What is your preferred 12" to 15" handguard?
I see that Samson makes one:
http://www.samson-mfg.com/mm5/graphi..._Series_12.jpg
Midwest Industries makes a solid looking guard:
http://www.brownells.com/userdocs/sk...00009744_2.jpg
What would you choose for your 16" barreled AR-15?
Obviously there's many more models than the two I listed. Please chime in with your favorite long handguard. I want to buy right the first time.
Thanks in advance guys.
Ranier Arms/Samson Evolution
I have two 12" Ranier Arms Evolution units, and I like them very much. Installation was super-easy (uses a standard barrel nut) and they seem to lock up rock solid (although I haven't purposely bashed them around to test this). I like the smoother exterior only marginally more than my Troy TRX Extreme. The interior of the RA Evo also has more room than the TRX Extreme, and with the barrel nut the Evo was lighter than the Troy unit. The Ranier Arms units came with one short rail, one long rail, and one QD socket.
Nowadays there are many similar handguards to pick from. I don't think you'd go wrong picking one from any of the major players. If I were in the market for another one, I'd personally look into the MI Gen 2 SS units just because their store is 5 minutes from my house.