Just recently I got a large number of(Yet AGAIN! ) Bushy L.E. M4's delivered to my place of work/slavery.

In the process of acceptance inspections it was noticed that all of a sudden the handguards have changed.

Instead of the usual heatshield slots on the sides the heatshield is held in place with 8 plastic pins that pass through the heat shield.

The heat shield is thicker, of a different shape, and completely suspended from the handguard.

The plastic on the handguard is thicker, stiffer, obviously more robust, and lines up better with it's mate and actually LOCKS into it's mate when mounted, and there is no need to scrape a radius onto the forward edges!!
They mount up and come off great with none of the usual mods.

When mounted there is little play or flex, and the things are SOOOOOOO much nicer than the old.

Am I behind the power curve here?
It's been like 7 months since I last took in rifles for our inventory, and they had the same old G.I. knock offs that fit like crap.

What happened?
Bushy has always had crappy handguards that held up well enough, but were just annoying.

Is this just on our contract L.E./Govt. rifles or is it now common?
If it is I gotta get a set for my rifle.....

I actually LIKE these, and I'm a snob when it comes to such things.
They remind me of the DSA handguards on my FAL.

Sorry but I'm a bit Cornfused.

Also,

If they have been out there for a while, how are they holding up?

The heatshield being suspended on the moulded plastic pins is the one place I see fecal matter occuring, but if they hold up.....


Thanks guys!
S-28

Are they the fat M4 type or regular CAR handguards?and thicker heat shield would you say twice as thick as an older one?

927,

They have the same external dimensions(Roughly..I didn't break out the caliper) as the std. CAR hadguards that came on our previous Bushy M4 L.E./Govt carbines.

The heat shield is about(Again...calibrated M1A1
Eyeball measurement) .020 more thick.

What stands out most is the mounting posts moulded into the handguard just outside of each side of the vent holes on each side running full length that suspend the heat shield and retain the thing.

Gonna be dragging the lot of them to the range between holidays for initial zero on the irons, and co-witness on the optic followed by a 300 round initial break in, so I will have a chance to heat them up badly and plan on not trusting them one whit untill done.

You got a set on your rifle?

Thanks!
S-28

My M4 Bushy upper came with CAR15 style handguards.  The new ones are more like the fatter M4 style?  Were your old ones CAR15 or M4 style guards?  Like I said, mine came with the thinner CAR15 style handguards through my Bushmaster LE dealer last year.