Hogues were some of the very first free floats and quite common when flattops were still being chopped from carry handle uppers. Long before quad rails. The precision AR's using them were making a good showing in competitions back then.
Being machined from aluminum or extruded, they can be lightweight, the disadvantage of length is that it still adds to muzzle heaviness as it approaches the front sight. A 16" vs 20" has a perceptible difference in swing or carry. On a static range it's negligible, in the field after a day of traversing rough terrain there is a difference. There is also the intent of that barrel length - on a short course of fire the 20" will not be inherently more accurate. The advantage only surfaces at extreme long range where the dwell time in the barrel absorbing an incrementally higher amount of power can keep it supersonic longer. The crossover is about 350 - 500m depending on cartridge loading and twist.
Build it to fit the kind of shooting involved and it works. It's a classic design and has aged well compared to the quad rail or others.
