Handguards FMA

The forend is the part of the weapon that is located in the front, where the barrel passes through the inside of the weapon. They can be made of wood, polymer or duralumin. It can also serve as a platform for mounting secondary weapons (such as the M203 submachine gun) and accessories such as bipods, tactical lights, laser sights, night vision devices, grips, slings, and a variety of other accessories.

Their attachment to the weapon body can be divided into 2 types:

• The first type has a contact point at the base of the barrel and a predetermined length up the barrel. They are usually made of polymer if this is the brand, but can be made of different types of alloys.
• The second type attaches around the barrel but does not make direct contact with it. This particular type of hand guard is made of some form of aluminum or aluminum alloy in most cases. This allows the barrel to be considered free floating. Free floating barrels are known to have greater accuracy. A variety of mounting systems can be found on these fore-ends, the main ones being M-LOK, KeyMod and Picatinny. These are most commonly found on AR15 rifles.

WHAT IS A FREE FLOATING FOREARM ?

Free floating forearms, also referred to as "floating", have become very popular in recent years. They work by attaching to the gun at only one point (on the barrel nut near the upper body housing), while the rest of the handguard does not touch the barrel. This gives the impression that the forearm "floats" around the barrel.

This design makes guns equipped with floating foregrips much more accurate than other variants where contact with the barrel occurs. This can occur when the gun is rested on the forearm while aiming or when using the feet.

The use of steel shims may be necessary when installing the ar15. Proper shimming eliminates nut loosening and ensures a perfect alignment of the forearm with the gun body and a tight seating of the outer barrel.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON STYLES OF MRO MOUNTING ACCESSORIES ?

As we wrote above, there are 3 most commonly used today, namely KeyMode, M-lok and Picatinny.

• KeyMode is a universal interface system for firearms accessories. The concept was created by VLTOR Weapon Systems. Its appearance resembles a keyhole.
• M-lok stands for Modular Lock, which is a firearms rail interface system developed and patented by Magpul Industries. The M-LOK system allows direct attachment of accessories to "negative space" (hollow slot) mounting points.
• Picatinny typically has full-length rail grooves, resulting in a heavier weight, bulkier stock with sharp edges that is not user-friendly, where the use of caps is required to improve grip.