Handguards

[DougS]

Without getting an aftermarket handguard, is it possible to get something so I can attach a foregrip, and occasionally use a bi-pod? I like the factory hand guard and don't wanna change it out.

 

[Com 45acp]

If your speaking of a sport model it doesn't have heat shield inside the handguards. So if you were to attach anything your attaching to plastic only. There is no strength for something to stay put. Get a magpul for end if you don't want a full rail. It will run you $20-$25. Then your options are broader as to what you can add to forend that will hold up.

 

[DougS]

It's a sport ll, I'll leave it the way it is then. The more I think about it, the less stuff I got hanging off the rifle the better.

 

[Armybrat]

I put a Magpul on my older Sport a year ago:

 

[soonerwink]

I put a Viper Carbine length handguard by Strike Ind. on mine it has a heat shield in it.Megatron 404 It was very easy to install and it looks good. I wanted something different than the magpul.

 

[Com 45acp]

I like magpul, that's what is going on mine when it gets here.

 

[tcon]

Assuming your 15 has standard A2 handguards, you can install a Harris #5 which is a non-intrusive sling stud but is also an attachment point for the Harris bipod.

On my Colt A2, I've got it in the 2nd hole from the front which places the Harris as far forward as possible and still contacting the handguard fully. You do have to remove the handguard to install it and use blue LocTite on the threads.

 

[wayne2356]

Magpul Slimline

 

[Com 45acp]

The sport doesn't have metal lined heat shields in handguards. It's not gonna hold up without the support of a metal backing for strength and support. Especially a bipod.

 

[C J]

The sport doesn't have metal lined heat shields

Does the Magpul handguard have better heat lining than we see on the Sport? I assume it's strong enough to hold a hand grip since they sell them to fit their handguard.

 

[tcon]

The sport doesn't have metal lined heat shields in handguards. It's not gonna hold up without the support of a metal backing for strength and support. Especially a bipod.

Sure it will. People do it all the time. That metal in the Colt A2 handguard is just flimsy aluminum and with the #5 adapter, it's best to remove the shield, install the #5 and put the shield over it.

 

[Tbat]

I have used something similar to this to attach lights to standard handguards, 2.2" Picatinny Rail, and they do just fine. I don't know if it would hold up to a forward grip or bipod, but it is cheap enough to try.

 

[Tbat]

Does the Magpul handguard have better heat lining than we see on the Sport? I assume it's strong enough to hold a hand grip since they sell them to fit their handguard.

Magpul handguards are pretty thin, but I have attached forward grips to some when I was running Magpul handguards on a couple of my AR15's and they held up ok, so I think the stock handguards would do just as good if you have an angled rail to conform to the stock handguards.

 

[C J]

I think the stock handguards would do just as good if you have an angled rail to conform to the stock handguards

Thanks for the response but I really don't get what you're saying here. Are you saying there's a way to mount a hand grip to the stock Sport handguard? Wouldn't that require a bottom rail that the Sport doesn't have?

 

[Kadonny]

Thanks for the response but I really don't get what you're saying here. Are you saying there's a way to mount a hand grip to the stock Sport handguard? Wouldn't that require a bottom rail that the Sport doesn't have?

Yup, there is. The stock Sport handguards have holes in them on the top and bottom you can mount things to without adding rail sections. However, it may be easier to just add a rail. Also, don't blow by the disucssion about no heat shield in the stock handguards. Without the heat shield the handguards are basically just plastic (no metal) and mounting things to them may not be the strongest or sturdiest....after all it's just plastic.

 

[DougS]

I been looking at aftermarket handguards, and haven't found any I like yet. So I'm gonna leave the rifle the way it is. Instead of spending money on a handguard I really don't need, I'll buy ammo instead.

 

[C J]

Also, don't blow by the disucssion about no heat shield in the stock handguards. Without the heat shield the handguards are basically just plastic (no metal) and mounting things to them may not be the strongest or sturdiest....after all it's just plastic.

Actually I asked about both those issues. I asked about the heat shield earlier and in my last post I asked about whether the stock hand guard was suitable for mounting a grip. I don't want to just end up breaking the front hand guard but I would like a front grip.

Well I've done some research and found that apparently I have a standard A2 type handguard. I'm still pretty new the AR world obviously. Wouldn't adding a rail that runs the length of the handguard give added strength that might help support a vertical grip? But I'm having doubts whether it would add enough strength.

 

[Kadonny]

Well I've done some research and found that apparently I have a standard A2 type handguard. I'm still pretty new the AR world obviously. Wouldn't adding a rail that runs the length of the handguard give added strength that might help support a vertical grip? But I'm having doubts whether it would add enough strength.

It might, but remember you would be mounting a metal rail section through holes in a plastic handguard and mounting the backing hardware to plastic. That's the problem. If it had a heat shield, that would be mounted in the inside of the handguard thus allowing the mounting hardware of the grip to mount to metal, not plastic. See?

 

[C J]

Yeah I had already seen that. That's why I still had doubts it would be strong enough. A little modification might make it stronger by putting in a plate on the back side of the rail. But even that might not be strong enough and the mounting screws that come with the add on rails I've seen may not be long enough.

 

[tcon]

Look at the Leapers MNT-HGR16S. I'm not sure what the concern is about the strength of the SW stock handguards. I don't own a SW AR but I can't imagine they are using fragile squirt-gun plastic for their handguards. Aren't they the same material as what everyone else uses minus the heat shield?

I would not be concerned mounting a two-point rail with any A2 handguard and any part like this you mount in a Colt A2 handguard that does have an interior heat shield, you should carefully remove the soft aluminum heat shield, mount the rail or whatever directly to the plastic using blue thread-locker on the threads and the correct amount of torque and then reinstall the aluminum liner just like it came out. The liner is very soft metal and is held in place by small tab inserts. Again - the aluminum liner is not there for any kind of support - it's soft aluminum that bends easily. There's also an air space between the heat shield and the handguard and the shield is for heat deflection only and can be damaged by mounting hardware. It will not offer support and the hardware that comes with these accessories isn't long enough to go through the handguard and liner without compressing the liner. Don't do this.

The SW handguard doesn't have the heat shield? Then it should readily accept a rail like the MNT-HGR16S that has a mounting fastener at each end and this setup should take the stresses of a vertical grip. If you remove the bottom handguard and you find the plastic seems so light and flimsy that you think a two point rail mount woujldl break it, you should get real A2 handguards ($20). But I suspect the SW A2-style handguards are fine.