Hand guard suggestions for AR Varmint rifle build

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cbmax

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Hello all,

I am looking for suggestions on a free float hand guard for an AR 15 varmint build. I am using a 24 inch bull barrel with a .936 gas block journal. I haven’t decided if I will use a low profile gas block or an exposed gas block just yet.

I am after something pretty simple. Key consideration is something super rigid. It doesn’t have to be M-lok or Key Mod compatible. Doesn’t have to be super light weight. Just want a vented round tube with some texture and the ability to attach a piece of picatinny rail for my bi-pod attachment.

What do you suggest?

Chris
 
Mine is the Midwest Industries free float SS-Series with a low profile gas block.

IMG_7805.JPG

It's been discontinued, but the other offerings from Midwest are affordable and work well.
 
Geissele Mk18 - super slick with integral ARCA rail, nothing extra sticking out, but M-Lok option if you need it, and incredibly strong lock up on their barrel but.

Aero Atlas S-One. Midwest Industries G3. All good from these two as well.
 
I have a midwest industries ss tube and a yankee hill tube. Both are very rigid. Both probably discontinued. The YHM was smooth, with cooling slots and grip grooves. You could mount any one of their picatinny rails (3-12") to it in various places. The midwest tube had a similar type of setup. The YHM is on my 6.5 grendel 24" barrel and holds steady with a bipod
 
Maybe they have different designs but I was not impressed with the engineering behind the MI rails that I have worked with on friend's rifles.

Not particularly robust nor easy to align. I tend to favor Armalite handguards, which to my eye appear to be similar to Geissele with regard to how they attach to the barrel nut.

Things I really like:

No funky barrel nut wrench with prongs that need to fit into corresponding holes in the barrel nut. The Armalite barrel nut has big wrench flats on it. Easy.

Barrel nut does not have to be indexed to align either for the gas tube, or to align the top rail if that is a consideration.


I utilize, from time to time, front sights, flashlights, IR lights, and IR lasers. So for me having some mechanism to attach stuff is important.

I still have an old Hogue round free float tube on another rifle and it, while 'out of date', is very rigid and robust. It does not have vents to allow barrel heat to dissipate nor does it have a method to attach a bipod but I COULD drill and tap it if I felt the need to add a section of rail or a sling stud to install a bipod.


They are still available, and now available with hardware to attach a bipod.

They aren't whiz-bang fancy and new but they should clear the gas block on your large diameter barrel if you choose to cover it, which I would if I were you.


https://www.hogueinc.com/tacrifles/ar15/forends/rifle-length
 
The yankee hill handguard I mentioned does have to have the barrel nut indexed for the gas tube, but the tube utilizes a jam nut that makes rail alignment a breeze. It's slightly smaller in diameter to the MI ss tubes, but thicker and definitely more rigid.
 
I bought the 7" version of this rail for an ar pistol and was very impressed for the money. It's solid, the ends were chamfered, it was actually anodized in a matte finish that matched my upper and lower, and it's cheap. $38. Spend you money where it matters, optics and barrel, rather than on a fancy rail.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17-Inch-5-56-223-ULTRA-SLIM-Super-Light-Keymod-Free-Float-Handguard-w-Steel-Nut/122409187957?_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIM.MBE&ao=1&asc=20180213162448&meid=1b032a2b4911407ba272819346fa5db4&pid=100930&rk=2&rkt=8&mehot=pp&sd=264009570845&itm=122409187957&_trksid=p2349624.c100930.m5375
 
I chose this for mine:

https://www.jsesurplus.com/ar15youngmanufacturing15ventedfloat.aspx

index.php


I see no reason for rails or keymod/M-lok holes on a varmint rifle handguard.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions.

I ended up buying the JP Enterprises 17 inch quick configuration hand guard. A bit pricey, but it should be very rigid. Once the build is complete, I will share pictures. Shouldn’t be much longer. The hand guard was the last part needed, except for the optic.

Chris
 
IndianaBoy said:
Things I really like:

No funky barrel nut wrench with prongs that need to fit into corresponding holes in the barrel nut. The Armalite barrel nut has big wrench flats on it. Easy.

Barrel nut does not have to be indexed to align either for the gas tube, or to align the top rail if that is a consideration.
Click to expand...

A thought came to mind in reading these “requirements,” as I think a lot of guys focus on these, and in a way, will cut off their nose to spite their face...

God intended us to build our AR and then SHOOT our AR. In the grand scheme of things, building the AR, and particularly installing the handguard is about 8minutes out of the life of the rifle, whereas you might spend hundreds of hours in the field actually SHOOTING the rifle.

So I don’t bother being selective with my hand guards based on how easy they are to install, I worry more about how well they fit my application, and how durable they will be in the field. I use a lapping spindle to set my torque to 40-50ft.lbs. when aligned with the tube, and don’t worry much about what kind of wrench I need to install it.

If I were a nascar racer, I might worry about how fast and easy it was to remove the wheels from my car. But since I spend a lot more time driving than changing tires, I worry more about having good tires for the roads I drive and having wheels and lug nuts which stay put.
 
Varminterror said:
A thought came to mind in reading these “requirements,” as I think a lot of guys focus on these, and in a way, will cut off their nose to spite their face...

God intended us to build our AR and then SHOOT our AR. In the grand scheme of things, building the AR, and particularly installing the handguard is about 8minutes out of the life of the rifle, whereas you might spend hundreds of hours in the field actually SHOOTING the rifle.

So I don’t bother being selective with my hand guards based on how easy they are to install, I worry more about how well they fit my application, and how durable they will be in the field. I use a lapping spindle to set my torque to 40-50ft.lbs. when aligned with the tube, and don’t worry much about what kind of wrench I need to install it.

If I were a nascar racer, I might worry about how fast and easy it was to remove the wheels from my car. But since I spend a lot more time driving than changing tires, I worry more about having good tires for the roads I drive and having wheels and lug nuts which stay put.
Click to expand...


The two are not mutually exclusive. Much of the poor design I have seen manifest as onerous assembly also rears its head in the arena of durability.

Insufficient anti-rotation tabs and shoddy jam nuts are two specific deficiencies which I see frequently. Both have resulted in broken or twisted handguards.
 
Varminterror said:
building the AR, and particularly installing the handguard is about 8minutes out of the life of the rifle, whereas you might spend hundreds of hours in the field actually SHOOTING the rifle.

So I don’t bother being selective with my hand guards based on how easy they are to install,
Click to expand...
No doubt, but people like easy. :)
 
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