hot hand guard

[Country DeVil]

I finally finished building my first AR and I took it to the range the other day and my hand guard got almost as hot as the barrel after about 50 rounds. is this a common problem? I have a cheap free float tube so I am happy to change it but what should I go to? will a free float 4 rail get that hot too?
I was thinking about ordering one from midwest industries and just swaping them out.

[RD62]

Really, it depends on how complex an install you are looking for.

Daniel Defense's whole line of products is top notch. The relatively "drop-in" Omega system is free float, requires no gunsmithing, and is a great performer. You could save a couple of bucks and get their M4 rail, but loose the "monolithic" top rail, and it requires pulling the barrel. Although it is argueably stronger with it's one piece construction. The RIS and Lite Rails are thier premium offerings.

The VLTOR CASV is also very nice and requires no gunsmithing to "drop-in" while providing free float performance.

Their is also the Troy MRF FF rails that do not require gunsmithing and their new TRX rails which do.

The Midwest Rails are nice, and while I haven't seen their nex T-series rails first hand, I've seen many of their #17 drop-in and #20 Two-Piece FF. However, they seem a bit heavy to me. They are better than many offerings out their, but for a little extra $$$, I'd go with one of the other systems mentioned above.

-RD62

[UVvis]

Pretty much all of the rail systems will get hot when you start firing the rifle. They are basically giant heat sinks attached directly or indirectly to the barrel.

Rail covers of one type or another are very helpful at providing an insulating barrier between your hand and the rail.

[rychencop]

hand guards getting hot is part of shooting an AR. some are better than others at dissipating heat, but they all get hot.

[tinman44]

Do you have rail covers? I would suggest skipping them on the top rail.

[Buck]

This is by far the coolest running AR hand guard I have ever seen... However; making your AR into a Vickers may not be your cup of tea...

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b17/VegasSMG/DSC00698.jpg

This may be a better comprise...

http://www.quarterbore.com/images/kac_ff_ras_family.jpg

B

[WGG]

Check out the Daniel Defense Omega Rails which are free float and quickly (5 minutes) installable by the user. I have the 7.0 on my LMT and it is rock solid.

[tmckay2]

call me a cheapo but i like the yhm lightweight rail systems. theyre dirt cheap in my opinion and the one on my mock spr has been great. never gets hot at all, although i do take a few seconds at least between shots. easy as pie to install, just getting that blasted barrel nut off was the only problem!

[lanceriley]

I've tried shooting an m16 with an 11.5in barrel at full auto. 50 rounds will get your handguard hot but not that hot. At the time I was using a car handguard with single heat shield.

[blackscot]

Does anyone know whether Magpul's M.O.E. handguard runs any cooler than the standard design?