How to Tighten up a Rattling Handguard....

[TacticalTeacher]

How to Tighten Up a Sloppy and Rattling Handguard



One of our favorite tweaks in our Shooting Team (NRA High Power) was to tighten up a ratting handguard. Believe it or not the Norinco black handguards are pretty tight as they come from the factory... It's the USGI brown fiberglass handguards that make a racket. If you have an IDF Sniper rifle parts set, then you know what I mean


I use a broken pin punch to remove the handguard clip off the barrel, take off the stock and look under that handguard clip, there are holes on each underside of the clip....







Once you have that handguard removed, I use a pair of purpose built handguard pliers (about $25 from Brownells) or Numrich Gun Parts as you see in the bottom right of the picture below:





Then I take the clip and RESIN that clip directly on the fiberglass handguard and PUSH it forward as far as it can go into the front band (picture coming)


Now resin (JB Weld is my go-to resin) that front band interior to the interface tip of the handguard/ front end. Wipe off the excess or over squeeze'd resin with tissue and acetone.







If I don't want to use resin (a more permanent fix that it is...) then I will wax the UNDER Side of the clip (prevents rust). Also this is a great fix for the rust prone handguard clips found on older M1 Garands since the walnut rear handguard went several years in contact with the metal retaining clip.... gets rusty over the years. So we just wax it with Neutral shoe polish.

If you don't have access to Neutral Shoe Polish, then Carnauba Wax from Cambodian Tire will do the job. If you cannot get away to Ukrainian Tire, then use candle wax as you can see in this picture....





Now instead of bonding the fiberglass handguard TO the metal handguard clip, just take a punch and push/hammer/tap that clip as far forward as you can:





And the other side....





Wanna get more serious? Take a center punch and STAKE that handguard clip in the forward position, both sides, of course. Yeah, go ahead and locate that handguard clip groove on the barrel (remove the stock). Now have a look under that handguard / barrel area. See those grooves? That's where you stake it....


There you go... no more handguard rattle... A simple fix and a complicated more permanent fix...


Cheers and enjoy the addiction

Barney

 

[m14medic.ca]

Barney,

I've used closed cell foam tape for the last little bit to keep handguard from rattling.

Your fix would net a much more permanent solution, and would likely be a better end product.

Chaulk up another win for Hungry!

John

 

[TacticalTeacher]

Barney,

I've used closed cell foam tape for the last little bit to keep handguard from rattling.

Your fix would net a much more permanent solution, and would likely be a better end product.

Chaulk up another win for Hungry!

John

John...

With that closed cell foam tape, yup the rattling would stop. Now back to the accuracy geek stuff, we would dearly love a consistent vibration pattern (tight is right) and hence the permanent or quasi permanent or semi-permanent options available to the tweaker types here.

Life being perfect, that front end vibrates like a tuning fork (reminds me of the Norinco black handguard that came with my last Norinco donor receiver rifle)....

And of course... PING happens.... Not #### loss!

Cheers,

Barney

 

[purple]

Gee, I don't know. Once upon a time we needed to save our Kiwi neutral shoe polish to keep our P37 web belts all aglow. Sales must have plummeted in Canada after we quit wearing battledress and bush pants with web belts.Anything that supresses vibration on a rifle barrel is good though.

 

[gnmontey]

Gee, I don't know. Once upon a time we needed to save our Kiwi neutral shoe polish to keep our P37 web belts all aglow. Sales must have plummeted in Canada after we quit wearing battledress and bush pants with web belts.Anything that supresses vibration on a rifle barrel is good though.

Geez thanks a lot You just reminded me as to how old I'm getting to be LOL

Do they even sell Brasso any more? I miss that ammonia aroma.

M

 

[mtrpdw]

Another thing (not yet noted) - the entire bottom of the Hand Guard should be trimmed/relieved approx. 1/16" so there is no contact with the stock on recoil (another vibration issue) - everything flexes on recoil!

This above is a tidbit I was shown by a U.S. Army Marksmanship Training Unit (USAMTU), M14Match/M21 Sniper Rifle Armorer, during a sniper course I attended back in 1979.

And, here is the info, as written in the USAMTU "Standards and Procedures" technical manual (TM) for "Accurized National Match M-14 Rifle "M-14 (MTU-NM)", for "Fitting the hand Guard":

"6.5 Fitting The Hand Guard

6.5.1: After the hand guard is in place, it must be moved to its fully forward position and the tabs on the inside of the lower band clamped to it to lock it in that position. At this time check again, to assure a clearance between guard and receiver. Move the hand guard clips as far forward as possible and sake runways in the barrel to hold it forward."

Another item not often talked about is the Stock Ferule Modification:

This involves cutting away the Stock Ferule, and wood behind it, so there is not contact with the barrel on firing or recoil. In effect, you are creating a "free floating" barrel, as there is no barrel contact with the stock, other than the receiver bedded in the stock.

The USAMTU TM describes this as:

"7.2.2 Due to the use of fixture #2 in the glassing procedure, it will now be noted that there is a tension between the lower band and stock ferule. This tension should require a pressure of 8 to 16 pounds to move the stock and barrel toward each other. the pressure serves to dampen barrel vibration and holds a constant alignment between the two assemblies, by virtue of the matching curves on the stock ferule and lower band"


While above talks about use of a "fixture" to hold the barrel assembly away from the stock during the glass bedding process, if you have a reasonably tight fit on closing the Trigger Guard to the Stock, relieving material on the Stock Ferule and wood behind it will create a "free floating" effect for the barrel - less vibration.

FYI...

 

[rugbydave]

Another item not often talked about is the Stock Ferule Modification:

This involves cutting away the Stock Ferule, and wood behind it, so there is not contact with the barrel on firing or recoil. In effect, you are creating a "free floating" barrel, as there is no barrel contact with the stock, other than the receiver bedded in the stock.

The USAMTU TM describes this as:

"7.2.2 Due to the use of fixture #2 in the glassing procedure, it will now be noted that there is a tension between the lower band and stock ferule. This tension should require a pressure of 8 to 16 pounds to move the stock and barrel toward each other. the pressure serves to dampen barrel vibration and holds a constant alignment between the two assemblies, by virtue of the matching curves on the stock ferule and lower band"


While above talks about use of a "fixture" to hold the barrel assembly away from the stock during the glass bedding process, if you have a reasonably tight fit on closing the Trigger Guard to the Stock, relieving material on the Stock Ferule and wood behind it will create a "free floating" effect for the barrel - less vibration.

FYI...

I believe you are misreading that quote from the USAMTU TM. Either that or I'm misunderstanding what you're trying to put forward. You don't want to trim away any material from the outside radius of the ferule to "free float" the barrel. The front band needs to be making contact with the ferule. It's what they call "draw pressure/tension". That's why you use a fixture (and remove the front band) when bedding so that the barrel is pointed slightly up so that after bedding, when you reinstall the front band, the angle at which the receiver is bedded is causing the barrel to try and point up, thus causing the front band to exert upwards pressure on the ferule. That's what they are referring to when they call for 8-16lbs of tension. The only part of the ferule that is ever relieved is the inside radius which is sometimes increased in order to avoid any contact between the gas cylinder and the stock on recoil.