AR15 Handguard Perspectives and Complaints UPDATE

[LRRPF52]

I've watched the AR15 handguard evolve from a fat triangular 2-piece design, to the A2 ribbed circular, with commando carbine from the beginning, to the fat dual heat shield M4 handguards, which were quickly replaced with the KAC SOPMOD kit.



On the civilian side, we had the Lone Star Ordnance circular handguards in the 80s, then guys started messing with knurled aluminum tubes to free-float.



Then someone got the idea we must take the benefits of the lightweight free-float aluminum tubes, add a lot of weight from the railed handguards, and turn the AR15 into a pineapple boat anchor.



Some companies figured out how to run the machines so most of the material was removed to make lighter railed handguards, which were then weighed down anyway with every possible piece of gear one could bolt onto them.

Then we got away from the $350 boat anchors, started looking at KISS again, especially after you feel the original rifles and carbines and wonder what we were doing all those years trying to pass up a Thompson in weight and succeeding.

Now we're really into the minimalist, simplistic, lightweight realm again, with options in wood, custom CNC cut designs, ornamentation, carbon fiber, and space-age looking handguards.




It finally hit me one day that the handguard is there for me to hold the rifle up, as opposed to a special strain vector of Black Rifle Disease that separates me from my money for sport.

What do you like about some of the AR15 handguards you've used and owned, and what do you not like?


UPDATE:
Breaking the handguard down into its different components and intended use, I'd like to hear people's feedback on the various design points.

I. Handguard attachment method to the upper receiver

• Standard Mil Spec barrel nut and handguard cap attachment, non free-floated, nut requires armorer's wrench with teeth
  
• Threaded free-float nut with holes for gas tube with external threads for featureless straight tube
  
• Handguard clamps to upper receiver 1913 rail, free float
  
• Cylinder free float nut with flats for common wrenches, handguard clamps to nut
  
• Cylinder free float nut with wrench flats, handguard screws to nut with set screws
  
• Non Mil Spec upper with independent handguard attachment with set screws, with wrench flat barrel nut underneath that doesn't contact
  
• Non Mil Spec upper with independent barrel nut and pipe fitting style screw attachment of face to face
  
• Monolithic welded handguard to upper
  
• Monolithic billet
  

II. Handguard shape and human interface

• Conical bakelite prototypes
  
• Triangular 2-piece with handguard cap
  
• Ribbed A2
  
• Ribbed carbine
  
• Cylinder aluminum tube
  
• Ribbed dual heat shield M4
  
• KAC RIS/RAS 4x1913 rails
  
• SIR
  
• 1913 12 o'clock, streamlined tube with vent holes
  
• 1913 12 o'clock, streamlined, with 3,6,9 shortchanged rail sections up front
  
• 1913 12 o'clock, octagonal cross section
  

III. Handguard adaptability to sling attachment, aiming and illumination device interface

• Sling attachment via QD sockets, how many QD socket options
  
• White Light attachment and activation options (pressure switch vs tailcap)
  
• IR Laser Aiming Module and activation with or without White Light/IR filtered white light
  
• Bipod attachment ease of mounting, stud vs 1913 clamp-on, swivel post

IV. Handguard resistance to deviation from alignment with the barrel



V. Handguard Material

• Wood
  
• Bakelite
  
• Glass nylon with aluminum heat shields
  
• 6061 Tubular aluminum
  
• 6061 aluminum extrusions
  
• Al/Mg alloy
  
• Al/Li alloy
  
• Billet 7075T6
  
• Billet 6061
  
• Carbon fiber
  

[bj139]

LR,
You forgot homemade, I think.
Well, anyway, you knew I was going to comment.
This one works about as well as any other I have used.
I have made 4 of them in various stages of development.
I would comment that it was a POS if I found out it was during development but it is VERY solid, surprisingly so.
I suppose if I painted it in camo it would be more acceptable.

Advantages: Inexpensive, customizable, not cold during freezing temperatures.
Disadvantages: It might crack in freezing temperature but I don't throw my rifles on the ground often, so I don't know.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10947[/ATTACH]

[Tex Nomex]

Lightweight, Free-float, M-Lok, roundish, grippy, insulated from cold and sun/barrel heat, just long enough to protect the gas tube and block.

