tnorman Posted January 26, 2015 Share Posted January 26, 2015 (edited) I'm either buying the AP customs CF tactical or Midwest 15" keymod hand guard for my build. I have read there isn't a need for a heat shield in the CF one. Do I need to get one for the MW? Edited January 26, 2015 by tnorman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShooterSteve Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Who ever tells you that cf doesn't get hot is full of bs. It will get hot as crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnorman Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Thank you...I'm still a newb to the AR world. I have had a MP Sport for a year now but have no experience with the CF or other hand guards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc1094 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I have a 15 inch MI gen 2 (not the keymod) and have had no problems with it burning my hands. Maybe that one time at FNH when it sat on the table for an hour in the September sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCK Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I have an AP Customs ultra-light carbon fiber 15" handguard on my rifle for a few years now. I have shot thousands and thousands of rounds with the AP CF handguard on my rifle and it has never gotten hot, not even warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebwake Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yea you have to run some serious rounds throuh it before any hand guard will get too hot to hold. M4s take serious high volume fire before they start to suck. Nothing like an ak though those bastards get hot after a few mags Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickB Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Having shot regular handguards and carbon fibre hanndguards, the ultra thin MI Gen 2 style get hot quickest, followed by regular diameter handguards, then lastly ventilated carbon fibre. BUT, you have to be shooting a LOT of rounds very quickly to have an issue. Not likely in most 3 gun stages... Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkCO Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 BUT, you have to be shooting a LOT of rounds very quickly to have an issue. Not likely in most 3 gun stages... LOTS of fast missing is usually the culprit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thehotrodpig Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I have a midwest ss gen 2. Heat has never been an issue in any of the matches I've shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricardo28 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 No need for one, I have a keymod similar in size to the MI on my 308 and never worry about the heat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShooterSteve Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I would like to clarify, if you shoot casually, or regular three gun matches, it's not that bad. If you shoot a match in July, and leave your rifle out I the sun, and then run a big rifle stage, it will get hot. Surprisingly hot for cf. however, under most circumstances they don't. My post was mostly to reply to the common thought of , get cf, it doesn't get hot when you shoot. That is simply not the case. If you go take a cqb rifle lesson in the summer, and you are running that gun hard, the way it was meant to be run, it will get hot. If your cf hasn't gotten uncomfortably hot then you haven't run your gun hard enough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tnorman Posted January 31, 2015 Author Share Posted January 31, 2015 Thanks for the info...I really like the AP Customs handguard. The Midwest Gen 2 is attractive too though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StealthyBlagga Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) Small diameter aluminum handguards are the worst, particularly when combined with a 30+ round hoser stage in the strong southern summer sun... the hot barrel transmits heat to the handguard via conduction through the barrel nut plus, and via radiation due to the small diameter. The lack of cool air circulating around the barrel means the handguard can get too hot to hold. Here in AZ during the hottest months, I commonly pour cold water on my handguard/barrel between stages. I just put my first CF handguard on a rifle (replacing a Samson Evo which was definitely too hot) so I will not know how much of an improvement it is for another 6 months. However, I have had pretty good performance from long, large-diameter, Swiss-cheese aluminum handguards like the 15" MI SS Gen1 - they seem to cool much faster. For years, my inexpensive and effective fallback solution was to wrap a regular aluminum free-float tube with para cord; my sons still run rifles in this configuration, and never complain of overheating. How to wrap your free-float handguard with paracord 1) Obtain paracord of your chosen color. I recommend "real" 550 parachute cord, with white strands inside a colored outer sheath, rather than the braided stuff you get at WalMart. 2) Cut the paracord to length. For a plain-vanilla aluminum AR15 FF tube, you will need about 4 feet of paracord for every inch of tube you want to cover - I found I needed more for the wider LR-308 FF tube (about 50ft total IIRC). Once cut, heat-seal the ends using a lighter flame to prevent fraying. 3) Cut another length of paracord to approximately 18" long, fold in half, and then tie a knot with the loose ends to create a loop about 9" long. 4) Soak the longer length of paracord (from step 2) in water until its saturated, then shake off the excess water. This is an important step, as it makes the paracord stretch slightly. 5) Starting with one cut end of the wet paracord several inches in towards the middle of the FF tube, lay the paracord lengthwise along the tube towards the end you want to start wrapping. Now start wrapping the paracord around the tube, keeping things as tight as you can and working your way towards the opposite end. The wrapping will cover the first several inches you had initially layed lengthwise, thus preventing it from unravelling. Keep an eye on things to make sure the cord lays parallel and no big gaps/distortions develop. 6) When you get within about 5" of the end, lay the 9" long loop of paracord lengthwise on the FF tube (knot towards the center of the FF tube), then continue wrapping the para cord so as to cover this loop. This loop needs to protrude about 2" at each end. 7) When you get to the end of the FF tube, insert the loose end of paracord through the protruding loop, and then pull on the opposite end of the loop so that the loose end of para cord is pulled under the wrapping and out where the loop is protruding. 8) Cut off any remaining loose ends of paracord, and heat seal as flush as you can with the wrapped surface. Once the para cord dries, it will tighten down nicely and prevent the wrapping from unraveling. I have wrapped several rifle FF tubes this way, and the wrapping has lasted indefinitely... I have never had one unravel despite years of hard competitive use in the AZ heat. Of all the FF tubes I have ever handled, my paracord wrapping is by far the coolest to hold. The process is illustrated below: Edited January 31, 2015 by StealthyBlagga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinistralRifleman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 (edited) I had these made specifically to deal with heat from storage in hot environment and rapid fire: http://shop.honorpointusa.com/collections/accessories/products/stop-heat-trasfer-wrap-made-in-usa Just make sure you cinch it down tight. Edited January 31, 2015 by SinistralRifleman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtm Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Russel gave me one of these, thanks amigo, and I use it a bunch! It switches around to different rifles easily and is THE heat to beat the heat! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
v1911 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 I wear glove on my left hand because of a stage failure that required me to dump 2 mags in under 2 min. Yeah, they get hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigblock455 Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 (edited) "Having shot regular handguards and carbon fibre hanndguards, the ultra thin MI Gen 2 style get hot quickest, followed by regular diameter handguards, then lastly ventilated carbon fibre. BUT, you have to be shooting a LOT of rounds very quickly to have an issue. Not likely in most 3 gun stages..." ^^^^^^^^^^^ this Edited February 6, 2015 by bigblock455 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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