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Phil S's Review of Firefield Fringe 15" Carbon M-LOK Rail FF34072
This handguard says it's made with a "carbon-fiber composite material", however it really feels more like it's polymer. That's fine with me, if it is up to the task. So the question is, is it up to the task? Yes and no.
This handguard is SUPER light. Which is a pro if you like to lighten things up. Because it is polymer/carbon fiber, the handguard does flex if you put pressure on it. It's not horrible, as it will always spring back to original shape, but keep in mind this is nowhere near as rigid as aluminum (which also flexes from pressure too, by the way). The flexing is not an issue when holding zero though. I put some quality steel iron sights on this handguard, and it does hold zero.
However, because it is polymer and flexes, there is a problem if you overtorque the handguard onto the barrel nut. I probably did that with mine (there are no specs as to what sort of torque rates to apply in the instructions). It must have overtorqued the rail slightly vertically. Currently I have my front iron sight bottomed out and it is still hitting an inch too high at 50 yards. But it holds.
I think that's the major design flaw, as nothing is preventing the handguard from warping when you tighten the rail to the barrel nut. If they changed the design and had the rear be aluminum and then 3/4s of the rest to be the carbon-fiber composite, I think that could solve the issue.
Barrel nut is aluminum and not steel, for what it's worth. I don't mind it but be careful not to overtorque the nut when attaching it to your upper.
Other aspects are ok, M-Lok slots work fine, I attached a bipod to the rail and it held perfectly. Note that I did not use this rail aggressively. It was only target shooting at the range, I didn't run any hardened training course with it, so I'm not sure how it will fare if you beat it up hard. But I think if you just need a light handguard for plinking and target shooting, and especially if you don't care about the front sight, this will probably make you very happy.
This handguard is SUPER light. Which is a pro if you like to lighten things up. Because it is polymer/carbon fiber, the handguard does flex if you put pressure on it. It's not horrible, as it will always spring back to original shape, but keep in mind this is nowhere near as rigid as aluminum (which also flexes from pressure too, by the way). The flexing is not an issue when holding zero though. I put some quality steel iron sights on this handguard, and it does hold zero.
However, because it is polymer and flexes, there is a problem if you overtorque the handguard onto the barrel nut. I probably did that with mine (there are no specs as to what sort of torque rates to apply in the instructions). It must have overtorqued the rail slightly vertically. Currently I have my front iron sight bottomed out and it is still hitting an inch too high at 50 yards. But it holds.
I think that's the major design flaw, as nothing is preventing the handguard from warping when you tighten the rail to the barrel nut. If they changed the design and had the rear be aluminum and then 3/4s of the rest to be the carbon-fiber composite, I think that could solve the issue.
Barrel nut is aluminum and not steel, for what it's worth. I don't mind it but be careful not to overtorque the nut when attaching it to your upper.
Other aspects are ok, M-Lok slots work fine, I attached a bipod to the rail and it held perfectly. Note that I did not use this rail aggressively. It was only target shooting at the range, I didn't run any hardened training course with it, so I'm not sure how it will fare if you beat it up hard. But I think if you just need a light handguard for plinking and target shooting, and especially if you don't care about the front sight, this will probably make you very happy.
Pros:
- light
Cons:
- Can warp if overtorqued
Best Used for:
- plinking, target shooting
Would Recommend:
Yes
6 of 6
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