Back in the 80’s, when I grew up, and later when I joined the Army, carry handle AR’s and M16’s were the thing. Somewhere in the 90’s, it seemed that everyone phased them out in favor of flat top Picatinny models. Things have come back around, and folks started figuring out that maybe that Eugene Stoner guy was on to something after all.
There’s been a retro revolution in recent years, with carry handles making something of a comeback. That’s led a whole new generation of gun owners to discover the joys and pains of carry handle-mounted optics. KE Arms makes it easy, though, with their Picatinny Rail Carry Handle Mount.
A Retro Carry Handle Mount for Your Optic
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About Carry Handle Mounts
If you’re new to mounting optics on a carry handle, it isn’t as simple as bolting an optic directly to an integrated Pic rail. If you look at an A1 or A2 carry handle, you’ll notice a hole mounted about halfway down the rear sight trough of the carry handle. That’s your optics mounting point.
Typically, a rail is shaped to fit in the trough with the bolt protruding through the hole and then tightened down by a nut on the underside of the carry handle.
The fit and snugness of mounts varied over the years. Although uppers should be milspec, not all were created equally. Couple that in with QC and dimensional differences on mounts, and it could sometimes be a bit of trial and error finding a mount that worked for your gun.
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They also tended to scratch up the anodizing on your upper if you snugged them down enough to be stable. I have an old Weaver rail that my dad used. He had a thin piece of brass cut to line the sight channel so that it’s didn’t mar the finish.
Once you have found a mount that fits securely, mounting the scope is done in the conventional manner. Early mounts tended to be proprietary to specific optics or used Weaver rails, but later ones were Picatinny-style. The immediate thing you noticed, though, was the height over bore with a carry handle mount.
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It wasn’t much of an issue with a non-magnified optic like the early Aimpoints or Tascos. With a magnified optic, though, it often made for an awkward head position unless you added a raised cheek rest to your buttstock, like with the old Colt Delta Elites.
The KE Arms Carry Handle Mount
Luckily, KE Arms makes modern red dot optic mounting on classic carry handles easy. Their Picatinny Rail Carry Handle Mount is machined from aluminum and has a black hardcoat anodized finish. It has 5 slots for mounting picatinny compatible optics. There’s also a through hole below the rail that allows the use of iron sights beneath the optic.
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It comes with the mounting hardware and has an MSRP of $89.95.
I’ve had my mount for about a year now. It’s well machined and fits snugly and securely with no issues. Just drop the mounting bolt through the hole in the carry handle, slip on the washer, and bolt underneath and tighten it down. I suspect modern CNC machining makes for a better, more consistent fit than some of those earlier mounts from my youth. The 5-slot rail is perfect for most red dot-type sights.
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Sleek and Lightweight
I mounted my KE Arms rail on a mid-length retro 5.56mm build. It uses an A1 upper with a lightweight, pencil profile 16-inch barrel and mid-length gas systems. It’s rocking B5 Systems M-LOK handguards, CAR stock, and LS2 grip. It’s an especially light and handy package, and although I wanted optics, I wanted to keep it trim and simple. The compact KE Arms mount was a perfect fit.
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For an optic, I used a Swampfox Liberator II. I have a few of these optics on different builds. They’re solid and affordable. The Liberator II is 2.55 by 1.68 by 1.62 inches, and weighs only 3.49 ounces. MSRP is just $159.00. I’ve been running these sights for about five years now with no issues.
With the Liberator mounted on the KE Arms mount, I can shoot comfortably with a slightly head-up position. I can rest my lower cheek and chin on the buttstock and look through the optic with both eyes open. It’s fast to acquire and gives me excellent peripheral vision as well.
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The Total Package
The KE Arms Picatinny Rail Carry Handle Mount is a great optics mounting option for your retro AR. It’s light and compact, and mounts securely. It has just enough rail space to be practical without anything extra. While it will certainly work on any carry handle rifle or carbine, I find it especially fitting for a simple, stripped-down build.
They also make dedicated carry handle mounts for the Aimpoint Acro and Micro, and the Holosun ARO if you happen to be running any of those optics and want an even more streamlined mounting system than the Pic rail.
If you’re rocking an AR the way Stoner intended it, with a carry handle, check out KE Arms for a quality, American-designed, and American-made optics solution.
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