Hello,

I'm looking for some sort of ventilated float tube for a 16 or 18" AR carbine for plinking, varminting, and predator hunting.  I'd like a shortened version of something like the Medesha or WOA match tubes, but those either have hand stop rails or the forward bipod stud looks like it'd get ixnay'd if I just chopped the tube off (could relocate it, but fixing the anodizing could be something else).  Anything btwn the solid 'tubes' like the Bushmaster V-Match handguards and the SHTF front handguards w/ picatinny rails all over the place?  Something like the PRI mid length tube w/o all the fancy schtuff?

Thanks,

Monte

Check out the Yankee Hill Machine website. They make a 'Customizable Tube' forend that is ventilated and has provisions for attaching rail sections in the length and position you desire. They are not as expensive as the PRI units, but I have one and I think they are a good value. They offer them separately, or in kits with some accessories.

Here is the link for the tubes alone. Scroll down to the middle of the page. YHM Tubes

FYI: They offer free installation on some forend kits

Yankee Hill Customizable

Here's mine:

Homer - why did you go with so much rail?

I got the full lenght top rail because I wanted to try mounting the Aimpoint farther forward. Lot's of people hear advocate it. I tried it but it doesn't work for me. (I am left eye dominant and shoot right handed with my left eye closed.)

The short rail on the bottom is for the bipod obviously.

The short rail on the left is for a sling mount.

The short rail on the right is for a flashlight (if I ever decide on one).

The short rail sections are not very heavy, and they don't interfere with a grip on the tube. However, during long shooting sessions, the tube does get pretty warm.

Get an standard barbine length ff tube and drill holes in it if you think you need more ventilation (I doubt you do), mount a bipod stud (Harris #5 or other), you can even mount pieces of rail to it as long as they are not going to be used for optics.  Paint it or use a bake on finish if you are in to looks.  This option should cost less than $75 including a the finish and is not as sexy as a 4 rail ff tube, but I did not find the benefit of railed ff system to be worth the extra weight and cost.  I only used about 10-20% of the rails on my railed ff system.  I don't mount lasers and other devices, just a light, a vertical grip and a bipod on the handguard.

Don't forget the Badger Ordnance trapezoidal tube.

Thanks for the replies, everybody.  I stumbled onto the Yankee Hill stuff about an hour or so after I posted here.  Looks pretty nifty, and would appear to be close to ideal in that I get a vented tube w/ provisions for sling swivel studs, and if the urge should strike me, I can mount *a* small section of rail for putting a lite on for night calling, and if I should get into something like 3-gun matches or some such, I can expand that, with out having to pay up front for more rail than I know what to do with.  Seems like about everybody (including YHM) is out of the mid-length 'specter' version.

I had a 'rifle-length' Badg. Ord. tube... it did work nicely over bags, but other than that it just didn't do much for me.  Kind of a subjective thing, but thats the way it struck me.


As far as just getting a regular 1 pc tube that screws on... I've had guns set up like that before, and I did drill them for the Harris bipod adapter, etc.  At that time I wasn't looking at tearing down, rebuilding, etc. but now that that may be a possibility, it seems like the 1 pc units would have an issue w/ getting the fore end tube 'timed' just right to get the studs back where they need to be.  If it gets over or undertorqued... guess thats what they make Loctite 242 for ;)

Thanks again for the help, guys.

nuk