I recently took delivery on a Rock River "holiday special" and am very happy with everything about it ... except, I would not have put a quad rail on it had I had the option to go with a tube-style handguard instead. (Well, I suppose I did, but not on that package, so that option would likely have cost more and pushed delivery out into mid-2014 or later.)
As a consequence, I've been looking at Hogue's Overmolded Carbine Forend, the one with the rubber grip area. I like the idea of the more comfortable grip. I like the idea of a lighter weapon. I have no plans to hang anything from the forend rails. But I notice that two of the three reviews of this product at Brownells are negative, focusing on difficulty of installation. I don't mind leaving that to a gunsmith.
So, I'm coming to the experts (that's you ladies & gentlemen) with three questions:
As a consequence, I've been looking at Hogue's Overmolded Carbine Forend, the one with the rubber grip area. I like the idea of the more comfortable grip. I like the idea of a lighter weapon. I have no plans to hang anything from the forend rails. But I notice that two of the three reviews of this product at Brownells are negative, focusing on difficulty of installation. I don't mind leaving that to a gunsmith.
So, I'm coming to the experts (that's you ladies & gentlemen) with three questions:
- Thumbs up or down on the Hogue Forend?
- Similar comfortable, lightweight forends you like better (having no rails is not a requirement)?
- Are there any free-float forends you know of in the marketplace that a competent gunsmith would have trouble installing properly?