First, I got my "spring survival kit" from Wolff. From left to right are M16 (lots of springs), M14, Garand, Springfield, and ten extra-power M14 mag springs.
They will all reside in a toolbox containing nothing but springs. As I go through the rest of my stuff, I'll order whatever Wolff has for those brands. Smiths, Rugers, Colts, and Glock are high on my handgun list. After that comes shotguns and .22s, if available. It's cheap insurance today. In the future, who can tell?
Next is the Smith Enterprises flash hider for my DPMS. When you say "Smith Enterprises" and "flash hider", there's nothing left to be said. I left on the small spacer the original flash hider used to keep the unit from bottoming out on the crown of the barrel.
And, in the never-ending search for the proper rail guards, the search may have finally come to an end. I got what seems like a quarter mile of Magpul XT rail panels. These are the semi-soft ones that seem to agree with my hands the best.
Just as I got them on the three sides I intended to cover, (there's a trick involved, as always), I noticed they have a new style of rail cover called the XTM. This is a hard plastic cover that comes in two identical parts, and covers four "rail ties". It has a "trick" to installing, too, but since you work in smaller units, it's easier to manage. The two halves squeeze together and lock, requiring a small pointed object to separate them.
Rather than going "whole hog", I ordered enough to try out on the top rail of the handguard. They aren't quite "low profile", but I think the scope can clear them (if the mount ever arrives). They are available in black, tan, OD, and foliage, and Magpul shows a decent approximation of camouflage by mixing colors.
I bought one black and one tan set, and gave them a try. It took a while to get the hang of installation, but here's what I have so far:
I've noticed that not all M1913 rails are created equally, and mine don't butt up together as nicely as the vendor shows. Also, they might not fully connect the first time. When I took the rifle out for the photo, I found I could squeeze all the covers a bit closer.
This isn't a big deal for me, and there is the added bonus that a tiny bit of daylight can be seen through the covers at certain angles. That means they provide a tiny bit of ventilation.
$7.95 gets you eight pieces, which is enough to cover one side of a M4 handguard rail. With all of the acreage of "cheese grater" the DPMS has, I calculate I need about eight sets in various colors for a camo effect. If I go that route, I'll have a large amount of the semi-soft "XT" rail covers for anybody who is interested.
The jury is still out on these covers, but so far I'm happier with them than I was with the earlier set, which was still a big improvement.