I put the 8.5" rail on this weekend after also swapping to the 16" .308 barrel. Feels like a completely different gun than the 22" 6.5. I hope to use this setup for deer season this fall and then swap back to 6.5 for recreational shooting this winter/spring.
My first barrel swap went pretty smoothly, looks like I didn't mar anything and it wasn't too bad to torque the barrel nut down. The most annoying part of the process is probably the T25 that goes into the bottom of the handguard from the front.
Aside from the weight differences, I really like the feel of the slim handguard without the pic rail on top. Has anyone done any testing if the shorter rail has any significant negative impact on accuracy? I believe Q mentioned originally that the full length rail helped stiffen things up.
Special thanks to @TSean @tinytigers and @J-Hon for helping me get to this point guys. Literally everyone I've interacted with here has been awesome and I'm really appreciating it.
I haven't been able to shoot this configuration yet, but I think I can make it out this week if the weather holds off.
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Another question - for your scope mount, what height did you find worked for you? I have a 44mm objective, and am thinking that your scope looks pretty close to a 40mm?
Thanks!
R,
jmw