AR 15 RELATED QUESTION

[mustang 22]

After being involved with AR type rifles since the late 60s, I have yet to find an easy way for a guy with only two hands to remove/install hand guards. The particular rifle I'm dealing with is an Olympic Arms Car 15 style, (pre ban). Any pointers on this would be greatly appreciated.

 

[SigfanUSAF]

http://www.bushmaster.com/shopping/handguards/hgd-tool.asp

 

[Fatelvis]

Handguard tool from Fulton Armory. It is made especially for this task.

 

[mustang 22]

The Doctor

Thanks a lot, this looks just like what the Dr ordered. I will be ordering one of these tonight. Thanks again.

 

[MatthewVanitas]

Am I the only one who's mystified by this?

I've never had trouble taking the handguards off an M16A2 or AR-15, and even in bootcamp never saw anyone slowed down by them. If some recruit spent even an extra 30 seconds struggling with handguards when the rest had their M16 disassembled, I think I would have noticed him doing pushups on the quarterdeck for a while.

Granted, if they're brand new, maybe they're a little stiff or something, but I fail to see how you can't just pull down on the D-ring with your weak hand, and then pull out one handguard at a time with your strong hand.

Apparently, it must be a problem for some people if they make a tool for it...

-MV

 

[TexasRifleman]

Granted, if they're brand new, maybe they're a little stiff or something,

Depending on the brand lots of them are WAY past just "stiff".

All the Bushy's I've handled were extremely tight and darned near impossible to remove at first.
30 or 40 times later things got much better.

My RRA was no problem, pulled right down.

 

[BobMcG]

Some harder than others

The Colt AR-15 I bought new in the early 70s was a genuine pain in the neck when it came to removing the hand guards at least until I broke it in. A Colt CAR-15 I bought new in the early 80's was a little bit stiff but totally do-able from the start and only got easier with time.

 

[swingset]

Granted, if they're brand new, maybe they're a little stiff or something, but I fail to see how you can't just pull down on the D-ring with your weak hand, and then pull out one handguard at a time with your strong hand.

I've got a couple that I would bet my paycheck would slow anyone down. I have pretty strong hands, and it's damn near impossible to remove a set off my Bushie CAR guards....just no way. I have an M16A1 upper that pops right off. They vary.

 

[mljdeckard]

The M-16s we had at Knox were a mish-mash, some of them still had A1 handguards that rattled around, there was daylight between the uppers and lowers, there was so much play in the fit I was nervous to fire them. Since it was at the Armor Training Center, and they don't emphasize rifle training as much, (or at least they didn't when I was there, precisely 15 years ago,) these rifles were stripped more than they were fired. If you were tricky, the handguards were a one-hand job. I had a rude awakening, when I got out and a friend of mine bought a new Colt Hbar. I thought the ring and spring were defective, they were so stiff. He had to tell me this is how they normally are.

 

[MAUSER88]

I've got some where you need two pairs of hands. No way you can get them off with only two hands.

 

[flip180]

"even in bootcamp never saw anyone slowed down by them."

That's because the A2's in bootcamp were wore the hell out. My Stag AR is tight as heck compaired to the rattle boxes we were issued in the Army. The handguards on my Stag are also a bear to get off by myself.

Flip.

 

[EShell]

1) New commercial weld springs are MUCH stronger than the worn out, sloppy stuff that trainees are entrusted with.

I have a friend that is currently a military armorer, and he laughed when he saw my handguard tool on the bench and I explained what it was for. I then had him try to take off a set from a new Bushy and he could not do it barehanded. No more laughing.

2) I'm surprised that no one noted that in basic training and field stripping the M16 by the book called for the "buddy system". One guy pulls down on the delta ring, his buddy pulls off the HGs. Much easier with four hands.

Maybe some of the guys weren't doing this buddy system thing the way the military intended . . .

3) The HGs almost never need to be removed anyway, the little bit of carbon that collects there is mainly gas tube leakage and there are no moving parts to be impeded by this light dusting of carbon anyway.

 

[Blacklabman]

I never had a problem in Boot Camp(USMC), or during my entire time in the service. either. However, those M16A2's were wore out. A two year old could have taken those forearms off.

A brand new Bushmaster is indeed a whole different animal.

Use the tool on a new AR. It works.