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What are the benefits of a free floating handguards

4K views 34 replies 15 participants last post by  Groo 
#1 ·
I have a mid length dpms .308. My groups are tight at 100, at 200.they spread a little wider. Im trying to get out to 500 plus , i am thinking of getting a ff bbl but before i spend 675.00 on the bbl i was told to try the hanguard. Any thoughts or just suck it up and save for the bbl. Thanks
 
#7 ·
FF might be worth it at 4, 5, 600+ yds. I have FF on my 18" middy but haven't been able to test past 100 yds. At 100 it's only slightly better than my 16" carbines w drop-in handguards. Looks cooler tho, so there's that.

I'm still building the lower for the 18", (used an existing lower for testing) but I've decided that I won't be building an AR10... next rifle is gonna be a bolt action, and it's gonna get me past 600 yds.

I think I rambled a bit...
 
#15 ·
It's not likely you're going to get tight groups with cheap ammo...not impossible, but not likely. There are MANY factors that go into accuracy from an AR-10. The barrel is the most important followed closely by trigger and free-floating the barrel.

Precision at distance isn't cheap. What are the specs on the barrel, i.e. twist rate, length, contour? You can't realistically expect MOA accuracy (or better) at any distance from cheap ammo like Winchester white box or Tula. That ammo just isn't made precisely and not made for precision.

Out of curiosity, what barrel is $675?
 
#16 ·
What ammo do you recommend? ?. Im supposed to get 1"moa at 250. The bbl is a 20 ss ffloat. Im learning this ain't gonna be cheap.
But i want to learn. I have rang steel at 300. 10in plate.
Its out shooting me for now. I have to work on my breathing.
I shot some magtec match. But still spreading out at 200
 
#21 ·
^ And that's exactly why I was asking the OP. ;) How much deflection does he get, when he shoots.

There are shooters out there who will load a sling enough (with a setup that has the front ironsight on the rail/handguard) that it can make for a significant shift, to say nothing about a bipod.



So then here's the follow-up question, kyletex1911a1.

Do you feel that the extra accuracy/precision from shooting off your bipod/bag (or even sling) should be complemented by free-floating that forend, and thus make it worth the spend?

Embarrassingly, after 6 years in the hobby, I have yet to dip my toe into the precision/long-range world. :oops: But even so, I know enough that the idea with a biopd is to load it consistently. In being ignorant of knowing how to actually execute to that level of skill (thankfully, I have so far been range-limited to 200 yards), I simply load mine "heavy," and in doing so, I know that when I shoot my hobby AR, which is not free-floated, I get quite a shift in POA/POI, versus the same with my free-floated ones.
I now understand the question when i put pressure on the bipod,
I get different groups with different ammo. So now i have to figure out what ammo likes me
 
#22 ·
I free floated the barrel of my Sig M400 a couple of years ago and I saw a pretty significant improvement in accuracy.

My LMT is a free float barrel and I have significant changes in group size based on ammo and bullet weight. So far I'd say the 168gr seems to work the best, with Sig and Federal giving me really good results. A lot of it is twist rate I know, mine is 7.25.
 
#24 ·
Free floating does greatly help with long range accuracy. Great idea. The cause is a major engineering flaw in the AR15 and AR10 design.

Specifically, the barrel just basically gets pressure clamped into a hopefully round, perpendicular and precise front upper receiver slot and flat.

There is no direct contact between the barrel and upper receiver. It just basically slips in. All is held in place by that horrible barrel nut.

Usually not that precise, tight or good. What happens then is that as the barrel heats, the interface dimensions change. Wandering.

Bullet hole groups open up. Usually up vertically as things get hotter, but not always. Group side ways opening also occurs.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: Precision align and assemble the barrel when torquing. Hard to do. Under size upper receiver openings needed.

Then you must hand ream the upper receiver round for a very very tight hand fit barrel installation. The front flat must be perpendicular.

They make a tool today for honing with lapping compound the front upper receiver front flat. But ... reaming the round opening not doable.

Proper barrel torquing enters into it also. Do not over torque. A certified click torque wrench needed. The barrel wrench reduces the reading.

Sosss what can be done after the fact? Da da! A free floating hand guard. This removes weight pressure from the barrel. Helps greatly.

With an OEM type front hand guard the weapon weight presses down on the barrel. When the barrel heats, pressure is not relieved. Groups open.

With the free float all the handling and weapon weight stress is removed from the barrel. The barrel is allowed to go its own way when heating.

Passing it forward. Hundreds of AR builds. Uncounted M16 rebuilds.
 
#25 ·
I'd try any ammo labeled "match". There are lots of manufacturers to try and they will usually be 168 grain bullet or a 175 grain bullet. Winchester, Hornady, Federal, Wolf Gold and lots more. It's a process to find out what your rifle likes...enjoy it.

Also, when you test ammo, be sure you test different manufacturers on the same day so that you can rule out weather conditions as a factor.

I'm not sure I understand your statement of it being guaranteed to hit 1"MOA at 250 yards. That basically translates to a guarantee of it being a .25 MOA which is basically impossible to guarantee. If your rifle is a 1 MOA rifle, it should be able to hit a 3" target at 300 yards.
 
#27 ·
Free floating does greatly help with long range accuracy. Great idea. The cause is a major engineering flaw in the AR15 and AR10 design.

Specifically, the barrel just basically gets pressure clamped into a hopefully round, perpendicular and precise front upper receiver slot and flat.

There is no direct contact between the barrel and upper receiver. It just basically slips in. All is held in place by that horrible barrel nut.

Usually not that precise, tight or good. What happens then is that as the barrel heats, the interface dimensions change. Wandering.

Bullet hole groups open up. Usually up vertically as things get hotter, but not always. Group side ways opening also occurs.

CORRECTIVE ACTION: Precision align and assemble the barrel when torquing. Hard to do. Under size upper receiver openings needed.

Then you must hand ream the upper receiver round for a very very tight hand fit barrel installation. The front flat must be perpendicular.

They make a tool today for honing with lapping compound the front upper receiver front flat. But ... reaming the round opening not doable.

Proper barrel torquing enters into it also. Do not over torque. A certified click torque wrench needed. The barrel wrench reduces the reading.

Sosss what can be done after the fact? Da da! A free floating hand guard. This removes weight pressure from the barrel. Helps greatly.

With an OEM type front hand guard the weapon weight presses down on the barrel. When the barrel heats, pressure is not relieved. Groups open.

With the free float all the handling and weapon weight stress is removed from the barrel. The barrel is allowed to go its own way when heating.

Passing it forward. Hundreds of AR builds. Uncounted M16 rebuilds.
Thank you very much sir
 
#28 ·
But all that is about what happens with a hot barrel. I usually don't equate mag dumps with long range accuracy.

So with a cold barrel and consistent rest, there should be virtually no difference?


Sent from my Alcatel_6055U using Tapatalk
 
#30 ·
I might run 6-8-9

Hell. 308 is way too expensive for mag dumps lol.
Usually i fire 3-5 rds and check my groups. At 200.im good till the bbl heats up, but im trying to learn how to shoot out to 800. I know it will make it, but i want tight as groups as possible.
I am going to free float it. Any suggestions for a good handguards. I saw Midwest industry, for 245.00 .
And i am going to change the stock, to the kindwith the adj cheek rest. Any ideas on that?
 
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