APF Float tube? Anyone used one?

[practical_man]

http://www.apfarmory.com/ar15-m16-apf-stripped-t-mod-rail/

Anyone ever used this set up? I am thinking of it as an upgrade to DPMS tube that I'm not thrilled with.

I saw it while I was looking at bolt carriers. I've no experience with this company at all.

Looking forward to your impressions and any technical data on their stuff.

Thanks

John

[grouse]

It looks like it will work

[ski_dog]

Looks a little bit too..."robotic" for me. It's the first time I have seen one.

[Shooter115]

APF is good to go. They are based out of MN and have been privately making AR parts for other manufacturers for a long time. Just recently they decided to establish their own brand. Everything I've seen come from them so far has been top notch. From my understanding, the only parts of their complete rifles that aren't made in-house, are the barrels, stocks and grip. They are only about 50 miles from me, so I hope to get up there and check out their facilities at some point, but from what I've heard their machining equipment is state of the art.

I have one of their 15.5 T-Mod rails and it is pretty dang slick. I have it on a rifle that is designated for home defense, but occasionally gets used as a Tac-Limited rifle by myself or as a loaner. The T-Mod system is awesome in this regard, as it's a breeze to remove and re-install any rail mounted accessories. The other nice feature is you can put stuff wherever you want, you're not limited by where the holes are located like any of the other modular type hand guards.

I want to say they are about 4 oz heavier than a similar length Nordic Handguard (also a big fan), but this is including a full length top rail. Guessing if you were to add the optional top rail from Nordic the weights would come out very similar. They are incredibly rigid and the finish has a slight texture to it similar to the JP handguards, so they feel very good in the hands. They are a very well engineered piece and have my seal of approval.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic, but here it is mounted on the rifle.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Shooter115

[practical_man]

APF is good to go. They are based out of MN and have been privately making AR parts for other manufacturers for a long time. Just recently they decided to establish their own brand. Everything I've seen come from them so far has been top notch. From my understanding, the only parts of their complete rifles that aren't made in-house, are the barrels, stocks and grip. They are only about 50 miles from me, so I hope to get up there and check out their facilities at some point, but from what I've heard their machining equipment is state of the art.

I have one of their 15.5 T-Mod rails and it is pretty dang slick. I have it on a rifle that is designated for home defense, but occasionally gets used as a Tac-Limited rifle by myself or as a loaner. The T-Mod system is awesome in this regard, as it's a breeze to remove and re-install any rail mounted accessories. The other nice feature is you can put stuff wherever you want, you're not limited by where the holes are located like any of the other modular type hand guards.

I want to say they are about 4 oz heavier than a similar length Nordic Handguard (also a big fan), but this is including a full length top rail. Guessing if you were to add the optional top rail from Nordic the weights would come out very similar. They are incredibly rigid and the finish has a slight texture to it similar to the JP handguards, so they feel very good in the hands. They are a very well engineered piece and have my seal of approval.

Sorry for the crappy cell phone pic, but here it is mounted on the rifle.

IMG_20140415_221726_237.jpg

Chris,

Thanks for the comments. Exactly they type of info I was looking for. Your set up is pretty similar to what I want to end up with. A couple questions if you don't mind.

- Any problems with float tube rotation with the foreward grip? How do the anti-rotation tabs on the forend function?

The reason I ask is that I will put a BUIS on the front.

- What light mount/vertical forward grip are you using?

- What sling mount are you using? Does it adjust fairly easily on the rail?

- Does the bottom of the rail have a flat on it for barricade?

Lastly, that looks like a 16" barrel. How is that working out with the long rail. Any issues with getting your hand in the blast from the comp?

Thanks,

john

[Shooter115]

Hi John, I'll try to answer you questions to the best of my ability.

- Any problems with float tube rotation with the foreward grip? How do the anti-rotation tabs on the forend function?

The reason I ask is that I will put a BUIS on the front.

The anti rotation tabs on mine fit up tight with the receiver and aligned it perfectly with the receiver rail. Even without them, this thing clamps up so tight, I don't think you could move it without turning the barrel nut. Another thing worth mentioning is that where the handguard clamps on, APF has a machined steel backing plate that fits flush. So you can really torque the snot out of it without worrying about stripping threads.

- What light mount/vertical forward grip are you using?

The light and sling mount both come from Viking Tactics as well as the the sling itself. Top notch stuff IMHO. I can't recall who made the VFG. I have a few of them and this was the lightest and most simple and doesn't require any tools to remove, I think this one might be from BCM, but cant say for certain. The light itself is actually a semi-generic offering branded as S&W, but it works great. I initially had a nice Surefire light on it, but when testing indoors I found that it was so bright that when using intermittently, like you would if clearing your home, that it would pretty much blind your night vision. It was just too bright for indoor use unless you were going to keep the light on, which is not a tactic I would recommend. So I intentionally downgraded to a dimmer light. I would put it at about the same brightness as the Streamlight TLR series of lights.

- Does the bottom of the rail have a flat on it for barricade?

It is of an octogon design, so it does have a flat on the bottom, but not to the extent like the Seekins where it's a huge flat bottom area.

Lastly, that looks like a 16" barrel. How is that working out with the long rail. Any issues with getting your hand in the blast from the comp?

I have (3) 16" rifles with 15" handguards and blast on the hand has never been an issue. Nothing to worry about here. Biggest thing is having that support out as far as possible to rest on obstacles.

Hope this helps. Fell free to hit me up with any other questions.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Shooter115

[practical_man]

Chris,

Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply. I'm going to give one of the rails a try. Probably one of their bolt carrier groups too.

-john

[ambluemax]

APF makes quality product. Their rail isn't the lightest, but it's definitely worthy of your consideration.

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