Arca on the handguard

[BoulderE89]

So I’m putting together a new 18” 6 ARC build and am down to just the handguard to finish it out. I was planning all along to get the St. of arms 15.5” handguard that has an integrated arca rail in it. Only problem is now it’s out of stock.

My question to you guys is do you think it’s worth waiting for the integrated arca or just going and getting a handguard and slapping an arca rail to it?

 

[TheOE800]

Something @Terry Cross said about integrated Arca rails getting damaged made me think twice about it. I run Sawtooth Arca rails on my MLOK handguards and he also OEMs for Foundation so I’ve got one on my bolt gun too, highly recommend.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

I have 3 chassis, and one of then has a bolt on arca, the other two integrated. It's nicer looking and all to have the integrated but, they do get beat up, the cerakote comes off from use on a tripod, ect... It's very nice to be able to just replace the arca rail after a while, so I would just think about it and decide. If you are going to be flopping it down on barricades and using the arca a lot for bipod and tripod, you might prefer a bolt on arca rail that can be replaced. If the forend has enough good mounting points, and you know whatever arca rail will fit it well, I'd certainly consider that option.

 

[Ledzep]

I put an area 419 rail on mine via the Mlok slots.

 

[that_dude_ryanmichael]

So I’m putting together a new 18” 6 ARC build and am down to just the handguard to finish it out. I was planning all along to get the St. of arms 15.5” handguard that has an integrated arca rail in it. Only problem is now it’s out of stock.

My question to you guys is do you think it’s worth waiting for the integrated arca or just going and getting a handguard and slapping an arca rail to it?

You can consider Cross Machine Tools. They have a similar one that just released

 

[BoulderE89]

You can consider Cross Machine Tools. They have a similar one that just released

Oh I do like the look of that one. I just ordered the WOA one because of the large steel barrel nut but down that road I may need to give that a try

 

[longshot2000]

Cadex makes some nice under the rail ACRA rails and pads. Geissele also has an integrated ARCA rail, just not produced in numbers.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

You can consider Cross Machine Tools. They have a similar one that just released

Wasn't aware of this, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Automag88]

I am also a fan of having a separate ARCA rail that attaches to the forend. I watched a rail get bent when a bipod hung up on a barricade at an NRL22 match last month

 

[Islas82]

I put an area 419 rail on mine via the Mlok slots.

I second this, I use to run an AR with one and worked flawlessly.

 

[AwkwardlySocial]

I'm late to the convo, but there are 2x points I'd make here for anyone who comes looking for similar advice:

1. I lost an M-LOK-attached ARCA rail the first time I tried using it on an AR-10 in a PRS match. The attachment hardware failed. Never found it.

2. Even if your M-LOK hardware holds, those rails are inherently less stable than rails that are machined into your handguard. M-LOK-mounted rails are very twisty/wobbly compared to machined-in rails. I have personally observed this in my own builds, but also here's a video that shows the phenomenon (skip to 20:40 for relevant content):



For those reasons, I'm firmly in the ARCA-rails-machined-into-the-handguard camp.

 

[sheepdog697]

I put an area 419 rail on mine via the Mlok slots.

+1 for area 419. I have two of their arca rails.

I also have the krg enclosed forend on my bolt gun with the integrated arca. It does look cleaner.

 

[Tcorb734]

Has anyone looked at the jp enterprises arca attachment that's designed for round handguards? It doesn't have m lock, but bolts into place.

 

[the monk]

I would rather have Arca as an add-on piece. It seems like it is always the first thing to get banged up, and as an add-on, I can replace it. If it's integrated into the rail, I have to replace the whole rail.

 

[Rangemaster]

SGT of Arms, that is what I use. One piece handguard, no need to add one.