Finally got my free floating hand guard installed on my S&W M&P Sport II

Scotty454

Scotty454

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Jumped on the AR15 bandwagon recently (along with a whole bunch of people, it seems) and picked up an M&P. I knew I wanted to replace the stock polymer handguard and A frame sight with a free floating one. Then I found out how much everyone wants for what I had in mind. Yikes. After getting a great deal on the rifle, and a great deal on the optic (A Bushnell AR Optics 1-4 FFP Illuminated BDC reticle- with Bushnell's 25% off rebate deal), I just couldn't bring myself to spend hundreds for a handguard.

Sooo, off to Ebay I went, haha. Found this guy- a 15" MLOK.. With the steel barrel nut, it only set me back about 65 bucks all in, so I wouldn't have been heartbroken if it was a piece of junk. Incidentally, I think I saw a business here selling the exact same handguards for a little more. Can't remember which one.

It showed up surprisingly quickly from China, and I was super impressed. The build quality is actually very good (Even to me; I'm a machinist, so I scrutinize things a little more than some might).

So after learning that I needed a bunch of crap to make this happen, and buying said crap (Mainly a receiver block set and an armorer's wrench), I finally got to it. I opted to butcher the stock A-frame sight/gas block. This handguard is very slim (Or so it seems, unless they're all this way?), so I had to get pretty grinder happy with the zip disc to make it fit with clearance all around. All in all, I'm pretty stoked. It's exactly the look I was going for, with just the flash hider extending past the guard.

Heading to the range to sight it back in tomorrow, and then it'll be ready for the next CDTSA 3 gun match at the end of the month! :dancingbanana:

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Tight squeeze!

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I just happened to have some gloss black Krylon at home. And it was late by the time I got to this stage. Don't judge me. Lol

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That looks great! The price of some of the hand guards out there is crazy so I ended up going with a Magpul instead of a free floating.
 
Trinimon said:
Looks good. Keep us updated on how that handguard hold up.
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Will do. First range trip went just fine. Got the barrel/gas block niiiiice and hot (put about 50 rounds through it quick), and everything seems to be holding up no problemo. I'll be taking it to the next CDTSA 3 gun match, and then I suppose time will tell after that. I'm not particularly hard on my gear, so I really can't see anything happening at 3 gun.
 
Trinimon said:
Looks good. Keep us updated on how that handguard hold up.
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So, after a fairly busy season (a few 3 gun events, a few action shooting events, and a few range trips) the handguard has held up perfectly. Used it to prop on different stuff in different configurations, mounted a sling to it and ran with it bouncing around on my back (one particular stage in a 3 gun match), and no issues whatsoever.

With this cheap import crap, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose, haha. This one was definitely a win!
 
I have the same hand guard and I found the top rail is out of spec.my x300 that normally fits really tight on geissele rail is very loose on it. . But mine is also a 3 gun beater so what ever. Not gonna mount anything on the rail . The scope is plenty
 
RUSTSPOT said:
I have the same hand guard and I found the top rail is out of spec.my x300 that normally fits really tight on geissele rail is very loose on it. . But mine is also a 3 gun beater so what ever. Not gonna mount anything on the rail . The scope is plenty
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Haha yeah, mine is too. Ah well, the Mlok on the sides/bottom seems fine.
 
thegrandpoohbah said:
How's that magazine working for you? I just picked up a few but haven't had a chance to hit the range yet. The new hand guard looks like a nice upgrade!
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The AA Beowulf mags run flawless. Drop free like they should. Though they're a little tight with 15 rounds on a closed bolt. If I'm planning on using one for a reload I'll load it to 14. But they'll feed 15 fine from an open bolt.

During a 3 gun match I dropped one and it managed to land just right and bend a feed lip. Hardly the mag's fault though. Bent it back, and it has been fine since.
 
I opted to keep it non-free float with a Magpul MOE SL hand guard which covers the gas block on three sides. I found the original hand guard a wee bit short, it wobbled a bit and that gas block gets hot while slinging lead, lol.

I have big mitts and also found the grip just awful, it felt like holding a stick at the wrong angle and the grip length was way too short for run and gun. Popped on a Magpul MOE K2+, all I can say is wow, it made a huge difference, I actually really like my M&P15 now. ;)
 
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