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Posted: 3/9/2017 12:08:45 PM EDT
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Hi everyone, I have a quick question.
What kind of plastic are the triangle handguards made of? Thanks everyone. |
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Most of the early ones are glass fiber and phenolic resin.
Later hand guards are a different type of plastic. It definitely came about during the A1's life span, but, whether it was Colt, GM, H&R, or just a general upgrade, I don't know. You can definitely tell the difference if you have a set of each, or a mismatched pair. |
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601s were made of epoxy injected cotton fiber. Later it changed.
They are all fiberglass with epoxys and dies mixed in. A1 parts that is Ill have to find the pictures.. but I found pieces from 607 trims in my burn pile that survived. these were probably L/Rs with drains.............. Nothing left but white fiber. Anything that survives a tire fire had to be strong enough to be made of fiberglass or asbestos. newer m4 parts are made by DuPont. That is the leading edge of "plastic" technology. You will find a BIG difference in modern aftermarket and US issued parts. |
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The very early rifles used a glass fiber weave for the handguards and buttstock.
This was soon changed to a black phenolic thermoset molding compound, fiberite FM-4130-190, made by the Fiberite Corp, Winona, MN, for the buttstock, handguards and grip. In 1965 the pistol grip material changed to a different a black phenolic thermoset molding compound, FM-3510 and the buttstock and handguards material changed to a different a black phenolic thermoset molding compound, FM-8130. Also in 1965 the handguard liner material changed to a 3903-A14 aluminum. Earlier versions used 6061-T6 aluminum. Hope this helps. Reference: Report of the M16 Rifle Review Panel, 1 June 1968, Appendix 11 |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the info. I would like to figure this out. I'm looking at 3D printing a set. I would also like to do stocks too. I don't think you really have a choice if you're using a consumer grade 3D printer. Most current generation printers use either ABS or PLA filaments. PLA is biodegradable, so that rules PLA out. ABS doesn't really compare with epoxy resins, but again, it's all that's currently widely available. The other thing is work envelope size. You'd need a pretty big envelope to do rifle size stock and handguards. Also, the material cost and effort would be high with a stock. It would probably take forever to print. |
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Quoted:
I don't think you really have a choice if you're using a consumer grade 3D printer. Most current generation printers use either ABS or PLA filaments. PLA is biodegradable, so that rules PLA out. ABS doesn't really compare with epoxy resins, but again, it's all that's currently widely available. The other thing is work envelope size. You'd need a pretty big envelope to do rifle size stock and handguards. Also, the material cost and effort would be high with a stock. It would probably take forever to print. I have a meeting (hopefully next week) being sit up with the local college here that does 3D printing. I'm going to look into a few different things and one of the things I would like to see about doing is the handguards. I have seen polymer being used in 3D printing. I hope to know more soon. |
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Quoted:
I have a meeting (hopefully next week) being sit up with the local college here that does 3D printing. I'm going to look into a few different things and one of the things I would like to see about doing is the handguards. I have seen polymer being used in 3D printing. I hope to know more soon. I'll ask the obvious question, why bother with handguards when the originals can be found so easily? |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the info. I would like to figure this out. I'm looking at 3D printing a set. I would also like to do stocks too. Be advised if you do not already know, Brownells will be coming out with repro triangular handguards, stocks, and A1 pistol grips in the very near future. Brownells retro stuff |
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