Current favorite: Flex Seal coating over carbon fiber.

.223W testbed plinker with a particularly bad multi-layer spray job (smooth area in center is just one coat):
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10948[/ATTACH]

[bj139]

Does the Flex Seal stick well to the plastic, carbon fiber handguard?

[LRRPF52]

I love this company's work, Cobalt Kinetics. They are one of the few I've seen who have thought outside of the box with the AR15 aesthetically and mechanically.








Their handguards aren't necessarily break-out level of innovation, and the features have been done by others before, but they look very sleek and aggressive, with practical features for 3-gun considering barricade positions where you can anchor into the wood with the front.

[NugginFutz]

For feel, I really like the Magpul MOE hand guard.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]10949[/ATTACH]

While not a free float affair, they are very comfortable, transfer little heat and are affordable. I think what I most like about it is how it reminds me of how comfortable the original A1 hand guard was. The wider bottom lays naturally in the palm, and also provides what I consider to be a more stable contact point, when laying it on sand bags or other rests.


For a solid, bi-pod mounted, lightweight, free floated unit, I find myself very happy with the >gasp< AR-Stoner M-Lock hand guard being offered by MidwayUSA.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10950[/ATTACH]
These are proving to be a very solid and accurate addition to my bench riders. (I now have two.) The barrel nut requires no special tools to mount, as it only needs an open end wrench or spanner.


ETA: If I'd known LRRPF52 was going to turn it into a space-aged beauty contest, I would have at least posted the Krylon lipstick versions. Then again, he DID just get back from SHOT.

[Tex Nomex]

Does the Flex Seal stick well to the plastic, carbon fiber handguard?

Yes, if properly prepared.

Carbon fiber needs to be very clean and roughed a bit. I very lightly hit it with white aluminum oxide through my ultra-cheap Harbor Freight blaster. Ultralight sandpaper would probably work as well. Clean afterward very well with high grade alcohol. Finger oils can screw it up, as can leaving a bare spot or edge, or touching it before it's cured for 24hrs.

In the previous photo, you can see where I tripled the coating on the front edge. The rougher under-coat is actually Rustoleum's rubber coating Leak Seal. It doesn't apply as smoothly as Flex Seal. While you can't see it in the photo, the grip on that carbine has Flex Seal applied to its bottom half.

Of course, YMMV. I'd experiment on other things first to get a feel for it. I wouldn't do it to a Clark or AP Customs unit until they were well-scratched from use.

I've done handgrips and solid aluminum hand guards and metal Barrett 6.8 SPC metal magazines when they started to show wear. Flex Seal has hokey commercials, but it's a pretty good gun-hack product.

[bj139]

I love this company's work, Cobalt Kinetics. They are one of the few I've seen who have thought outside of the box with the AR15 aesthetically and mechanically.





Their handguards aren't necessarily break-out level of innovation, and the features have been done by others before, but they look very sleek and aggressive, with practical features for 3-gun considering barricade positions where you can anchor into the wood with the front.

I like the look of that handguard. Someone mentioned this one for sale which has that sculpted look.
http://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthrea...eted-Upper
I am tempted by that look. A LOT better than schedule 40.

[LRRPF52]

Yes, if properly prepared.

Carbon fiber needs to be very clean and roughed a bit. I very lightly hit it with white aluminum oxide through my ultra-cheap Harbor Freight blaster. Ultralight sandpaper would probably work as well. Clean afterward very well with high grade alcohol. Finger oils can screw it up, as can leaving a bare spot or edge, or touching it before it's cured for 24hrs.

In the previous photo, you can see where I tripled the coating on the front edge. The rougher under-coat is actually Rustoleum's rubber coating Leak Seal. It doesn't apply as smoothly as Flex Seal. While you can't see it in the photo, the grip on that carbine has Flex Seal applied to its bottom half.

Of course, YMMV. I'd experiment on other things first to get a feel for it. I wouldn't do it to a Clark or AP Customs unit until they were well-scratched from use.

