I recently built an AR-15 using the J&T A-2 kit.
Love the rifle but do not like the handguard. J&T is now selling the military style triangle handgaurds. I just wonder if this will work on my A-2 with 20" barrel. Really like the look of the triangle handguard. Has anyone here tried this? If so how did it work?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Tex,

I am 99% sure that you need a triangle front handguard plate (I think that is the name) to use the triangle handguards.  Basically the plate right behind the front sight tower that holds the handguards.  If it is round, you would need to get it replace with the triangle one.  The upside is that with the triangle one you can use either type of handguard, though it may look a little funky with the round hanguards installed.

(edited because I managed to misspell "triangle" no less than three times out of three!)

Dawg

Tex,

I believe Dawg is correct. However, my buddy just picked up a RRA Tac Entry model and while giving it a look, I noticed that his had the round style with "relief" cuts at the 4&8 o'clock positions that look like they were positioned to accept the triangular guards. Unless, I am mistaken in their purpose, you might be able to modify your weapon to accept the tri-style without having to tear down your upper.

Blitz

Sorry, but no.  If your 20" barrel AR has the trianglular front plate, it'll take either the round or triangle HGs. If that front plate is round, you'd have to change the plate to the triangular type, and it's really not worth the effort.  I own ARs w/both types, and the triangular type isn't nearly as secure in shooting as the round, ribbed type.  That's why they changed it in the first place[:D]

I don't like shooting a rifle with triangle handguards because I get a different feel depending on hand position due to its taper toward the front.

There must be a reason for the taper but I've never known what that reason was. Anybody know?

By the way, Ken Drasen
at Hay River makes a neat carbine triangular handguard, using cut-down full-length handguards and his own end caps. Either pencil bbl or hbar config. He uses the narrow end of the OEM guards, and it just feels right...

Also, I have a "gun show special" front cap which is round but has the cuts for the triangular guards also. I'm pretty sure I got it from the Sherluk girl at the last show...

I believe it was to assist in full auto fire control.  The idea was to keep the front hand from sliding backwards and making muzzle rise even worse during bursts.  Then they realized that the ribbed design of the XM177s worked equally well (or better), and just redesigned the rifle HGs to the same pattern.

Since I'm a traditionalist, and have built up all my ARs as close as possible to their GI equivelents, the M16 and M16A1 clones at my house have the triangle HGs, the XM177E2 type has the early small round HGs, the M16A2 model has the full round, and the M4gery has the oval double heat shield type.