Hello All,
I want to have a Knight RAS Free Float handguard installed on my Bushy 16" M4gery upper.  I was considering getting the GG&G handguard and I like how you can mount stuff in all 12 clock positions, although I don’t know how important that is, but I don’t like the fact that that the GG&G unit is a two piece; I want a one piece that is as strong and stiff as possible.

At the same time I also want a flip up front sight, PRI or GG&G, installed. I like the PRI but I don’t like how it clamps on with screws (at least the ones I’ve seen), do they make a pinned version?

I'm in San Diego and I'd prefer somebody close so I can just drop off/pick up in person rather than shipping my upper away, but I won't sacrifice quality in workmanship for geographic location.

I'm not opposed to driving into OC, Riverside, SBD, or even shipping my upper away; I just want somebody to do the work that really knows and loves what they are doing…

Anybody recommend anyone specific to use, or to stay away from?

Thanks

For what you are doing why not do it yourself?

I'm not a smith but built my own and have been in the military for close to 20yrs, e-mail me if you can't find what you are looking for I live in south OC

I had a similar thought - beating the pins out of a front sight tower isn't that hard. I wouldn't hand the extra weight of a GG&G/RIS/RAS whatever off the front of any of my rifles but it must mount like a free float tube.

As I understand it to mount the Knight RAS free floated handguard both the front sight and barrel nut must be removed.

Now I'm not exactly sure, but don't you need a receiver block and barrel wrench to do this? Neither of which I have.

Also I don't have any of the gauging equipment to be sure I have lined everything up strait, and I don't have any go/no-go gauges to be sure it is correctly head spaced when it goes back together.

Am I overly complicating this, and thinking this is harder than it really is?

Do you guys know what all is actually involved to do this work myself? Maybe I should as this question in the AR "build it yourself" forum...

Well you don't really need the receiver block as I've just had my wife sit on my weapons while going at them with a wrench . I suppose if I ever get divorced or my wife gets fat - or tired of sitting on my workbench - I'll buy one

When you tighten the barrel nut you're suppose to use a torque wrench and torque down to 65 ft/lbs and then rotate to the next notch but there are very lengthy threads claiming that you do not need the wrench and you can do it by hand - yeah, I'll agree but you need have done one or two to do with without the wrench. I have one you can borrow along with the $20 receiver wrench - the torque wrenches are like $30 at Harbor Freight.

No go/go gauges are not needed unless you're replacing the whole barrel as the gauges measure the bolt seating into the receiver extension (the thing on the aft end of the barrel).

Putting the front sight on isn't that hard as the pins sort of force you to put the thing on straight. Assuming you have a hammer - I like a light one - you'll need pin punches, a $30 torque wrench (borrow one?), and a barrel nut wrench or whatever mates with the RAS end to screw it into the receiver.

Take the handguards off - two man job and you'll see that the front sight "tower" is simply pinned into place. First remove the tiny retaining pin from the sight tower that holds the gas tube in place. Push the gas tube aft into the upper reciever and carefully remove it by pulling it forwards once its cleared the sight tower.

Knock the two pins out of the front sight and the thing will come off sliding forward. Note the hole in the barrel (tiny) mates with a matching (larger) hole in the front sight tower. Gas runs though the hole in the barrel - though the sight and back down the gas tube to push the bolt aft following each shot.

The reciever wrench has three "teeth" that drop into the "half moon" "teeth" of the barrel nut. The gas tube ran though one of those half moons locking the nut in place. Engage the teeth of the receiver wrench and twist that baby loose and off.

The RAS is going to have a part that duplicates the function of this simple nut but also allows the rails to index so that they run in the right plane. The RAS should have instructions but I'm assuming that it too torques down to 65 foot/pounds. You then index the rails and attach them to the RAS modified barrel nut and then put the gas tube back in.

You then slide the front sight back down the barrel and roughly align the holes (see above) together. Use a punch pin in one set of the pin's holes to line up the other set - gently drive the pin back into the hole and then do the other.

Jam the gas tube forward into the sight tower and pin it back into place.

Clean the barrel, load, and fire!

--- all done from memory --- how did I do?

It might sound nasty and difficult but it really isn't that hard (having done it a few times now it's easy for me to say). What you might need is a gunsmith to back you up if you fail or some RKI to hold your hand while you whack on your rifle

i'm tryin to look for on in SD too. I would like to drill ,tap and put a rail on my shotgun so i can mount a red dot. i would like to also refinish to parkerize my mossberg 500. i don't know any places in SD. I tried socalgun and they can't do it.