It can also serve as an attachment platform for secondary weapons (such as an underslung M203 grenade launcher or M26-MASS) as well as accessories such as bipods, tactical lights, laser sights, night-vision devices, foregrips/handstops, slings and a variety of other attachments. Handguards are typically available as two types. The first has a contact point at the base of the barrel and a predetermined length up the barrel. They are typically made of polymer if they are this brand but can be made of different types of alloys. If they have the two contact points they are considered to be a drop in handguard. The other type attaches around the barrel but does not make contact with it directly. That particular type of handguard is, the majority of the time, made out of some form of aluminum or aluminum alloy. That allows for what is considered a free-floating barrel.
Ar15 barrel shroud free#
Free floating barrels are known to have greater accuracy than their counterparts that have drop in hand guards. They also use a number of mounting systems with the main ones being M-LOK, KeyMod, and Picatinny. When talking about melee weapons, a "handguard" refers to the crossguard (also known as the quillons or crosstree), the enlarged front part of a sword, saber or knife/ dagger's hilt, which protects the wielder's hands from an opponent's blade sliding towards the hilt, or prevents the wielder's own hand and fingers from accidentally slipping onto the blade when stabbing.ĪR-15 featuring a HWK M-LOK Free Float Handguard by STNGR USAįree-floating handguards, also referred to as "floating" handguards, have seen a rise in popularity in the recent years. They work by only attaching to the firearm at one point (on the barrel nut by the upper receiver) while the remainder of the handguard does not make contact with the barrel. This gives the impression that the handguard is "floating" around the barrel, hence the name. įree-floating handguards have been known to increase accuracy between 0.5 and 0.75 MOA (0.15-0.2 mrad) compared to their drop-in counterparts. The reason for this increase in accuracy is due to the avoidance of an issue known as barrel warping.īarrel warping occurs when the handguard makes contact with the barrel which then slightly alters the barrel's angle reducing accuracy. An instance where this would occur would be when a rifle is propped up against a surface during or when a bipod is used.
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