AR composit free float tube
would like to have some input on composit free float tubes (pros and cons) I'm considering having one put on don't know a thing about them and how hard is it to put one on a buddy said he though they are epoxied on and stay on forever plus can a sling swivel be attached to one or are they to brittle for that thanks Steve
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In an ordinary AR-15 type rifle, the handguards touch the barrel. So any pressure on the handguards (eg by holding them, or leaning the handguard against a rest) will apply pressure to the barrel and potentially affect accuracy.
The main point of a free float barrel (apart from impressing your buddies) is to keep pressure off the barrel to improve accuracy. That's it.
Pros: See above.
Cons: Not cheap. Not trivial to install. Frankly most people aren't using match grade ammo, nor shooting well enough to notice the difference anyway.
How hard are they to install? Depends on the design of the tube you want to install, depends on what you've got on there already, and depends on what tools you have at your disposal.
*IF* you know what you're doing and have some serious experience in AR-15 armoring, and *IF* you have all the right tools, then you can probably get it done in under 20 minutes. This will give you a quick overview of a typical install:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eryr0wZ71Hg
Note that the video makes it seem a lot easier than it really is. Taking off the original handguards can be a PITA, as can removing the front sight base, etc.
Are free float tubes epoxied on? Not typically, no. This should NOT be necessary, nor can I see a good reason to do it if you install the thing correctly to begin with.
Are free float tubes too brittle to attach a sling swivel? Of course not. If they were that flimsy, nobody would use them! Many of these are made of aircraft aluminum. Even the lightweight carbon fiber ones are still pretty darn strong.0
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