AR rifle round hand guards....pre '16A2

[jaygee]

Here's a question for the old timers around here. Launch yourself back into the murky past and see if
you can remember the first time you saw a set of RIFLE length round hand guards in use. We know that Colt had them in development since the mid 1960s, as they show up on a number of experimental type
weapons, and some not so experimental types in TBR. I have an old 'Nam buddy, who says he saw
at least one set of 'em in country after 1970 or so. We also know that Lone Star Ord. made a knock
off set starting ????. They had to make them non-interchangeable because of Colt's patent on the
original, most likely. I'd speculate that the L.S.O. round rifle units were most likely intended originally
for a foreign user....perhaps Israel. Unlike their pistol grips, the hand guards were never common, and
I've only once seen a set for sale, back in the day. Of course, now the round style guards are common as all get out, but at one time, a lot of folks using the M16A1 were looking to upgrade these rather fragile
triangular parts. Makes you wonder to what extent Uncle Sam got to try out the pre-A2 Colt models in the field.

[Skeet6]

I have a set of those odd looking LSO ones that came on an SP1 I bought recently, ugly things they are...
Here is a set of them for sale on gunbroker http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=171878773 (not mine, but they've been on there for a long time...)
The SP1 is from 1978, so I wonder when they were swapped out. I have them in my spare parts bin now, I put the proper triangular ones back on it now..
Mike B

[Quib]

Some LSO nostalgia from the early 80's.....


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4056/4675997141_2502c0812f_b.jpg

ETA:..........


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/4676009167_6c914e45be.jpg


- This topic might be better suited for the "Vintage AR" Forum. :)

[Army Chief]

I honestly can't recall seeing round handguards in military trim prior to the A2 rollout, but I do have fairly vivid recollections of pinching the crap out of myself just about every time I tried to reinstall the triangular A1 handguards. They weren't quite that fragile as I recall, but in those days, round handguards were always associated with the XM-177 series, and that would have automatically served to make them seem very cool indeed.

AC

[jaygee]

Those old LSOs are pretty wild, but not for everybody. OTOH, the Colt pre-A2s had roughly the
same contours as the later production models, if the photos mean anything. One difference you
can spot in the photos is the config. of the heat shield, as seen through the top and bottom holes.
BTW, I also have my one and only set of LSOs on an A1, which is more or less an Israeli clone.

[HeavyDuty]

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1285/4676009167_6c914e45be.jpg

I had one of those Choate A2 hooked stocks back then! I haven't thought of those in years, and now they've come up twice in two days.

[DTHN2LGS]

I really didn't see them until after I got out of the Army in '86. I didn't like the M16A1 handguards and burned my hand on the gas tube a couple of times with the openings on top of the triangular handguards. The first AR15 I bought for myself was a DCM model for Highpower competition, and it had the round handguards which were a huge improvement IMO.

[emfourbinator]

Those old Lone Stars show up in the strangest places. I was watching the movie "Predator" when one
of those handguards shows up on the Indian guides's A1 rifle. I've never seen a set of them for sale
at a show or in a store, so they have to be sort of uncommon.

[sdacbob]

My old Colt Sporter had the round handguards but it was a carbine. I like the M16a1 triangle handguards, stock and rear sights. The only thing I liked better about the M16a2 was the built in brass deflector. I had an empty case hang up in my helmet chinstrap firing the M16a1 one time, had a scar for almost a year on the side of my face from it. Always carried a snap in brass deflector after that.