Hot Handguards: Chicken Mitt Needed?

[MistWolf]

How hot do aluminum railed handguards get? What about synthetic or carbon glass?

Even though made of synthetic material, the two piece handguards of my 20" Colt HBar got plenty warm and in my experience metal handguards of other rifles get plenty hot. That's why I've been planning to use a carbon glass free float tube on the rifle I'm (slowly) building.

Just how hot do AR aluminum handguards get during a carbine class, for example? Are AR synthetic or carbon glass handguards better protection from heat?

Chicken Mitt needed?
http://www.falfiles.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=969788

[BAC]

Carbon glass = carbon fiber? Like Clark's Custom, Hiperform, etc.?


-B

[sammage]

XTM or TD panels on a DD rail should be fine, not too much heat transfer for me.

[9111B]

All rails get hot, some faster than others. The army issues KAC Panels. I run Magpul XTM's that way I can cover the rail even with a vertical foregrip.

[kartoffel]

Rails can get warm, but it's nothing compared to the brand you can get from a front sight. If I'm going to be shooting a lot, I tend to wear gloves.

[Wolf Spyder]

A few years ago a few guys over at ARF did some tests on barrel temp, versus hand guard temp, and the effectiveness of the hand guard to cool things off. I believe the ARMS SIR did the best at cooling off, but that was years ago...

[Thomas M-4]

The top rail can get very hot because of the gas tube being directly under neath it.

[MistWolf]

Carbon glass = carbon fiber? Like Clark's Custom, Hiperform, etc.?-B

Yes, I meant carbon fiber. Brain fart. I have not checked out the Clark's or the Hiperform.

Actually, I've been giving a serious look at the PRI Gen III, like this one
http://www.pri-mounts.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/05-073-03DE.jpg
Or this one
http://www.pri-mounts.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/05-071-01DE.jpg

I know the second handguard is really designed for piston systems, but I like how the shape fits my hand.

What I'm really curious about is how hot the handguards get when the rifle is shot a lot and whether or not, with the aluminum rails, they get uncomfortably so and whether or not a synthetic handguard offers better heat protection for the shooter's hands. The only ARs I've put enough rounds through to get really hot had either the plastic round or triangular handguards

[Kuiper]

Used to have a Vtac FF tube om my weapon, got the PRI genIII on it now. Haven't had the time yet to really put it to the test.

The Vtac did transfer some considerable heat...

[pjchang7]

I just run magpul rail covers on my carbine and I can feel the heat after shooting all day but nothing that is uncomfortably hot. But then again my hands are very insensitive.

[ForTehNguyen]

on a free float system the rail and barrel nut are essentially like a huge heat sink for the barrel and chamber. Get some extra heat dissipation. as compared to a plastic handguard config. My DD 12" Lite rail with middy gas system is held with an AFG right over the gas block, it gets warm but not hot. It just has radiant heat, radiant heat has weak heat transfer.

[OTO27]

A few years ago a few guys over at ARF did some tests on barrel temp, versus hand guard temp, and the effectiveness of the hand guard to cool things off. I believe the ARMS SIR did the best at cooling off, but that was years ago...

This is not hard to believe, I run an ARMS S.I.R. # 50 MCV on my 6920. When I first got it I did 3 mag dumps, total of 90 rounds as fast as I could. The top section acts like a heat sink which draws heat away from the barrel nut area. While the bottom handguard made of polimer and has an aluminum heat shield protects your hand with out needing panels. After the mag dumps the handguard was still at room temps. The top of the rail was warm, but nothing that would cause a burn, this is obvious since heat rises.

[Dionysusigma]

With the KAC M5 RAS I use on my A4gery, the rail cover technique I use is:

RIGHT SIDE: KAC 11-rib panel fully rear, 2xMagPul XTMs to cover the rest
BOTTOM: KAC 11-rib panel fully rear, 2xMagPul XTMs fore of that, simple rubber ladders for the last few slots
LEFT SIDE: KAC 11-rib panel fully rear, 3 slots of rubber ladder, Surefire light
TOP: All rubber ladder covers to leave as much rail exposed as possible to allow heat dissipation

Works pretty well, and with even a slight breeze it cools off in a timely manner.

[MistWolf]

Do the handguards get too hot to hold during firing when shot a lot?

[ForTehNguyen]

under semi auto fire, not hot, may get warm but not hot. You have to be going into the automatic firing rates if you really wanna get handguards heated up. I wouldnt worry about it on a semi auto

[justin_247]

I'm running a KAC RAS with the VFG very close to the front of the rail and near the gas block. The rail gets pretty warm, but not nearly as hot as the gas block and nothing that is overly uncomfortable with a pair of gloves on.

I shot an M-4 once with a DD M4 rail that had several hundred rounds fired through it either on semi or full auto in a short period of time, and it was too hot to hold for more than a few seconds with bare hands. With gloves, it wasn't a problem to hold at all.

I prefer shooting with gloves anyways, so it's not much of a concern for me.

[SGTMAJ]

I have been running manta rail , rail covers for the last 6 months. I dont know how or why they work but Ive tried KAC and others and these seem to do the trick. Easy on off, multiple colors soft no slippage from my hands even when wet. and they help quiet the carbine if it get banged.