A change is as good as a rest, they say. Until recently I’d exercised this notion to fully refresh entire blasters on a fairly regular basis. It was expensive.
That is, until I went Koch.
The great thing about any AR-series platform is its modularity, but the 416 has two really important features:
- Its aftermarket is limited
- It’s really, really easy to swap rails
The limited aftermarket is essential to someone without willpower, to cut down on costs. Ease of swapping rails is also essential, because the rail is almost the soul of the rifle; it can change a blaster’s character completely, in a way an alternative stock or pistol grip just won’t do.
Buy a couple of rails and you get to change the blaster’s look and feel, every time you play – but not to the extent where you’re skint every month. I’ve had enough of that.
So, that was one of my guiding principles with my 416.
What have I got to mix things up and prevent further spending? Alternate accessories in the pic above, from top to bottom:
- PTS AAC Mini-4 can, black, Kryloned
- RS HK 9.5″ rail, in RAL8000
- RS HK SMR, black
- RS HK Slimline Stock, in RAL8000
- RS MFT Minimalist Battlestock in Scorched Dark Earth
- RS MFT Minimalist Battlestock, black, Kryloned
The Reptile House 