And I quote shibiwan from the first page because his analysis nails it, "IMO regular handguards do nothing to strengthen the barrel since they are merely plastic pieces clipped on to the barrel and held by the delta ring. Barrels are surprisingly strong. If you hit the barrel hard enough to damage it, you'll have other problems on the rifle to worry about."
But I do agree about saving weight to an extent, there are to many variables with different builds. Me personally I don't shoot three gun or etc, so I don't mind a heavier piece.