Does the type of quad rail matter?

[sooner78wakeboard]

I am looking at getting a quad rail for my Armalite, AR-10. There are some low priced ones, $80 all the way to higher priced rails, $200+. Is there really a difference?

Deer season is coming up, am I am working on building my rifle. So basically it will have a scope, a rotating bi-pod, rifle sling and that's it.

 

[MAIZEandBLUE09]

I am looking at getting a quad rail for my Armalite, AR-10. There are some low priced ones, $80 all the way to higher priced rails, $200+. Is there really a difference?

Deer season is coming up, am I am working on building my rifle. So basically it will have a scope, a rotating bi-pod, rifle sling and that's it.

Yes, it matters. 1. Weight 2. Fit of materials.

I've seen some quad rails that were cheap and purchased online and when the person gets them, they're oval and won't even fit on the rifle. Or, they weigh 10 million lbs and increase the front end weight of your rifle. IMO quad rails are outdated. Buy a lighter hand guard and then just place the rails on it where you want them. Think about how often you really change the positioning of the objects on your rail? Most people find a spot they like and leave it, meaning there's a ton of wasted rail.

Also, buy a free floating one. For accuracy, anything on the front of an AR, like a bipod, will impact the accuracy of the rifle; that's why the free float hand guards exist. That way you can put a bipod on it without any performance decrease.