I'll most likely need to change the current gas block to a low profile one, I'm also open to purchasing a new barrel nut to ensure that everything fits properly.

How much do gunsmiths generally charge for this type of work? I want to make sure that this is done right :).

Cheers!
 
It’s cheaper to do what 5.45 said, to get the results you’re looking for.
If you buy a new rail and GB and then have to pay someone to do the work, you may be better off to sell the M&P and buy something that’s already setup to your wants.
 
AlexKk said:
Thank you all for the advice so far.

I'm aware that I'll most likely need to change the current gas block to a low profile one, I'm also open to purchasing a new barrel nut to ensure that everything fits properly.

How much do gunsmiths generally charge for this type of work? I want to make sure that this is done right :).

Cheers!
Click to expand...

You shouldn’t need to buy a separate barrel nut, as most rails come with them as they’re often proprietary.
As for cost, the shop I used to go to in Edmonton charged me around 35 bucks to assemble an upper.

I’d say your best bet is to find some rails you like, and then let us know so we can assist you more accurately in regards to what you’d need to do.
 
I changed a bunch of crap on my mp15 including a free float hand guard . I have a 15” free float with mlok it was around $100 . I didn’t wanna cut my front post so I also bought a new slim gas block . I am however a touch lazy to host a pic but it looks pretty sweet imo
 
Any thought on Maple Ridge's V1 M-lok option?

It's reasonably priced and comes with an aluminium barrel nut.

I would still need a low profile gas block but that's not an issue.
 
15" hand guard over 16 barrel looks kinda weird. I think 12/13" looks the best . Most people don't have arms that long to reach that far out to the Hand guard anyway . 15 more for 18+ inch barrels .

Here is my pile.

First one 12" over 14.5
Second 13.7 over 14.5
Third 13 over 16
4th 9.5 over 10.5
5th 15 over 18

20190122115849.jpg
 
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RUSTSPOT said:
15" hand guard over 16 barrel looks kinda weird. I think 12/13" looks the best . Most people don't have arms that long to reach that far out to the Hand guard anyway . 15 more for 18+ inch barrels .

Here is my pile.

First one 12" over 14.5
Second 13.7 over 14.5
Third 13 over 16
4th 9.5 over 10.5
5th 15 over 18

20190122115849.jpg
Click to expand...

I like what you did with the grey/orange camp job there
 
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