Midwest Industries has released details of the new third generation of their popular one piece free float hand guards. The new hand guards carry over many features from the previous version and also add several improvements.
Like previous versions, they are very slim (1.5″ OD) and lightweight (see weights listed in image below). The new barrel nut has more aggressive knurling and does not need to be timed. The clamp mechanism that secures the rail to the barrel nut now uses an insert (patent pending “Torque Plate”). Other manufacturers like SLR Rifleworks use inserts to prevent over-tightening but MI’s Torque Plate does more than that. According to MI, the Torque Plate has several functions:
- It prevents over-tightening by limited the amount the hand guard can be compressed on the barrel nut.
- It engages the upper receiver to prevent rotation.
- It engages the back of the barrel nut to prevent the hand guard from moving forward on the nut.
- It aligns the hand guard during installation.
They are available in both KeyMod and M-LOK in 5 different lengths (see below).
