Are Quad Rail Covers Necessary?

Quad rail covers come in various colors, shapes and attachment options. The first question to be answered is: Are they necessary? They are not absolutely necessary but neither are car seat warmers. They can make your AR feel a lot more comfortable, increase your control when handling it and allow you to further customize your set up.

Four Reasons to Install Quad Rail Covers

Comfort:

Once you have installed your ladder or other quad rail covers on your quad rail then your handguard will feel immediately more comfortable. It increases the grip a gives you smoother surface making handling a lot more enjoyable

Increased Control:

With the extra uniformed grip you will get better control out of your weapon. Instead of picatinny grooves you will be holding a convenient rubber coating made to make it more comfortable and controllable when clearing rooms or controlling your weapon on the run.

Protection:

It protects your quad rail from dings and every day use. Nothing will protect it completely apart from never taking your AR-15 out of the gun cabinet. Putting on quad rail covers is like wearing a helmet : it won't protect everything but it will protect the parts more prone to wear and tear. It is also argued that it can help keep your barrel insulated from dirt and sand.

Customize Your AR:

I t is another way to customize your AR. You chose your AR optic, you chose the color, the caliber and the barrel length and probably the trigger. Adding quad rail covers is another way to personalize your weapon. Any one who says they do not care what their AR setup looks like is probably lying. We Currently have Tan and Black available and Green is coming out soon.

Affordable:

Quad rail covers are affordable, between 10 and 40 dollars and if you lose one they are easy to replace. It is a simple way to change your AR without investing much time or money. If you want to achieve a 2 tone affect on 2 separate weapons it is easy to do without breaking the bank.

Key Mod and M-lok

Key mod and M-lok are other options to get attachments on your weapon while also retaining a smooth surface to hold where you do not have attachments. If you have not used M-Lok or Key mod guard rails, they are essentially a smooth handguard that you can attach various length picatinny rails to so you only have rails in the spots you need them for your attachments.

Quad Rail Covers: What negatives to consider before installing:

Installing quad rail covers has very few negative drawbacks. They are inexpensive and easy to install. They can make your barrel retain more heat but this is quite minimal. The block quad cover can fall off if you use your weapon aggressively but this is rare and easily fixed. The final thing is that they can add bulk to your weapon. They won't add weight but some variations will turn your hand guard into a fatter rail. This is more a personal preference to be concerned with rather than a drawback of the quad cover systems themselves.

How To Install Quad Rail Covers:

Ladder Rail Quad Covers:

Ladder quad rail covers come in 4 strips of 7 inches long. Tan or Black options. You have to cut the ends off of them then simply stretch and snap into place over the quad rail. You can also trim them to the exact size if you have smaller rails.

Rubber Quad Rail Covers:

These come in a 12 piece set and are very easy to install. They also come in tan and black. You simply click them onto where you need them on your rails. Each 7 inch picatinny rail takes three sections of quad covers and you can customize exactly which rail you want covered and which you need for attachments.

Quad Rail Covers : Summary

They can keep your Rails clean and easy to hold and offer some more interesting customisations. They are affordable and easy to install and offer a level of protection against wear and tear on your weapon. Order a set for ten bucks and find out for yourself if you like them. If you want to learn an unbiased opinion on quad rails in general we found this article from the Sofrep website interesting.