New online option for inexpensive ARs

[tRidiot]

New place I found online - www.223handguard.com

So I found this place while researching handguards. They carry a bunch of really inexpensive options for those looking for a very very inexpensive option. These aren't BCM or Noveske or Troy or whatever. Their stuff is Made in China and is a fraction of what you will pay for similar name brands.

I did some research and saw a couple of guys on ARFCOM reported they found them to be very good, so I decided to take a chance and placed an order.

They shipped immediately and I paid a little extra for Priority shipping (a very reasonable upcharge) and had it in just a few days. I was very pleased with the order processing and shipping.

So now, on to the reviews of the equipment.

Handguards - I got a few of them, since they're cheap. I knew not to expect top of the line quality and fit and finish, but at that price, and when you're building multiple rifles at once, like I tend to do, nice free-float tubes can get expensive real quick.

So I got the keymod rails, 3 of the 12" ones on sale till the end of this month, at $39.95 each. Ended up they sent me the FDE ones instead of the black ones (more on that later), but overall I am pretty pleased with them. I think the FDE is a little darker than it should be, but hell, you get all kinds of color variances across the spectrum from different manufacturers. They come with 3 rail sections attached. Also got 2 15" keymod rails, one is the 15" 3-side ultralight super-slim keymod that looks quite a bit like the $200 rail I bought from Rainier made by Samson. I was even more pleased with this rail than the other ones and like it quite a lot. It actually looks even MORE like the Rainier Force Free Float System, but the mounting screws are in slightly different locations. The last one was a 15" super-slim extra light clamp-on style. This one was my favorite of them all and I think it is every bit as good as the UTG Pro series super slim that I had previously thought was the best deal on the market for this kind of rail. I am really really impressed with this rail, as well as the other 15". If you aren't hung up on name brands, and you're on a budget, you definitely need to look into these rails. Note, I haven't installed any of these rails yet.

Next post will look at some of the other parts.

 

[tRidiot]

Ok, so next items.

Gas blocks - they have some aluminum ones, but I went with the steel ones. $9.50 each. They actually came with a gas tube roll pin, which I thought was pretty nice. They look just like a ton of the other ones I see out there on the market, and like a tons of the ones I have on my other rifles. You can see some light machining marks on them, and can feel them if you run your fingernail over them. You can actually see these in the pictures on the website. But to me, they're minimal. If you're going to have your low-pro gas block showing, this might matter to you - but for me, that's the point of this item - it's being hidden under a free-float rail. I don't give a shite. So I'm very pleased with them.

Sights - bought some of their flip-up metal sights. These aren't quite as good, but at $25 a pair, I thought they were worth a shot. They are ok. Not spring-loaded, but they aren't difficult to pop up. They lock upright fairly well, but have a little play if you physically manipulate them. I don't know this will affect accuracy, if at all. I haven't mounted or tried them yet, so I will hold off on recommending them too strongly until I've had a chance to try them out. You can see the little knob on the side you push in to fold them back.

Stock kits/buffer tube kits - I got 3 of these black stock ones. I think the stocks look and feel pretty damn close to the Magpul MOE stocks. The buffers and tubes... what can you say? They look pretty standard to me. No complaints. I also like that they came with the dual loop sling adapter endplate. For $35 for the whole kit, stock included, I like them fine. I haven't gone mortaring them on concrete to clear a jam, but hell... we'll see, I suppose. lol

Slings - I got a pair of the bungee 1-point/2-point slings. These things are great. I thought when I first opened them the clips were plastic, but they are actually coated metal. They are pretty nice. I like them a lot. They have the elastic covers over the clips, and they have plastic quick-releases, as well. For $14, jeez... very, very pleased.

 

[tRidiot]

Customer service -

Ok, so I mentioned in the first post, I got the FDE handguards instead of the black ones I ordered. The FDE ones are actually $10 more each. But the black ones on sale are supposed to come with 6 rail adapters, too. So I was going to email them, and in looking on the website, I saw they said, "Text us!" and listed a phone number. So I thought, "What the hell? Why not?" So I sent a text at 3:30 in the morning. I get a text back at like 9:15. The guy apologizes profusely and offers to send me a return shipping label for them and replace them... but then I got to thinking, well, hell, I could just buy the ones I want, and keep these, since I technically saved $30 on them ($10 each). And I could just get FDE stocks and grips and make 3 FDE rifles, then buy the black ones I wanted to do the same. Since I'm building so many rifles (I'm an addict, as many of ya'll know), why not, right? So I decided to keep them. He tells me, "Buy today, I ship today!" Some slightly broken Engrish in our conversation. Oh well.

I placed another order yesterday. It's already shipped. Got a few of their charging handle extended latches and some of the their extended takedown and pivot pin sets. So we'll see.


Are they perfect? No. They are quick, and responsive, though. And friendly. And CHEAP. But good quality. If you're a Larue/KAC/DD guy, you may not want these, but I know a lot of people would like to add some stuff to their rifles and are on a tight budget. And for me, these aren't being beat to hell in Iraq, they're mostly just to plink with. I thought I'd share my experiences for others here like me.

Oh, and there is still time to get an order in and receive it before our AR15 build class in Tulsa next weekend! For those who might want to check them out in person, I'll be putting some of these to use then, so feel free to come on over and check out the quality of the items! I think you'll be pretty impressed for the price, compared to other stuff that seems to be phosphated gold, I think.

 

[Ignored Member]

Check to make sure the handguards are straight. I got one of those airsoft handguards awhile back and after installing it I noticed it looked slightly off so I put my straight level up to it and sure enough, there was a slight bend like a rainbow.

 

[Jwryan84]

So are these just range rifles? Would question my life on the absolute cheapest Chinese parts. I'm sure half of the stuff I've gotten from PSA is from China, but some of that stuff has been thru multiple run and guns so I trust it.

Just trying to get a feel for actual durability versus saving a few bucks.

Thinking out loud, not busting your balls.

 

[tRidiot]

So are these just range rifles? Would question my life on the absolute cheapest Chinese parts. I'm sure half of the stuff I've gotten from PSA is from China, but some of that stuff has been thru multiple run and guns so I trust it.

Just trying to get a feel for actual durability versus saving a few bucks.

Thinking out loud, not busting your balls.

No, I understand completely. I've got a bunch of ARs, and many are built with much more mainstream, proven parts. Couple full Rock Rivers, a few Spikes-based builds, and a number of midrange Anderson-based ones, as well as my higher-end Battle Arms Development SBR. Just that I'm building a bunch of them, and thought I'd give this a shot to see how they work out. I think they're going to be good, but I certainly wouldn't throw one untested into a self-defense scenario. My current beside-the-bed one is a Spikes/Aero/Troy mutt I've fired a bunch over the years.

I just love building them and seeing how I can make them all a little bit different. This was a good economical option.

 

[beastep]

Fantastic information for a poor man such as myself.

 

[tRidiot]

I think the small parts are a great deal, regardless. With their buffer/stock setups, low pro gas block and maybe extended charging handle latch, you can knock $50-75 off the cost of an AR with next to zero chance for a problem, if you ask me. The handguards seem pretty nice and pretty solid, and if they work out, save you another $100+, maybe $150.

 

[beastep]

True. Stuff like handguards that only need to not break, Ill buy cheap ones all day. I have several I need to put together so Ill look into them for sure.

 

[bigred1]

Great informative post. I like learning about alternatives.