Posted this in the picture thread, but figured I'd share here for those who won't see it there.



Materials used:
- Magpul Remington 870 forend
- wood paintbrush handle
- 2 hex screws with washers
- lock nut
- extruded U nut
- painter's tape, black spraypaint

Tools used:
- Dremel with cutting disk, grinder, sanding wheel
- Palm sander
- Cordless drill

I chose the rear of the Rem 870 forend to become the front of my Mini Draco handguard for several reasons.  The rear half is more angled at the top, which compliments the Mini Draco's lines and looks better...it has a longer lip at the bottom, which acts as a hand stop/finger guard...it has more ribs, which provide good grip...the vent/accessory holes are in better positions...and there's less material on the inside that needs to be taken out, resulting in a cleaner look.

Obviously, the first step was to determine the approximate length and cut off the excess with the Dremel (wrapped painter's tape around the outside to mark where to cut).  Then sanded the edges down nice and even/smooth with the palm sander.  Next, I cut out the "guts" with the Dremel.  I didn't go crazy and cut everything out...I took my time and only cut what was absolutely necessary, to give it a nice snug fit around the barrel, ensuring both sides were completely even.  You really don't need to take out as much as you would think.

To attach the rear of the Magpul handguard to the receiver, I found an old paintbrush with hardwood handle, that at its widest point was only slightly wider/thicker than the attachment point of the Mini Draco's original wood handguard.  Removed the bristles and the brass that held them, then cut the end of the handle off, leaving a couple inches to attach it to the handguard itself.  Cut/shaped/sanded my piece of paintbrush handle until it fit snugly inside both the Magpul handguard and Mini Draco receiver, then drilled a hole through the handle end, attaching it to the handguard through the preexisting accessory slot with a hex screw and lock nut (spraypainted it black before attaching)

To attach the front of the Magpul handguard, I measured and drilled a hole lining up with the threaded hole on the bottom of the FSB that was used by the factory wood handguard.  There's a channel inside the Magpul handguard along the bottom, and I found an "extruded U nut" (not sure what size, sorry) that I hammered into the channel, lining it up with the hole in the handguard and the hole in the FSB.  This provided proper spacing between the FSB and handguard, and ensured the attachment point was both strong and rigid.  I then secured the front of the handguard with a button head hex screw (same thread as factory screw, cut to proper length) and washer.

Overall, I am amazed at how well it turned out.  It is absolutely rock solid and looks & feels incredible, as if it was originally designed for the Mini Draco and not some other firearm.  The project would've only taken an hour if I wanted to rush and do a "good enough" job, but ended up taking probably 3 hours total (with a LOT of eyeballing and test fitting), because I wanted it to be as close to perfect as possible.

It's silly but I like it.

That is cool.  Good-looking with that rifle.

Very cool!  Might inspire magpul to release their own version!

looks great!

Where'd you get the gray rubber piece that you put over the charging handle?

The guns are shipped with it from the factory. My M92 had one too

That most certainly is a pistol.

That build is outstanding. Any heat from the front screw?

why not replace it with an actual hot dog bun?

The front screw does get pretty hot when firing rapidly.  Not hot enough to sear your skin off, just hot enough to get your attention and make you slide your hand back.  Was trying to think of a simple fix, maybe a piece of heat resistant tape or some kind of rubber cap.

This thing is wickedly fun to shoot

I haven't wrung mine out yet just function checked but decided to throw an afg over the screw. Depending on your taste that could be an option

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