Carbon fiber AR15 forearm

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SamT1

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hey guys. I’ve never built and AR 15 or done any mods to one, but I’ve got a pistol that has an absurdly heavy aluminum foregrip with rails and all that. It’s seems kinda dumb to put something so heavy up front. I don’t use the rails at all.

It’s a 10.5” and I’m thinking about getting a carbon fiber piece that’s 16” so it covers my suppressor mostly.
Are the carbon fiber pieces tough enough? I’ve seen them from sub 100 to $200, it looks like the price is determined by how it mounts.
Anyone have experience with any of the carbon pieces or anything else that’s very light?
 
A heavily milled aliminum forend can be as light (or nearly so) as its carbon fiber counter part.

Personally id have no issue with a CF forend, as long as your suppressor/barrel dosent get too hot. Strength isnt the issue, its the heat.

You could also maybe buy some CF tube and epoxy or screw it onto what ever nut is on the rifle atm. I may do that with my 6.5, i wouldnt mind shaving a few oz.
 
Hmm that’s what threw me. I wouldn’t think epoxy would work. But i guess that’s how they all go on.

The aluminum one I have is crazy heavy. It has a rail down every side. About 10” long.

Heat is not an issue. I never do a mag dump. Most I’d do is shoot 10-15x into a pig heard.
 
Hmm that’s what threw me. I wouldn’t think epoxy would work. But i guess that’s how they all go on.

The aluminum one I have is crazy heavy. It has a rail down every side. About 10” long.

Heat is not an issue. I never do a mag dump. Most I’d do is shoot 10-15x into a pig heard.

I can’t believe you let the secret out that in Texas we have pig heards instead of herds. Shame on you.
 
Hmm that’s what threw me. I wouldn’t think epoxy would work. But i guess that’s how they all go on.

The aluminum one I have is crazy heavy. It has a rail down every side. About 10” long.

Heat is not an issue. I never do a mag dump. Most I’d do is shoot 10-15x into a pig heard.

yeah i ditched the full size quad rails a while ago...if you wanna stick with aluminum maybe something from here? https://www.chandlerhardwoods.com/category-s/1837.htm
These are "slim" guards and feel much better to my hands than the quadrails. while they wont go over your suppressor, you can probably but a squared fronted one right up to it.
I have a 15" Radical Hybrid thats surprisingly light for being a full size guard, that might work for you if you want it.

Epoxy is pretty common, and since carbon fiber tubes are carbon cloth in epoxy, it makes a very acceptable method for attaching them to stuff. Again choosing the correct epoxy for the application is important, tho if you dont heat up your gun than you can probably get away with any decent epoxy.
 
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These are "slim" guards and feel much better to my hands than the quadrails.
I've never really understood rails in quantities they've become a norm lately. I've never felt a need to attach a tactical spork, satellite dish or a grain separator to any of my guns and the VERY occasional flashlight/laser/grip mount easily on tiny 2-inch strips of Weaver/Picatinny if need be. I think it's something like ten years since I did, though, and about a week since the last time I cut my hand on an unused, fixed rail on a forearm.
 
Yeah im not a fan of quadrail handguards. They arnt comfortable, and look stupid imo. I use those Matrix slim guards on almost everything now.

The Radical hybrid i have is pretty decent, its got rails where i want them, but not much else. Its still a full size guard and still kinda big for my preference.

@SamT1 , ill go measure one of my slim guards. Your suppressor might fit inside if its thin enough
 
Interesting slip of the finger, "heard" might be more apt, since a group of hogs is called a "sounder."

As to the OP topic, epoxy is the typical method to attach carbon fiber tubes to barrel nuts, and has been for decades. Only in recent years have CF hand guard manufacturers gone away from epoxy mount. The headache, of course, is the inability to remove and reuse the handguard once epoxied.

Lancer makes a very nice CF handguard, purpose formed for use on AR's, but expensive. The old school DPMS type CF tubes are nothing more than that - a big round barrel nut body with a length of CF tube stock glued to the nut - all you were buying was the nut, there was about $5 worth of CF tube involved. I used to buy the barrel nuts and order 20ft sticks of CF tube stock, do my own cutting, so I could conceal the gas block, back before low profile gas blocks and over-length handguard a were all the rage.

As has been said above, there are aluminum handguards which will rival CF for weight. Carbon fiber won't feel cold in the winter, won't get hot in the summer or heavy volume fire, but also won't suck heat away from the barrel as well. Solid CF tubes will trap heat around the barrel. CF is strong until it isn't, and then it REALLY isn't. Aluminum can bend or even crack locally and still retain overall part integrity, once you knock a soft spot into carbon fiber, it's toast. I buckled one of mine behind the bipod - too much prone shooting for it, I guess. Good and bad to each. I'be owned a handful of the solid or milled tube old school style handguards, and now a pair of Lancers, and have built a handful more of each for others, aluminum is still my go-to choice, but CF does fine.
 
My Matrix Foxtrot style handguard has a 1.29/3" clearance, probably too small for most suppressors.
 
ALEXANXER ARMS MK10 handguard can get that done for ya. 10-32 inserts to add pic rails where you want them or as I do, just remove all of the screws for a smooth handguard. Unlike my metal guards that I need a glove before 100 rounds, I have never needed a glove with the AA.
They cost about $175 which isn't bad but the shipping makes me want to file a law suit.
 
Heat would be my concern, have DPMS hunter with the carbon fiber, 10 rounds thru it and you can't hold it with your bare hands. Then again the barrel is Stainless Steel and not Moly Chrome which is cooler when rapid fired. My Key Mod rails that I have seem light as the carbon.
 
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