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Posted: 3/30/2008 6:49:00 AM EDT
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As the subject says, I'm shopping for hand guards and I'm surprised by how expensive they are. A hundred and fifty or more! Am I looking at the wrong web sites or is this just another part of the AR world I'll have to get used to? Also, isn't a 16 inch barrel considered a carbine? Because I see listings for carbine and non-carbine kinds. |
...and 16" is considered carbine, but that doesnt mean you have to put carbine handguard on it. you can put longer ones on all you have to do is remove the gas block and put on a low pro one so the handguard will go over it.
| If you want a quality free floated handguard, you're gonna pay for it. If you want a two-piece Non-FF, then you can find some cheaper ones (under $150) I'd check the Equipment Exchange on this site. And when it comes to handguards there are 3 lengths. Carbine, Midlength, and Rifle length, depending which gas system you have. Carbine length gas systems are found on barrels 16" and shorter. Middys are generally on 16" and 18" barrels. Rifle length gas systems are normally on 20" and up, but can sometimes be had on shorter barrels. Now that being said, you can use a midlength or rifle-length free floated handguard on a carbine length gas system if you cut down your FSB or get a low-profile gas block. If you get a two-piece non-FF handguard, then it has to match your gas system. |
You can get Yankee Hill Float tubes for under $100 from BrightFlashLights under $50 if you don't want rails. 
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Hold on a sec. The length of the handguards is dicated by the length of the gas system. The 3 commonly available gas sytems are carbine, mid-length and rifle and the hanguards for these system are roughly 7", 9" and 12" respectively. If you use a free float handguard then it doesn't attach at the front then you can use a handguard that is a different length than the gas system, but going shorter means leaving the gas tube exposed. Going longer works fine but you will have to replace the front sight base with a low-profile gas block that fits under the handguards. This will leave you without a front sight so you'll be spending money on a front sight that attaches to the top of the handguards. |
The bottom line is because they are the hot, cool accessory at the time and all the manufactures are cashing in on it while it lasts. There are those who have a legitimate use/need for them but by and large, the arm chair commandos are buying then up to hang everything but their easy chair on their ARs. |
J_M_C has a very good point, but a free float tube can dramatically increase the accuracy of your rifle and is worth looking into. IMHO it's a crying shame to own a rifle with the accuracy potential of the AR platform and not take advantage of it. First of all, lets differentiate... I consider a HANDGUARD to be a forearm that is held in place between the delta ring and the handguard cap behind the front sight base. I am currently talking about FREE FLOAT TUBES. A free float tube is only secured at the barrel nut, and as other posters have said, as long as your gas block is small enough it can extend as far forward as you wish. With that said, if you don't need rails, you can get free float tubes for around $40 to $50 if you are ok with knurled or fluted round aluminum jobbies. Otherwise Bravo Company has YHM's 4 rail free float tube for under $100. I have owned this unit and it's very good for the price. Also, other than the fact they are a complete no-brainer to install, handguards cost more usually than a comparable free float arrangements, and will not help your accuracy, and can even be detrimental, since they can put odd pressure points on the barrel. |
You've touched on something that I have a hard time getting my head around. The military qualifies their troops with a standard rifle, no free float, out to 300 yards with iron sights. If there was something wrong with the design of the M4 or M16 I would think they'd issue the gun with a free float hand guard. I'm not disagreeing with you on the accuracy improvement of FF handguards. I simply don't know enough to have formed an opinion. I read a post here somewhere that said a difference of a FF is hardly noticeable. Is there a range report where someone fired the same rifle using a non FF and a FF handguard? |
Some of the accuracy advantage you experience with a FF tube is if you shoot with a tight sling or a bipod. Both of these can significantly move your point of impact at extended ranges with a standard handguard. Of course your barrel profile has a lot to do with that too. An SP1 or "pencil" barrel will be a lot easier to throw off than a heavy barrel. And of course every rifle has its own personality. Some will show more of an accuracy enhancement when free floated than others. The bottom line is if all you do is close range plinking, a free floated tube/handguard probably isn't needed. If you shoot at longer ranges with or without a bipod it's probably worth it. Or if you just want one because you want one, well that's fine too. 
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It really depends on how you shoot. If you use a bipod, sling or vertical grip (or if you brace against cover that you're shooting around) and your shooting style puts stress on that component (think the prone shooters that pull hard on their sling to keep the rifle tight, e.g.) then you'll see a benefit from a FF front end. |
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If you just want enough rail fora veritcal grip and a flashlight, you can easily just mounta shrot length of rail to the stock handguards. Another inexpsinve railed alternative is the UTG handguards. CDNN has them for $60 for the carbine length and $70 for the rifle length and they even come with rail covers. You can get Yankee Hill Machine free float railed handguards for under $100 from BrightFlashlights in the Industry forum. Look at your actual needs and requirements, then purchase accordingly. |
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I think part of what makes it ok to use handguards for military shooting is that several factors come into play... For one, the targets are pretty darn big. I was in the USMC, and the 5 ring on the 200 meter target is several inches across. Well within the realm of possibility with a decent rifle and iron sights. Another thing... for this type of shooting, great emphasis is placed on consistency of your setup, including the sling tension and body position. The only course of fire in the Marine Corps course of fire that is not slung is the 200 meter freehand, which is hardly the place to test accuracy. Most serious competitors in service rifle competition use free float tubes that are specially designed to go inside standard handguards, but which function identically to any other free float tube design, so there must be some merit in free floating your barrel. Essentially anytime you are putting pressure on your barrel you are going to shift your point of impact, no matter how infinitessimally... This is why most service rifle shooters will tell you that you never fix your bayonet when you are going to be shooting long range shots; it puts weight (read: pressure) on the end of your barrel, and thus shifts your point of impact. Anyway, with all that said, I would say that if you are going to add optical sights with any degree of magnification free floating would be justified in order to wring the best accuracy you can from your rifle. If you are building a 100 yard plinker, slap on the handguards that make you smile and enjoy... |
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