I don't know about anyone else, but I sure like the look of the round (carbine) handguard cap better than the triangular one.  Since I've already got the sight base off for other work, can I buy a round carbine cap and use it instead of the triangular one or will it not work with the rifle-length handguards?

Has anyone else done this?

Wow, I think I am posting a question that's never been asked here before.  Maybe.

Bushmaster sells the caps seperately. No problem changing them once you have the sight base off. You won't be able to install A1 style handguards anymore though.

Thanks for the help.  I'll order one then.  It seems a bit long after retirement of the triangular hand guards to be still including that cap as standard.  Someone mentioned how much the military like to have the same part for multiple uses (stated in regards to the SIR plastic piece), so I wonder why they haven't done so here.

Thanks again.

Military full length (A2) handguards are designed to use the triangular cap. The tabs on the front of the handguards are made to fit inside/outside the cap in such a manner that they are interchangable to use for the upper or lower, as opposed to the triangular A1 handguards which were dedicated right or left sides. By countinuing to use the triangular design cap allows A2 handguards to be retrofit to older rifles, since A1 guards are no longer made.

In the early to mid 80's when the A2 was a being developed there was much speculation among the after market as to how the longer round handguards would attach at the front. I believe this lead to the natural, but wrong conclusion that the A2 would use the round cap like the carbine uses.

Consequintly, the only full lenght, round handguards I've ever witnessed that utilized the round cap were made during that period and don't resemble the current mil-spec design in either looks are quality.

Could you use a round carbine cap with standard A2 handguards, probably yes...... but you would have to notch out the two outermost tabs on both halfs in order to clear the projections on the inside of the carbine cap. This undoubtedly would weaken the guards. Or if you hammered the projections in the cap back out you wouldn't have a way to prevent the handguards from rotating whitch would always give a loose feel. All in all not a very good idea or worth the effort. Hope this helps.

Wpns Man

 

Yes, that does help very much.  I'll not be ordering a round cap after all.  That's interesting history too.  Thanks for the reply.

[:)]

 

Actually, there were [i]some[/i] long round round-capped handguards in the mid-60s but not a lot of them. I figure it was decided to stick with the old style rather than retrofit existing rifles with new handguard caps. If you ever come across the old Desert Publications manual with the yellow cover, you will see a picture of an M16A1 with them. Come to think of it, [i]The Black Rifle[/i] shows an M16 HBAR with them.
In the early '80s, while the M16A2 was still the M16A1E1, Lone Star Ordnance came out with  their aftermarket handguards that looked [i]sort[/i] of like milspec round handguards ( they had only about half as many ribs ) and used a round cap. They advertised them as being 'the original Colt design!' They lied.

You would only need the round one if you are going to put AR10B hand guards.
GG