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Posted: 2/4/2007 10:17:23 PM EDT
| i have looked at alot of posts and done alot of reading, i need help finding 4 rail handgards for my 16inch bushmaster. The stock ones are 7 inches long. i guess i need to know what will fit and how they will be put on. thanks and sorry if this is a dumb ? and has been talked about to much. |
| there are 2 different kind of railed forends, one being free floated and the other being a 2 piece that goes on the same way the regular plastic handguards do. If you plan on mounting optics on your handguards then you will be better served with the free float but if you are just looking for something to mount a light and/or a vertical grip than a non free float will work perfect. There are quite a few companies that make railed handguards and they sell from anywhere from $100-$350. If you are looking to get a well made forearm for the best price then look at MI's #17, Surefire's M73 or YHM, they all can be had in the lower $100 range. |
both the normal plastic and the newfangled railed 2-piece metal handguards are captured between the upper receiver and the front site base. hence these types of handguards touch the barrel out at the front site base. in order to free-float the barrel -- that is, have the handguard NOT touch the barrel whatsoever -- you need to attach the barrel to only the upper receiver. this requires a different, more secure method, such that the handguard is effectively cantilevered. one piece free float handguards from Larue, Daniel Defense, and others pass over the barrel and attach to the upper. for this reason it is necessary to remove the standard front site base from the barrel of an existing rifle, or change the order of assembly if you are doing a new build. other folks use a "low profile" gas block, which is so small that the one piece free float handguard can pass over it. so you have two options if you have a normal front site base: 1) go with a set of two piece railed handguards. pros: less expensive, you get rails, you can do it yourself, and you don't have to futz with your FSB. cons: the barrel is not free floated. 2) go with a one piece railed handguards. pros: the barrel is free floated, and you get rails. cons: more expensive, and you need to remove the FSB to get the handguard in place over the barrel. there are slight variations on the two options above but i simplified for you a bit. ar-jedi shown below, unmounted Larue 9" forearm and Larue Low Pofile Gas Block.    same, KG coated and mounted.    |
from one of the fine dealers in the EE (equipment exchange); here is the link to the "Uppers Parts" section ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=7&f=22 e.g. ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=258554 ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=274307 ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=379965 ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=359245 ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=7&f=22&t=358891 you will also find some listed in the "Misc Parts" section: ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=7&f=25 ar-jedi |
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