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Posted: 6/16/2020 12:02:04 AM EDT
[#1]
The barrel nut & delta ring won't be a problem.
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Posted: 6/17/2020 2:18:28 PM EDT
[#2]
You can put round A2 style handguards on an A1 triangular style end cap, but the triangular A1 style handguards won't go on the round end cap unless one or the other (or both) are modified. The back end on both is the same as both will snap into a Delta ring, it's only the front end where there you can have a problem if you want the triangular handguards on an upper with the round end cap.
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Posted: 7/6/2020 1:06:24 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: You can put round A2 style handguards on an A1 triangular style end cap, but the triangular A1 style handguards won't go on the round end cap unless one or the other (or both) are modified. The back end on both is the same as both will snap into a Delta ring, it's only the front end where there you can have a problem if you want the triangular handguards on an upper with the round end cap. The round end cap should only be on non-rifle setups. The A2 (and every rifle length standard) has a triangular endcap. |
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Posted: 7/6/2020 2:01:57 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: The round end cap should only be on non-rifle setups. The A2 (and every rifle length standard) has a triangular endcap. That's not true. When I was in all the A2's had round end caps & the A1's had triangular ones. All had round handguards, unless a 203 was mounted to it. The triangular handguards won't fit into the round end caps without some kind of modification. I've also seen many rifle length AR's with round end caps. |
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Posted: 7/6/2020 3:21:22 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's not true. When I was in all the A2's had round end caps & the A1's had triangular ones. That's weird. Every rifle I've ever been issued in the Army, up through my M16A4, had a triangular cap, and every photo I have saved of A2s and A4s shows a triangular cap. I've never seen a military A2 or A4 with a round cap. The round handguards are designed to fit the triangular cap. You can see Colt and FN A2 examples here showing the triangular cap. Here are the relevant photos plus a few more from this forum: Colt:  Attached File Attached FileFN:  Attached FileColt:  Attached FileHere are two FN A2s I photographed last year:  Attached File Attached FileArmy M16A4:  Attached FileUSMC M16A4:  Attached File |
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Posted: 7/6/2020 3:49:05 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's weird. Every rifle I've ever been issued in the Army, up through my M16A4, had a triangular cap, and every photo I have saved of A2s and A4s shows a triangular cap. I've never seen a military A2 or A4 with a round cap. The round handguards are designed to fit the triangular cap. You can see Colt and FN A2 examples here showing the triangular cap. Here are the relevant photos plus a few more from this forum: Colt: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/27888/Colt_M16A2_6186016_FSP_jpg-1454037.JPG https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/27888/Colt_M16A2_6497967_FSP_jpg-1454050.JPG FN: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/27888/FNMI_M16A2_7051416_FSP_jpg-1454070.JPG Colt: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/180398/colta2right_jpg-1070196.JPG Here are two FN A2s I photographed last year: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/27888/FN_M16A2_7190302_FSP_JPG-1492764.JPG https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/27888/FN_M16A2_7190353_FSP_JPG-1492765.JPG Army M16A4: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/27888/20423938_1450750284980943_84953395759648-1492769.JPG USMC M16A4: https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/27888/gejS53_1200_jpg-1492774.JPG If the triangular endcaps were designed for the round handguards, what were the round endcaps designed for, cause they sure as hell don't fit triangular handguards. I don't know about the A3 or A4 & the M4 was just being field tested when I was in. Also no interwebz back then to bother taking detailed pics of parts to discuss on a forum, cause they didn't exist either. |
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Posted: 7/6/2020 4:23:16 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: If the triangular endcaps were designed for the round handguards, what were the round endcaps designed for, cause they sure as hell don't fit triangular handguards. It's the other way around: the round handguards were designed to be compatible with the triangular cap so that the cap design didn't have to be changed for the A2. I suspect that since they considered the round handguards to be an upgrade, they thought it would be a good idea for them to be backwards compatible so they could be installed on A1s. The round cap was designed to fit Colt's round carbine handguards, like these. I think M16A2 round handguards will fit in a round cap also, since the outside of the nubs that fit around the triangular cap are rounded. |
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Posted: 7/6/2020 5:22:54 PM EDT
[#8]
? This is correct, the A2 handguards were designed to fit into the A1 triangle caps and new round caps but round caps are only used on carbines, all the rifles still get triangle caps.
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Posted: 7/7/2020 12:06:01 AM EDT
[#9]
As others have already stated, yes the A1 and A2 handguards are interchangeable with the triangle end cap.
All of the M16A2 rifles I saw while in the Army (89-96) all had the triangle end cap. My supply sergeant while in Baumholder, Germany had A1 handguards on his A2 rifle. |
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Posted: 7/7/2020 12:30:53 AM EDT
[#10]
I tried A1 handguards I got from a gun show on an A2 when I was active duty to see if they would fit. They fit.
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Posted: 7/7/2020 2:57:46 AM EDT
[#11]
OP clearly stated he has a triangular end cap.
 In all my years on arfcom I've seen 1 photo of a M16A4 with a round cap. As far as I know the vast majority come with triangular caps. |
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Posted: 7/21/2020 6:50:44 AM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: ? This is correct, the A2 handguards were designed to fit into the A1 triangle caps and new round caps but round caps are only used on carbines, all the rifles still get triangle caps. yes, yes and correct |
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Posted: 7/21/2020 7:49:00 AM EDT
[#13]
All USGI A2-A4 had triangular endcaps.
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