Duane Thomas Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 I recently had a rifle built up for a lady shooter who does not have a lot of upper body strength so the emphasis was on trying to make the rifle as light as possible, especially out front. My first instinct was to go carbon fiber for the forend, but I got talked by the manufacturer of a particular aluminum unit into going for that instead. This forend is so small in diameter the riflesmith had to actually take a pinned, Vietnam era milspec gas block and cut it down to fit under the handguard. Got the rifle, I love the small diameter of the tube now, it seems much more small hand friendly (and the woman in question does not have particularly large hands) but it makes the front of the gun entirely too heavy. My question: is there a good, small diameter, carbon fiber forend out there that you might recommend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benny hill Posted October 20, 2011 Share Posted October 20, 2011 All are 2" dia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 According to my dial calipers the ID on the forend that is currently on the rifle measures 1.810" in height and only 1.559" in width at the muzzle end. Call it 1.8" tall by 1.5" wide, taking into account manufacturing variables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted October 20, 2011 Author Share Posted October 20, 2011 Here's an example of what I'm talking about: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rundownfid Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I believe that Benny's comment is that all are 2"; and your comment seems to indicate that this is not strictly speaking necessary, as the nature of the gas block makes the actual area needing to be cleared more oval? Perhaps this is a niche market some clever manufacturer could exploit, an oval section free float hand guard? This could save a few ounces and be thinner in cross section, which might be of use to some small handed shooters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 No, I think that Benny's comment was that all forends have 2" interior diameter, and my comment was that's not true. Some clever manufacturers have already answered the desire for a smaller forend, with low profile gas blocks and forends sized down to fit same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLG8R Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I think that a smaller than 2 in fore end is possible, but not one made from carbon fiber.the manufacturing process using carbon fiber makes the detail like the one pictured very difficult. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suprdave Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I think benny was saying all of the CF Tubes are 2" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jid2 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 (edited) I have this one... dpms carbon Added some mounting holes/screws instead of bonding it to the nut. It requires a low profile gas block. Diameter is 2.00" Edited October 22, 2011 by jid2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carbon9 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 If you can't find a carbon fiber handguard that fits you may be able to shave some weight by turning the barrel or changing the comp. Or maybe changing/placing the balance rearward by using a heavier stock? How about a little more info about the rifle? How long is the barrel? What diameter is the barrel before and after the gas block? What comp? Iron sights or Optic? What handguard and length is it right now? Otherwise you can always have a friend start fabricating a barrel nut to match one of these carbon fiber tubes. carbon fiber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Here's an example of what I'm talking about: Out of curiosity, who makes that one and what is the OD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 I had Daniel Defense build me a 16.5" pencil barrel so there won't be any need to take more weight off the barrel. There is no comp, just a bird cage flash hider. For a newbie AR-15 shooter I had to weigh damping down the thunderous recoil of the .223 against the louder noise of a comp. The forend in the photo is a Troy TRX Extreme. Which is in fact the forend that is currently on the rifle. When I got the rifle back from the smith a month or two ago, I thought the TRX Extreme made it entirely too front heavy. Pulled it out of the safe a few days ago and my attitude has changed, I like it and don't feel it makes the rifle too heavy. Thus no need to go carbon fiber. This is good, because the lady in question really likes the TRX Extreme - in fact she's the one who first suggested it to me. The OD of the TRX Extreme according to my dial calibers is 2.050" tall x 1.735" wide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickB Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Maybe try a Samson Evolution. Cleaner lines than the TRX Extreme without the "cheese grater" feel... Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted October 28, 2011 Author Share Posted October 28, 2011 Maybe. How is it for weight - and is it significantly smaller in OD than a standard forend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aircooled6racer Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Hello: I am not sure if the small diameter forend Nordic makes for there 22 conversion may work. It is small and made from aluminum with lots of holes. Give them a call and see. Thanks, Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskapopo Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I had Daniel Defense build me a 16.5" pencil barrel so there won't be any need to take more weight off the barrel. There is no comp, just a bird cage flash hider. For a newbie AR-15 shooter I had to weigh damping down the thunderous recoil of the .223 against the louder noise of a comp. The forend in the photo is a Troy TRX Extreme. Which is in fact the forend that is currently on the rifle. When I got the rifle back from the smith a month or two ago, I thought the TRX Extreme made it entirely too front heavy. Pulled it out of the safe a few days ago and my attitude has changed, I like it and don't feel it makes the rifle too heavy. Thus no need to go carbon fiber. This is good, because the lady in question really likes the TRX Extreme - in fact she's the one who first suggested it to me. The OD of the TRX Extreme according to my dial calibers is 2.050" tall x 1.735" wide. A comp is well worth it especially if your worried about recoil. Hearing protection should be used when shooting any firearm so the noise level should be a non issue for the shooter. Now the people around her may not like it. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickB Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Weight is about 11-12 oz. OD is also smaller than 2". About 1.7" or so. I chose this handguard specifically for my 13 year old son and his hand size... Mick Maybe. How is it for weight - and is it significantly smaller in OD than a standard forend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dillon Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I shot the RM3G with a couple of guys sponsored by Lancers. They have an octagonal CF forend, 2" across the flats that might work for her. http://www.lancer-systems.com/LCH.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Anderson Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Lancer is set up at the FNH match. I know you're not looking any more but their CF tube would fit the bill. It's the only CF tube I've seen with flats. Nice rounded corners, not sharp. Lots of slots for accessory rails if you need them. Very light weight and looked fairly simple to install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mbauer67 Posted November 12, 2011 Share Posted November 12, 2011 Check out carbon arms hand guard, it uses the JP nut set-up and it looks really nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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