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Posted: 4/20/2005 11:14:06 PM EDT
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First Samco has a new upper and lower handguard set. The upper handguard has a rail for optics, and the lower has 3 rails. www.firstsamco.com/catalog/productdetail.php?ID=55 Has anyone tried this setup? Is the upper handguard rail really sturdy enough to mount a red dot? |
| TDI is the actual mfg, and I got my upper only for $45 at a local show. Fit is very good, but I found that my gas tube moves a wee bit at the front end by the gas block (rear end is solid). Not the TDI part's fault, but another reason why side rails are so much tidier to work with. |
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Check out my post with photos on this board that I posted on April 2. It has a photograph of the TDI Arms upper and lower. You can do a search using the term "dolled". As one of the forum members said, the gas tube wiggles a bit. http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=4&f=64&t=70120 |
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Thanks seattlekayaker, Based on your linked report, I think I will pass on the upper handguard. But I will probably get the lower handguard. I will be installing it on a Underfolder also. How much plastic did you have to remove from the TDI lower handguard to allow the stock to lock forward? |
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Roger3: The lower handguard is a very tight fit. On some posts, owners of the TDI lower said that they were advised to gently hammer the rear of the handguard into the receiver. However, I was mounting this on a Vector underfolder, and both me and a Class 7 gun manufacturer believe that the folks at Vector assembled the AK making it about 1/16th - 1/8 inch too short between the receiver and the front handguard ring and gas block. For example, every gas tube that I installed on the Vector had to be be ground down to fit. The way that the rear of this handguard was designed kind of scared me off from grinding away with my dremel tool and I had the local manufacturer, who goes by the board name cwtoyota, do the work. It fits solidly. You might send an email to cwtoyota and ask him how much grinding and where. Seattlekayaker |
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Roger3: One other thing about installing the handguard on a folder. I think I mentioned that the handguard bulges out at the rear which prevents the stock from closely completely. Approximately one inch of the handguard has be milled or ground down so that the bulge is removed. cwtoyota pointed out that you are grinding away plastic which means that it might turn white. I think that if you are very careful that won't happen. |
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Roger3 and other readers: A couple of more comments about the TDI upper and lower handguards. I went shooting today to test out a AK-74 style brake made by Dyna-systems on my AK that has the TDI parts as described in an earlier post. The amount of wiggle, which is attributed to the fit of the gas tube, is slight. The gap between the upper and lower handguard is less than 1/8th of an inch. I am going to see if I can add a permanent polymer shim to the upper handguard to prevent wiggle. I'll keep you posted. Also, when I am shooting the AK using the Yankee Hill Machining folding vertical grip I can brace the elbow of my left arm easily against my torso giving a more stable shooting platform. I am not even close to being a good shooter, but with the Trijicon sight and vertical foregrip I was easily hitting 1 liter water bottles at about 70 yards. |
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