Hi all,

Proud new owner of the Sport II and I am looking to upgrade to a 15" Free float M-Lok Handguard.

I am in between two right now. Obviously price being a factor in my consideration.

1. Midwest Industries Light Weight 15" M-Lok Handguard ($200)

2. Guntec Ultra Light Weight 15" Thin M-Lok Free Floak with Monolithic Top Rail ($100)

Does anyone have any experience with either of these, especially the Guntec. Lots of reviews on the Midwest Industries and seems great but the price point difference is leaning me towards the Guntec.

Also, to upgrade I know I need a low profile gas block. Any recommendations on that. I see that Guntec also makes that and it is also fairly cheaper than other brands, any recs (what is the specific size gas block I will need)? Thank you all! Looking forward to upgrade!

The Midwest handguard will be high quality. You are paying for the name and the quality.

I have no experience with Guntec so I can't really comment on them.

If I was looking for a low cost high quality budget M-Lok hand guard I would look long and hard at the Aero M-Lok hand guards. $109 shipped to you their ******* set which is their lower level ones. For some reason the forum will not allow me to post Q u a n t u m . Aero is a manufacture of a lot of parts which they sell under their brand name. They also are an OEM for a lot of companies.

Handguards | Aero Precision

You can use just about any gas block will work. I would get an Aero to because they are reasonable and you will save on shipping. Someone more knowledge about the Sport II barrel profile will come along and tell you which one you need.

Upper Receiver Parts | Aero Precision, Part Type Gas System

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Use should dictate gear!

Thanks for the advice! Just took a look, are you recommending the Q U A N T U M or the normal Gen 2. It seems they are about the same price.

Q U A N T U M because the Gen 2 will cost you $200 because you need the shims etc...

__________________
Use should dictate gear!

I've used the Guntec M-Lok handguard for 3 builds, generally they are excellent handguards especially considering the price point, I like the slim profile and the lock-up and rigidity are very good. My only slight gripe with it is the wrench they provide with the barrel nut is basically useless, you won't be able to torque it down to 40ftlb without it rounding off and scratching up the barrel nut, so I'd advise picking up a crows foot wrench to use with a torque wrench. Also be careful with the screws that attach the hanguard to the barrel nut, don't go too tight or you can strip the thread, you only want them at about 40-50inlb and use a little blue threadlocker.

Have you had any issues with the Aluminum barrel nut that is provided? I read a review that it is not as durable when torquing it down.

I may go with the Guntec because reviews for the ******* say that it will not run the Magpul MBUS front sight (front sight cannot close down)

No problems with the barrell nut, you can torque it down way over spec without damaging it but have fun removing it afterwards, ask me how I know. Lesson learned make sure you use some Aeroshell 33MS. Geissele uses an aluminum barrell nut for the SMR and that's one of the best quality most bomb proof rails there is imo (got 2), so I'm not worried about it at all. Guntec is good to go in that respect, just don't overtorque the handguard screws, they are only used to prevent rotation they don't need to be super torqued down.

Here's a couple pictures of a rifle I put together using a Guntec handguard.

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I'd get the Midwest. I nearly did, but didn't want a 15" and didn't want a 12.65 either. Settled on the BCM 13.5 Keymod.

If you haven't done somethig already, I've got a card in front of me for Optics Planet for $15 off of $150 - CC7632C good through March.

With my M&P 15, would it be a .750 diameter low profile gas block that is needed? Just wanted to confirm before I make all the purchases.

Yes, .750 is what you need.

Which hand guard did you decide on in the end?

Yes, and post a picture if it was the Midwest so I can determine if I have buyers remorse or not after having to decide between it and the BCM.

I have the midwest on one of my Windhams and love it. Fit and finish is awesome and a very solid free float rail

Just pulled the trigger on the Midwest Industries 15" Lightweight G3 model. Will post pics once I get it in and take it to the gunsmith!

Quick question:

Has anyone had any issues with S&W warranty after you changed the gas block and change to a free float handguard? I'm guessing that voids the lifetime warranty?

That looks good.

__________________
Use should dictate gear!

Some have. I guess it depends on the mood of the rep/gunsmith that day.

The end product, thanks for all the advice everyone!

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Oh you did well. Just put one in FDE on my cousin's Sport a week or so ago. Easy install (much easier than the BCM), and his looks nasty with that goofy YHM Annihilator sticking out of the front.

That's really nice looking, great job. Did you have any problems removing the front a2 pins?

Sent from my ONE A2005 using Tapatalk

Mine (top) was a new Sport II with likely a couple hundred rounds through it at most. It was a pain. I also had never done it before, so I probably didn't hit them hard enough to start out with. They took quite a bit of force. The bottom one is a Sport I with about 1000 or more through it and 3 years old. Those pins came out extremely easy. One good whack and they moved. I had also done one before and I didn't mess around to start with either. Lined up an oversized punch, relaxed my holding hand so I would flinch when I swung, and drilled it with a 2lb sledge. It was nice that it went so much easier on that one. Barrel nut on the other hand I got on my 7th or 8th try, and I was scared I was going to break the receiver it was on so tight. The Sport II being new I guess, no issue whatsoever with the barrel nut.

I took mine to a gunsmith as I don't have the necessary tools nor am I experienced enough for the work. He did a great job and is extremely reliable so I am happy how it turned out!