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Thoughts on durability of 15" freefloat rails.

Some comments from Roger Wang of Forward Controls Design, on their rail:

“Since its introduction in 2018, RHF has progressively become heavier, as we continue to strengthen it. RHF in 2020 completely shed its lighting slots on the top 1913 rails, and series of vent holes below the top rails, the elimination of both contributed to some increase in weight. We have always bucked the light weight fad and made things stronger, light weight is a poor trade off for durability.”
 
I put a midwest 15 inch quad on build and I don't believe it will flex enough to notice. It's heavy though.
+1 for Midwest. There “Suppressor rails” I forget the model but it’s got a large ID for having a can under the rail And they are very rigid as well plus mlok if that’s your thing
 
November Sierra November Sierra I tried flexing the barrel and handguard like the article suggested on my rifle and it didn't even come close to touching, however I have a 10" alg handguard and was thinking about going to a 15" because of how much more ergonomic it is when you shoot with the stock fully collapsed like you would pretty much have to in a house. I came across his article while I was googling a particular 15" rail and thought I would ask others who had more experience.
I usually wait and proofread my drunk posts before submitting but clearly I didn't this time.

But to answer your question, not like a dickhead this time, I find the longer rails definitely help with ergonomics. More rail space lets me stretch my arm out further to help pull the gun in and drive it across target to target, plus, reducing the amount of barrel/suppressor shadow in my light's throw. If you've got a 16" barrel gun with a 10" rail you might feel a little cramped or like you can't get a good pull on the gun. I would encourage you to extend your stock out to your length of pull. This helps me feel less cramped up, like shooting a Warsaw AK. But this whole thing is shooter dependent. Play with some rifles are your LGS that have various length rails and see what you think.
Durability generally isn't an issue with quality manufacturers so pick your favorite flavor and roll with it.
 
One of the topics not addressed in the article is what material the rail is made of.

6061-T6 is the most common material for rails, but some companies (like Hodge Defense) use 7075-T6. The latter has a much higher tensile strength.

Due to this, the actual thickness of the rail may not be the deciding factor in how stiff it is. A thinner 7075 rail may be stiffer than a thicker 6061 rail.

Many less expensive rails, like Midwest, LOOK stronger and stiffer because they’re thicker. This may not be the case, depending upon what rail you’re comparing them to.
 
One of the topics not addressed in the article is what material the rail is made of.

6061-T6 is the most common material for rails, but some companies (like Hodge Defense) use 7075-T6. The latter has a much higher tensile strength.

Due to this, the actual thickness of the rail may not be the deciding factor in how stiff it is. A thinner 7075 rail may be stiffer than a thicker 6061 rail.

Many less expensive rails, like Midwest, LOOK stronger and stiffer because they’re thicker. This may not be the case, depending upon what rail you’re comparing them to.

Longer rails look cool, and probably have there usefulness. I prefer my "big 10 inch" actually a nine inch, but chicks dig it.

 
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