Primary Arms Magpul/light combo

[TheIrishman]

I decided it was time to play dress up with my S&W M&P15. I was never really happy with the stock M4 style hand-guards, particularly when trying to use a more aggressive(thumb break method) forward grip. I also wanted to mount a light and sling swivel. I decided against a quad rail do mostly to the fact that they can add more unnecessary weight than needed. I found my answer while perusing Primary Arms website looking at red dots. For $120 I picked up a bundled package of the Magpul MOE hand-guards, MVG vertical grip and Primary arms "ultimate weapon light". I added a Gear Sector QD swivel and a Impact Weapons Components limited rotation base.

Here is everything laid out

And here are the Magpul components

The "ultimate weapon light" is definitely burly, weighing in at 10 ounces with its built in mount.

I don't have photos but did disassemble it and it is well built. All joints are O-ring sealed. It is listed as 380 lumens(not that I have a way of testing that) and can attest to it being more than bright enough to disable someones vision. I accidentally shined it into a mirror(some 8 feet away) while testing it out.

Assembly was straight forward, using the supplied Allen wrench to attach the MVG(mini vertical grip), 5 slot rail section and QD base. I did have to remove my A.R.M.S. front flip up sight to install the upper half of the hand-guard, but that only gives me an excuse to go to the range this weekend and re-sight the rifle. A delta ring tool may have made it a little easier to slip on the hand-guards by my self, but all told only took me about 15 minutes from start

to finish.

With the small lip on the bottom front of the hand-guards and resting my thumb on the swivel(mounted opposite the light) it is much easier to attain a more aggressive front grip. Previously my hand would slide on the M4 guards and eventually make contact with a very hot gas block.

For $175 shipped I think this combo will be hard to beat. Hopefully I wont be working this weekend and will have a chance to ring it out a little. I'll try and get some video up after, and will soon be following this up with a review of the Ares Armor sling I have on order.
S

[Durham68]

Very nice. I looked at that set-up at least half a dozen times and always walk away because the light looked a bit big. I guess for 300+ lumens under $100 a little weight/size is to be expected. How much does it weigh and what did it do to the balance of your rifle?

[TheIrishman]

...I looked at that set-up at least half a dozen times and always walk away because the light looked a bit big...How much does it weigh and what did it do to the balance of your rifle?

The light is a little large but I believe it appears more so in the photos. At 10 ounces including the built in mount(which is threaded on the bottom for a LaRue throw lever mount if you choose) It's not too bad being all aluminum. The light will most likely only be mounted occasionally as my 12ga is my HD gun of choice. If I remember to grab my buddies shot timer before shooting this weekend I'll be testing both with and without the light to judge speed of snap shooting. From initial fondling of the gun the extra weight doesn't seem too bad. Then again I never had a problem shooting from a standing position with a 14lb bolt gun.

If you want a similar setup but with a lighter light, you could always buy the hand-guards and VFG separately and find a different light of your choosing. The MOE gear isn't expensive, gives you much more modularity than the OEM parts without the weight of a quad-rail.

[Durham68]

I have the MOE hand-guards and MVG already and was looking at a surefire G2. Mine is a mid-length and the light would hang even further out on the barrel so I am trying to be as weight conscious as possible while not spending an arm and a leg.

[Combat Controller]

Look to some of the lights on Deal Extreme. They also have really rock solid flashlight mounts for Six bucks.