I've done handgrips and solid aluminum hand guards and metal Barrett 6.8 SPC metal magazines when they started to show wear. Flex Seal has hokey commercials, but it's a pretty good gun-hack product.

So is the goal to have a rubbery texture on CF? Very cool.

[Tex Nomex]

So is the goal to have a rubbery texture on CF? Very cool.

Yeah. Has all my favorite characteristics. These go on my ARs until something better comes along. Will hate to do it to my latest (Grendel) because the CF just looks so freakin' good.

[mdewitt71]

27 Years Army... I have seen them come and go haha.
Glad some went, still like others.

I just got the Aero Quantum handguard for my latest build and am liking it but, I do like what I see with Cobalt Kinetics as well as the Aero Atlas One-S.
No need for pic rail all over the place when you only use it in certain spots.

[Randy99CL]

I'm always surprised by the popularity of the $300+ handguards but most people aren't on as tight a budget as I am.

I love the 15" on my BCA build. It feels good with no sharp edges, is flat on the bottom and sides where the Mlok slots are, is lightweight and does all I need. Only $87.99 and vets get a 10% discount: https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/accesso...l-anodized
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10951[/ATTACH]

They sell a 17" for $10 more too.

[LRRPF52]

I also love the feel of the early triangular AR15/M16 handguards that were present on the Colt RO601, 602, 603, 604, and 605.

Here's one of my 605 clones that has most of the parts from 1964 or earlier, including the bolt carrier and some of the furniture:



When you set this rifle on the bags at the range oriented vertically, it just sits there because of how wide the bottom of the handguards is. Very lightweight too.

[bj139]

LRR,
Is that a dissipator with a 20" barrel cut down to 16"?
Where is a good place to get the triangular handguards?

[Frontier Gear]

I agree with Randy99CL on the BCA MLOK free float rails for a budget hand guard. They have about the best price/quality ratio that I have found for a free float. I've tried a lot of different ones including multiple Guntech hand guards (bought a box of them once of each different style), Davidson Defense and other low budget options. I've found that the anodizing on many of the lower priced hand guards wears off pretty easily, but the BCA's have held up well so far. The BCA rails are narrow and fit my hands well. My only complaint is that they get cold in the winter.

Quad rails don't appeal to me at all. I've always found them ugly, bulky and uncomfortable.

Next on my list to try is the MOE-SL. I've been packing my BCA budget build upper (shown below) in the snowy woods lately and like how the plastic stays fairly warm. The MOE looks like it would fit my hand better though without conducting the heat/cold.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]10952[/ATTACH]

So I guess that my favorites are pretty low cost and practical options.

[LRRPF52]

LRR,
Is that a dissipator with a 20" barrel cut down to 16"?
Where is a good place to get the triangular handguards?

It's a clone of the first limited production Colt carbine ever made, the Colt 605A. The originals had a 15" barrel with RLGS that didn't have enough dwell time in cold weather.

It was part of the Colt CAR-15 family of weapons designated as an Infantry Leader's carbine.




Service Rifle, Infantry Leader Carbine, USAF Survival Carbine, Commando, LMG

[blazerb]

We were issued the service rifle in the TACP in the early 80s. Everyone wished for a GAU-5.

[montana]

I preferred the original triangle A1 handguard to the A2 ribbed circular. The Lone Star was superior in feel to the A2 ribbed circular since it still had a bit of a forward taper and didn't feel like I was holding onto an irrigation pipe.

I still like the feel of the Midwest industries free float slim handguards as well as the SLR line. My favorite today is the free float Faxon Arms carbon fiber. Fingers will not freeze to it in winter and stays very cool in summer during high volume shooting. It is very solid when mounted and easy to remove if needed. The octagon shape feels good in my hand and is much stronger than aluminum. The only down side is the astronomical price. For realistic use, price and need, the Magpul moe is hard to beat. Not an attention getter, but they get the job done very well.

[bj139]

When shooting with barricade support don't flat bottom and flat side handguards have an advantage?

[1075 tech]

Still thinking about a different type of build. It will be fairly unique if I ever do it. Does anyone know if there is a wood free float tube out there?

LR - what is the wood furniture in your first post. On that pistol