Handguards

[308murder]

What are the best hand guards to use on the armalite ar 10's? Midwest Industries, Daniel Defense, LaRue Tact or any others that are good? I guess I'm looking for a mid to upper level hand guard dont want to spend too much on it.

[imschur]

I started gathering info here . Theres a few more Armalite specific. The SWS is a favorite among the AR-10 crowd but its not cheap.

[308murder]

Ya I already read through that, doesnt really tell you what is better between them I was curious which everyone liked better. Do you have an opinion on any of the others? I have never heard of SWS. Which is a good mid hand guard for like <300.

[imschur]

The Daniel Defense is probably the next runner up, excellent product. I havent seen the Larue product but Im sure there quality is top notch.

Unfortunately you dont have all the choices that you see in AR-15's

BTW dont forget Armalite has  their own

[308murder]

Ya I'll have to check out the armalite hand guards, thanks alot. What is the free float option does that help? Also which of these are easy to install and which do I need a gunsmith to install?

[PantherPlayer]

You DEFINATELY want a free float if at all possible.  It makes it so that the only thing touching the barrel is the barrel nut itself.  Everything else is supported from the outside of the barrel nut.  Some of the other guys would know more about the installation part I'm sure so I'll leave it to them ;D

[308murder]

Figured it would be more accurate and better with the free float. Now I just need to know which are easier to install between the SWS and the DD and the LaRue. Does anybody know anything about the MI hand guards?

[imschur]

You want free float. Just like a traditional hunting or target rifle you dont want anything touching the barrel that could influence it in any way.

You will need a wrench specific to the barrel nut on your AR-10 and quite possibly a different wrench for the nut that comes with your handguard. You will also need a upper receiver vise block/action block to hold the upper securely and prevent damage. Alternatively you can use barrel vise jaws that can be trickier

[308murder]

Even for the bolt on hand guards? MI says theirs jus goes on like the stock one without any mess.

[imschur]

Figured it would be more accurate and better with the free float. Now I just need to know which are easier to install between the SWS and the DD and the LaRue. Does anybody know anything about the MI hand guards?

MI I believe only has the drop in variety for the AR-10. Are the Larue actually available? Looks like the DD AR-10 Lite Rails arent available with the AR-10 barrel nut at the moment. SWS has documentation here

Jeez i havent looked at these prices in a while .....ouch

[imschur]

the MI's swap out like traditional A2 handguards and are not free float

[fcr]

I have DD and LaRues on my AR15s both great quality. I am leaning towards the LaRue because it comes in a 13"2". That said I was at RifleGear the other day in Costa Mesa and Matt told me he has heard of a 14" DD. I have a 21" barrel that I want to cover up more than 12". I have a message into DD and will give a heads up.

I was also talking to PWS about their rail system, I like it and the way it is made. They don't make an AR10 specific Rail but they did recommend DD. Just thought I would throw that out.

[imschur]

I hope they reply to you  <thumbsup>

[fcr]

So far Nothing from DD.  <dontknow>

[imschur]

So far Nothing from DD.  <dontknow>

With the gun industry Im surprised when I get a reply  ;D

[fcr]

I did find a 14" DD LiteRail for an AR15 platform. I was able to handle an SWS the other day and might go that way. I like their 14" also. I wasn't able to handle that. I also didn't realize Noveske uses them for their applications. On the website they look fragile, not in person they are made very well.

[Buck_Naked]

I have a SWS E1 on my AR-10 and highly recommend it. The photos of the product don't do it justice.

I have 3 Larue rails for my AR-15's, and have previously owned KAC and (back in the day) an ARMS SIR, and the SWS is first rate.

My only complaint is that they don't offer a slightly longer version that would cover the gas block on a rifle length barrel and still have the full rails. They make Noveskes rail in a 14" length, but its not offered as a stand alone part.

Another thing to consider with the SWS is the price includes the barrel nut wrench in the price, unlike many of the others...

[imschur]

Do you have any images to share of the SWS? Thanks for joining.  <thumbsup>

[Buck_Naked]

Do you have any images to share of the SWS? Thanks for joining.  <thumbsup>

Funny you should ask...  :D

And thanks for the welcome! I wish I would have known about this sight sooner... I ran across a link at 68forums...

[imschur]

looks great

[starwolf-1]

I'm building an Armalite AR10A4 carbine and I'm trying to find a free float handguard for it. The thing is, I don't want a quad rail, as I want it to be light weight and don't want it to be bulky. I do want a full top rail matched up to the receiver, but I want to be able to place small sections of rail just where I need them. I've searched and called everywhere I can think of, and the only real option I've found is the JP or VTac handguard.

If anyone knows of any others out there, please let me know.

Chuck

[fcr]

I know this is not timely but the SWS 15" is more like the Vtac  or PRI type. Look at PRI also nice products. Just got my rifle length SWS very nice work.

[starwolf-1]

Thanks for the post. I've looked at the SWS stuff, and I have considered it, but I'm waiting to hear back from Apex. I wrote them a while back to see if their handguards would fit the AR-10, and right now they don't, but they later sent me a message saying they expect to have their AR-10 version out on November 1st. I'm not in an extreme rush, so I'll wait to see what happens.

Chuck them out at http://www.apexcncmachine.com/