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Posted: 11/13/2002 6:35:30 AM EDT
| I put together a homemade handguard removal tool the other day for about $5. I used a smooth 1/4" steel rod bent into the shape of a long "U" and used a steel flat-strap hinge also bent into a "U" to make the hook to grab the mag well. Now I just slip the long U-shaped rod over the Handguard Ring and hook the bent hinge around the mag well lip and can easily pry down the Handguard Ring with one hand and remove the handguards with the the other hand. I saw a tool for sale to do the same thing but they want $20 + S&H for it. Seemed kind of steep to me so I made one myself. If anyone is interested in this I could try to draw up a picture of what I did and post it. |
| send me a pic of this tool you have come up with? thanks [email protected] |
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Here's a link to a web page that I put together a while back on making a simple handguard removal/installation tool. All that's needed to make the tool is a two foot long piece of 1/4" steel rod, a vise, a propane torch, and a couple of feet of rubber tubing. Three bucks worth of material, no welding involved, and takes about ten minutes. quartz2.cyberstation.net/~dwpaul/hgrt.htm Check it out. HTH . . . . . Doug |
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Doug, Very nice work! I may have started this thread but you have finished it nicely. My project looks similar, but not as polished. I didn't bother heating the metal before I bent it so the angles aren't as sharp. And I used duct tape instead of rubber tubing (its what I had). The only major difference is that my "hook" is free to swivel around the U-shaped handles. It might have been a little easier to construct than the one piece unit you made. But your's is certainly hell for stout. |
Cheap is good! Very nice job coming up with a cheaper solution. I suppose you could coat those with that stuff sold in hardware stores that you dip plier handles in, (that is, if you already have some, or know someone who does, because I think that stuff is pricey in itself). It's called Plastidip or something like that. |
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It's funny sometimes. The dude who designed the piece sold in Brownell's got his start right here on AR15.com, plans and all. He went on to sell it commercially. Now others are designing their own to save $25. But I'll tell ya, if someone asked me to build them a handguard removal tool, I'd charge them about $20 to $25... [:D] |
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Quoted: I suppose you could coat those with that stuff sold in hardware stores that you dip plier handles in, (that is, if you already have some, or know someone who does, because I think that stuff is pricey in itself). It's called Plastidip or something like that. That coating stuff is well worth the investment; pretty soon you'll have all sorts of things with nice handles. [:D] Seriously though, its worth it to fix up all those old screwdrivers and wrenches that are all beat up. |
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I had thought about using the PlastiDip stuff, but judging from the few items that I've actually seen it used on, my impression was that it is a fairly soft material. The ridges on a lot of the Delta rings are pretty sharp and the tool exerts a pretty good bit of pressure on the ring. I was afraid that the sharp grooves would cut through the plastic and allow the steel rod to scratch the ring. Not good. The rubber tubing (or the clear vinyl tubing) works great, can be found anywhere, and is plenty cheap enough. And ain't that the whole idea? All good . . . . Doug . . . . [beer] |
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Drop- Funny, thats exactly what happened to the plastidip that I tried. Fortunately, it also can be scraped off fairly easily and I put the tubing on. I tried the plastidip because I had some sitting around, and forgot to get the tubing while I was at the store. [:D] FOTBR |
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