how does the MOE handguard attach to thew front of thebarrel?  Is this a good set up?

It use the standard  hand guard end cap. For a cheap alternative to the regular hand guards, they cant be beat. I like mine. no wiggle in them at all.

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This. You don't really see the cap because the handguard extends out past it. But it's in there.

I found this pic that shows it better than I can explain . . .



ETA: I use the MOE and I really like it.

I would take the ladder rail cover off that gas block unless you want a goopy, sticky, hot mess next time you sling lead downrange.

How's the accuracy of these compared to a free-float handguard?  Much of a difference?

so i could use a low profile gas block with no problems

You can use whatever gas block you want as long as you put a hand guard cap behind it.



They're not free float, so they're not going to be any more accurate than the standard plastic hand guards.

Not my pic. And I hadn't really paid any attention to the rail.

But now that you mention it, I see your point. That block is going to get hot and I don't know how much heat one of those ladder covers can withstand.
I'm not exactly sure what their reason was for putting a rail cover there.

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ETA: Okay, rather than googling for pics I just popped off my MOE and took one of my own.

You can see where the handguards fit into the cap. This is a carbine so it fits a round cap, the longer ones are molded to fit either one.