General Categories > General Firearm Discussion

Handguard Install

(1/2) > >>

Silver:
I haven't gotten the nerve to do more to my rifles than add optics, field strip, and clean but  I'm now looking to add a Geissele trigger and free float handguard to my M&P 10. 

After watching a few videos, I'm comfortable with modding the trigger and plan on doing it myself but a little uncertain on the handguard.  I'm pretty mechanically inclined but a gun is a precision machine and I don't currently have the proper tools (barrel nut wrench, torque wrench, punches, and whatever else) so...

What I'm wondering is:
1.  Is the swap fairly stupid proof (basically remove current handguards, remove gas tube/block, remove barrel nut, reinstall w/new parts) so it'd be hard to break something?
2.  Is the amount of money I'd spend on a gunsmith to install the handguards greater/lesser than the money I'd spend on the tools to do it myself?
3.  Who would you recommend in the Sarpy County area to do a swap and what's your guesstimate on the cost?

Thanks in advance.

JAK:
Changing handguards is fairly simple, if you have the tools.

Only thing that can cause breakage is if you attempt to take out the taper pins holding the gas block on the wrong direction.

The process is as you described,

Most handguards will come with a new barrel nut and the wrench to install it.

Tools needed are,
punches - taper pins, gas tube
torque wrench
Vise
Receiver clamp/mount

If you look on line there are multiple sources for these,

John K

I do not know what a gunsmith would charge, I have always done it myself.

John K

Waltherfan:
Silver,

I too was looking at videos on replacing handguards last night. I only looked at two but they pretty much convinced me to have someone that knows what they are doing do it for me.

One video was by someone with barely more knowledge than me and he had a lot of difficulty (muscle wise). He also didn't have the proper tools.

The other one was by Brownell. He had all the proper tools (from Brownell of course) and he didn't make it look as easy as I would have liked. Perhaps that's because I don't have a lot of faith in my own mechanical ability and, like you, I don't want to screw up a rifle.

If you were planning on replacing several handguards or removing one several times, it would be worth investing in the proper tools. If not, IMHO, I'd have someone else do it.

shooter:
If you need I can switch the handguards for you

Silver:
Thanks for the responses and thanks for the offer Shooter.  I may just take you up on it.  Need to get my tax "refund" figured out first and then order the parts.

I'm kind of thinking along the lines of Walther.  Do I invest in the tools?  While I am not doing enough at the moment to warrant the purchase of tools, the possibility exists that I might have use for them in the future so investing now may not be bad.  Not sure how sound that logic is.  I don't currently foresee me being a man of many guns.  Famous last words, eh.  But, it never hurts to be ready for the zombie apocalypse and such.

Once I get the stuff Shooter, perhaps we can together and I can repay you with a case of your favorite beer or some rounds for the range.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page