If you are going to install accessory rails to this tube, this too should be done before the tube is attached. However, since we are replacing a carbine-length standard handguard with a rifle-length free-floating handguard, we now have to install a minimized gas block first, since it is going to be fully inside the confines of the tube and virtually impossible to install correctly with the tube emplaced. The rear end of the tube is counter-bored to accept the outer handguard nut and has six holes around it to fasten it to the nut. In the case of this JP handguard, the body of the unit is a simple extruded tube with slots cut in it for ventilation. The same amount of torque is used to secure the nut as a normal nut, around 30–100 ft/lbs of torque, and if you don’t know what that feels like, then you should borrow a torque wrench from your buddy in the auto shop. The outer nut is screwed onto the receiver, often with thread locking compound to hold it in place in alignment while the inner nut is tightened against the barrel extension. Honestly, it’s best to remove the tube before you play with the block, but not necessarily mandatory. It’s supposed to have a bend in it but not more than it started with. If you twist the assembly too far with the gas tube installed, you will likely damage the tube. Take care to not kink the gas tube if you left it in place. It can however be on tightly and require a little heat to expand the rings. Once it is off the gas block collar of the barrel, it should easily slide off the muzzle, assuming you have removed whatever muzzle device might be present. The front sight tower may be quite tightly attached still, so a little twisting and possibly a little propane heat on the tower rings may be in order. Use a short, thick punch to get them started and then a longer punch to finish pushing them out to the right. There is a noticeable difference in diameter, left to right. By the way, they virtually always go out from left to right. You will want to support the rest of the upper on a similarly elevated surface for ease of use. It is machined out so that the front sight tower will fit either way into it and you can hammer out the pins it even has directions on it. The specialty bench block to which I refer is the front sight bench block that Brownells sells. ![]() Some are relatively easy, and some aren’t. I wish I could tell you a universal way to get them out easily, but I can’t. Sometimes you can get them out by putting the barrel or the sight tower in the vise, and most times you can get them out using a specialty bench block. We’re talking baby bunny under a porch step here. Granted, you don’t ever want them coming out without actually wanting them to come out, but they are often in there so tight that you might have to cut or drill them out. They are TAPERED, which means they only go out one way, and some companies think it’s just the coolest thing ever to really, really jam those things in there. You will have to remove the front sight’s tapered retaining pins from the bottom of the A-frame. I will restate that I prefer to remove the gas tube at this time as well, so as not to risk banging it up when we start banging on the front sight block. This is way easy with a forend/handguard tool. You should now see an upper assembly with no handguard, with the barrel and gas tube naked and exposed to all creation. Follow this up by then removing the top piece. The piece should be lowered from the back and then pulled out of the cup at the front. It just seems easier usually to do the bottom first. The first thing is to pull back on the delta ring to remove the lower piece. You will want to use your upper receiver blocks for this entire sequence. The upper assembly should be detached and in a bench vise. This is the typical process to change a standard handguard to a free-floated handguard. Once the gas system is in place, tighten handguard onto nut.Before new handguard is fitted, a new minimized gas block must be installed.Upon removing barrel retainer nut, new free-floated handguard is ready.Once pins are removed, gas block collar should slide off the barrel.Use a special bench block to keep rest of upper elevated.Remove retaining pins from the A-Frame - after the gas tube is removed.Remove upper receiver and pull back delta rings to remove standard handguard.How to swap out for a free-floated handguard: ![]() Upgrading from a standard to a free-floated handguard can increase your AR-15’s accuracy potential, and it isn’t difficult following this procedure.
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