Yugo M48 Handguard Removal

[mmattockx]

So I'm trying to pull the handguard for the first time on my M48. The front barrel band came off OK, but the middle band is very tight and is shaving wood the whole way. Is my answer here to gently sand as much off of the handguard and forend wood as necessary for clearance or is there something else that I am missing?


Mark

 

[bearhunter]

The wood likely swelled from the soaked up cosmolene, and you could sand it, but I prefer to use a fine file, as it makes for a nice, smooth finish.

 

[mmattockx]

The wood likely swelled from the soaked up cosmolene, and you could sand it, but I prefer to use a fine file, as it makes for a nice, smooth finish.

That is what it looks like to me as well. I did think about draw filing it instead of sandpaper. I can certainly try that first and see what I think. It has an oil finish on it, so I will just touch up the area once it has been relieved.


Mark

 

[mmattockx]

but I prefer to use a fine file, as it makes for a nice, smooth finish.

It surely did. I used a coarser file to remove the bulk of the material and then cleaned it up with a fine file. The surface finish is indistinguishable from the rest of the stock and is only noticeable because the colour is slightly different where I removed material. A wipe of oil and a bit of time in the field will have it looking exactly as before.

Thanks for the tip,
Mark