What kind of handguard is this?

[glock19_fan]

And have these handguards fallen out of favor? I don't see them much on any civillian ARs...

http://www.geocities.com/area51/stargate/8594/bluedifiliadesoldiers.jpg

[hokieglock]

they're for the m-16 with an m203 grenade launcher attached. you'll never see these handguards on a civy ar15.

[JellyBelly]

I've always liked the loos of those. Could I get that whole setup if I used a 37mm launcher?

[MrMurphy]

Yes, I've seen those handguards on the 37mm launchers.

Having shot a 203 and carried one, they don't do any better job than a SureFire M73 or other rail fore-end in the heat abatement department. The plastic seems kind of fragile too, though i don't know for sure.

[USMCsilver]

Saw 2-3 sets at the gun show this past weekend; didn't check price.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by glock19_fan
And have these handguards fallen out of favor? I don't see them much on any civillian ARs...

http://www.geocities.com/area51/stargate/8594/bluedifiliadesoldiers.jpg

On a civvy AR, those would be used with a 37mm flare launcher. Not many civvies use those, as there are lighter and more convenient ways to launch flares, thus if nobody uses that launcher, nobody uses that handguard

[B_Easy]

Originally posted by Mnukedude
On a civvy AR, those would be used with a 37mm flare launcher. Not many civvies use those, as there are lighter and more convenient ways to launch flares, thus if nobody uses that launcher, nobody uses that handguard

It's a pretty goofy attachment anyway...tactical ninja style.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by B_Easy
It's a pretty goofy attachment anyway...tactical ninja style.

Yeah, I would just carry a flare pistol if I needed flares so badly, or if a SHTF situation ever reached the point of the local militia banding together and using flares for infantry style combat (what? foreign invasion?), white star clusters would be easier to carry for this purpose than this gizmo would be...unless the true intent is to make an unlicensed illegal destructive device, but we won't go there....

Anywho, with the above in mind, the flare launcher/handguard combination above rules out the use of rails on the handguard, which limits your options if you want to accessorize. That's another reason I wouldn't mess with it, besides the weight--it gets in the way if I want front handgrips or flashlights and the like.

[Herdsman76]

Go to the Bushmaster website. Also in their print catalog they have the hand guard along with the launcher attachment. The launcher shoots USCG flares rather than grenades. I don't know much but it's pretty cool looking.