Crazy Or Practical

K

KjBeachy

New member
So i have the "classic" ar 15 with an a2 front sight and an 16 inch barrel.

I have running an idea around in my head for awhile. So i think that a 15 inch handguard on a 16 inch barrel is cool, but i wanna know if I am crazy or if that is practical.

One of the things i would like about a longer handguard is the fact that i can put my bipods all the way at the end of the gun, giving more stability.

This is the rail i would like to get: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/944031...-aluminum-black
 
I'd say practical. I'm in the process of doing the exact same thing on a lightweight hunting upper. One of my first AR's was a 16" carbine with the same A2 front sight and plastic handguard. I have big paws, and I absolutely hate the lack of real-estate on those short carbine-length handguards.

I have used the Nordic tube on a couple builds. They're nice, but its definitely a PITA to get the tube indexed perfectly with the rest of the upper.

Another nice Free-Float tube you might look at is the ALG EMR V0.

http://www.brownells.com/rifle-parts/for...187-195335.aspx

That's what I'm using on my lightweight upper. I haven't had a chance to install it yet, but it looks solid, to me.
 
Crazy or practical is completely subjective. I always say, if it works for you and solves a problem then go with it. So many times I see guys doing something just to keep up with the "Jones's" that really doesn't help their platforms performance.

But you seem to have identified a valid reason behind wanting to go with the longer hand guard and I don't think you will be disappointed.
 
It is the same setup I have on the 6.8's I have. When hunting hogs at night and in bad weather the longer hand guard helps to protect the barrel and gas block too. When needed can lay the gun on the ground and the hand guard get dirty but the barrel and gas block don't. Great for attaching accessories like a auxiliary battery pack for thermal scope too.
 
I built an AR for myself a few years ago with 3 uppers - all identical except for the bolt and barrel. One's an 18" 6.8SPC, one's a 20" 223rem, and one's a 22" 204R, all 3 have 15" Troy rails. I can take my grips and steady myself exactly the same on all 3.

The furniture is for me, not for the cartridge. So I picked furniture which suits me well, not my cartridge. 15" on a 16" makes perfect sense to me, as it'd let me get my hand comfortably in behind the bipod, but not have a lot of excess length out front.
 
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