What's everyone's fav STURDY FF hand guard?

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

Good evening Horde,

So I have 6-7 AR's to build depending on how many lowers I decide to finish. I'm starting with four though. So the deal is I try and build most of my stuff to be as versatile and durable as possible with the idea of prepping being the main goal. I only have one AR so far and two uppers. I'd like this next batch of AR's to be as similar as possible for muscle memory reasons familiarity and such. So before i sink so much money into quadruple+ everything. I'd like to get your respected opinions.

I'm a first time grendel builder and (complete ground up builder) and I have a few questions. so let's get out our horse beatin' sticks! for starters I'm going to build two 12" pistols/SBR's and two 20" DMR's.

My most pressing question is whats everyones favorite FF HG? My main concern is how sturdy their mounting systems are.

I LOVE the looks and style of the Troy alpha rail, squid grips, and accessories mounting options for it. I'm Not a fan of keyhole or mlok nut plates look small to me. I ABSOLUTELY love how it's basically a heat sink inside and out... The honey comb matrix should be of optimal strength. And light as well. Can anyone explain in detail how the three clips clamp the HG in place? Does anyone have extensive use/time/abuse with these does it hold up over time loosen or anything? I'd get 9" for sbr's and wouldn't get near the abuse as the 12" DMR guards with bipods and such. I've watched the TY install videos already.

I also like the MI gen3 super slim rail I believe it is... Maybe the mlok one for looks. But I'm mainly concerned with the barrel mounting system. Idk about The split clamp system with aluminum does it induce uneven stresses or weak points. Since this is mainly for shtf first i do like the idea of using as much standard parts as possible I.e. non standard Barrel nut. On the + side easy to strap wrench...

Next option would be the diamondhead HG. not sure how it mounts, is it durable?

Last option I'm thinking of is the ALG V2 love Geissle's stuff... Good guy and sounds like a great engineer.

If anyone has any others i should look into any info is appreciated! Trying to keep each one under $200 I'll have more general product questions later... Thats it for now. Thanks!

[A5BLASTER]

Seekins SPV3R rail 15 inch keymod check it out.

[drewthebrave]

I have one 12" Midwest Industries SSG2, one 15" Geissele Mk4 MLok, and two Mlok ALG rails - one 10" V1 and one 13" V2.

The MI SSG2 has been more than sturdy enough for me to have complete faith in it, but based on the mounting systems, I believe the Geissele and ALG to be more secure & stable. They are all lightweight and comfortable in hand during all-day shooting classes. I was patient and picked up all of my Geissele and ALG rails during their blemish sales for a steep discount. I still haven't found the blemishes...

Even at full price, it's hard to beat the value of the the ALG, but I would highly recommend all of them. I can post photos for comparison if you'd like.

[Nick]

+1 for ALG.

[JaxsonsOldMan]

I love the rail system on my POF Renegade. They're on sale at their website right now. Heat sink barrel nut and they have a deal that includes the dictator gas block and tube right now. Not super cheap, but they're awesome!

https://pof-usa.com/shop/upgrades-accessories/22627/

https://pof-usa.com/shop/upgrades-accessories/hand-guards/14-renegade-rail-with-window-rifle-length-ditactor/

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

I AM diggin that ALG sexy, slick, and light. i think it was actually the V0 i like so much V3 is nice too. Uses the sturdy nutplates as well..
I think i need to find a local shop i can put my paws on the Troy Alpha rail and hopefully the ALG's. I hope the Northwest Shooting Sports Expo Rainier puts on is alot bigger next year.. was a good kick off last September.

Thanks for the input fella's

[LRRPF52]

Anything that attaches to the upper without touching the barrel nut if you want the best rigidity, like the Aero M4E1 or Seekins iMRT

[Dpr64]

Has anyone tried the Mentium USA slim handguards? Price is right....

https://www.mentium-usa.com/collections/223-556-handguard

[jdelong]

I have 6-8 of the Midwest Industries rails. They are rock solid

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

Anything that attaches to the upper without touching the barrel nut if you want the best rigidity, like the Aero M4E1 or Seekins iMRT

Yeah good point as usual... I guess the Troy Alpha might be the worst in that regard. Thanks for the perspective. I just MIGHT have to sacrifice it though. This would be built for schleppin' as well. I was thinking about the Odin NOFA billet 7075 upper for the two DMR's but other than that probably moslty mil spec and minimalist.
It can be a blurry line sometimes...

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

Has anyone tried the Mentium USA slim handguards? Price is right....
https://www.mentium-usa.com/collecti...-556-handguard

Interesting man those are cheap! How do they do it? Not really a fan of carbon fiber... It degrades insanely fast in UV light. Its fine if coated but the spec on the 787 was something like 72 hours uncoated. And I'm not talking about the Kevlar woven CF but sometimes you see the REAL CF body panels clear coated and they are breaking down after a few years. Those clear coates can't do what a pigmented paint can. At least not yet... That being said there IS some pretty amazing stuff that can be done with it.

FWIW I'd warn people about plastic cars.. big time! You should see some of the pics of burned out planes/interiors and those Ferrari tinder box's of NASTY chems. Anyway save whole nother topic there..

[The Profit Joseph Sith]

and then I read this in the buffer thread...

worthen86ford
Unwashed

Join Date
May 2016
Posts
11

My 5.56 16" mlgs ran great with a carbine buffer. My AA 6.5G 16" mlgs needed the H2 and honestly might warrant an h3. The Grendel ran hard enough to walk my MI handguard off the barrel nut when propped on bags using the standard buffer. I'd find what works best for each and keep the buffers with the uppers. It takes no time to swap them out.

[Dpr64]

Interesting man those are cheap! How do they do it? Not really a fan of carbon fiber... It degrades insanely fast in UV light. Its fine if coated but the spec on the 787 was something like 72 hours uncoated. And I'm not talking about the Kevlar woven CF but sometimes you see the REAL CF body panels clear coated and they are breaking down after a few years. Those clear coates can't do what a pigmented paint can. At least not yet... That being said there IS some pretty amazing stuff that can be done with it.

FWIW I'd warn people about plastic cars.. big time! You should see some of the pics of burned out planes/interiors and those Ferrari tinder box's of NASTY chems. Anyway save whole nother topic there..

I was eyeballing the aluminum one here but have not taken the plunge: https://www.mentium-usa.com/collecti...with-steel-nut

[65Whelen]

I've used Hogue, Midwest Gen II, AP Custom Carbon Fiber and the Aero handguards. All are very good and "sturdy", except the Hogue. I didn't like the barrel nut install on the Hogue, had to use a strap wrench.

[jim_bob]

When I think STURDY FF handguards, I think Geissele and SLR.