I’m looking to build a low-cost long-distance AR using 6.5 Grendel. I don’t need rails on it, just a bipod stud, and was considering getting one of the plain tubular types. How hot do these get during firing?
The aren’t going to get too hot firing a 6.5 unless you have a ton of money to burn. I just finished a Redback One class with my DDV7 and it didn’t get too hot to run without gloves.
So far, I’ve liked Rainier Arms’ evolution rail. Comes with a heat sink that slips over the stock barrel nut. Works pretty good.
I was still able to heat up the evolution rail so that when I touched it without gloves it was not pleasant. Round count and time frame make a difference.
Don’t get me wrong, it CAN heat up. It’s just less prone to doing so.
Troy TRX or the Vtac are both GTG.
I have had them pretty warm in the past but nowhere near burning your hands…and they cool off pretty quick too
Troy TRX here and normal shooting building heat is not an issue at all but under small class conditions with constant fire I use light gloves.
I just happen to have an Alexander Arms composite tube handguard for sale. Pm me if interested. It’s in the equipment exchange.
My m4v7does not seem to get too hot, but like anyting else, if you do a few mag dumps it will get hot.
I have found that weather conditions make a big difference. On a 100 degree plus summer day with the sun blaring down, a TRX extreme can get very hot very quickly. My DD and Centurion quad rails seem more resistant to overheating (probably due to the increased area acting as a radiator) even without heat shielding. I got some squid grips for my TRX, but have not done any high intensity shooting on a hot day with them.
These are the sort of thing I meant:
Those tubes are meant for slow fire rifles since they really have no venting. If you are shooting 5 round groups, shooting ground hogs or other varmints, they will probably work just fine.
I honestly wouldn’t consider a Grendel for anything other than a precision type rifle. In that case you aren’t exactly going to be using it for a close combat type training or 3-gun events, so heat isn’t going to be an issue.
Armalite makes a tube type aluminum handguard that only costs around $80 and it is vented. I saw one on an AR10 at the range a few weeks ago and was impressed. Here is a link to it:
http://www.armalite.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=15703411KIT&ReturnUrl=Categories.aspx?Category=64887808-f3c7-46f9-ad41-94c786b875b1