Army semi-custom M4 enhancements (help me find a rail extender)

[Brian]

Have a young family member who is a Ranger, and he's been given permission to do some minor customization on his gun. He's given me an initial list we're discussing of things he could use and why. It's nice to see he's put some real thought into what is going to work for him in the field, but he doesn't have a ton of experience with commercial gear available outside the Army-approved kit. At his request, we're going to get him some FDE Magpul gear (CTR, MIAD, XTM grip panels, some pmags), a weaponlight of some sort (TBD), and a few other things, but the bottom line is he can't make any major changes to the gun. One of the challenges is the short M4 rail, he'd like something longer so he can have is assist hand placed further down the barrel and maybe use an angled grip. He can't replace the rail but has seen at least one guy who had a bolt-on extension.

I see Ergo makes one, but I don't see a lot of reviews:
http://ergogrips.net/products/rail-systems/ergo-m4-4-rail.html

Anybody have any other options/suggestions?

Also, any of you who have carried a vanilla M4 in the field, does anything jump out that would be something you might recommend or not recommend?

[crashdown]

Not much to offer other than that Ergo thingy alone is going add 8.7 ounces to the very end of the barrel, it's gonna get heavy quick if somebody starts using any of the 4 rails.
Might not mean much for plinking at the range, but carrying it around all day is another thing.

[BushMasterBoy]

Only thing I can think of would be tritium sights. Don't know if that is allowed for active duty though.

[Scanker19]

Pmags for sure. If suggest a B.A.D. Lever as well it requires no permanent mods. Honestly while some of that stuff has a good use, I found myself taking shit off my rifle as time went on.

[OneGuy67]

Yup, I agree with Scanker.

[Joe_K]

BCM Charging Handle
BAD Lever
Good quality QD sling
QD Sling attachment for rail
Elzetta A-2 FSB light mount
Wheeler Torque Wrench
Lo Pro Rail covers, I always used the rubber ladder type one's with good results
Paint Marker to mark torque on sights, optics, lasers etc.



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[Guylee]

If he's in Battalion he'll have a DD upper, so no problem on the rail space there. The Insight lights used now are awesome lights, I know a few guys that run their ow personal lights but most folks are perfectly happy with the insights. Just make sure he knows to take all personal attachments off of his weapon before it goes to SARET each year or all his stuff is going to get jacked. Also, I usually try to discourage my guys from putting BAD levers on their guns for 2 reasons- First, it alters the function of the gun and makes it so you have to retrain yourself, and second, they're not technically approved for use by the army, so if something went south they could get in trouble. Nobody in Batt will say anything to him, but it's better safe than sorry IMHO. The biggest thing right now that guys are buying themselves is slings, so find out which sling he likes best and get him that. Once again though, make sure he takes it off before it gets sent over to maintenance. A lot of guys will even take off their slings and keep them in their lockers...they're a hot commodity. Also don't waste money on PMAGS, he can get those from work.

On a separate note, send me a PM on where he's at. If he's in my company, I'll hook him up.