Hand guard loose

[lboos]

I have a great looking quality hardware carbine, the only prob. with this carbine is the hand guard is very loose, the two rivet back tab on the hand guard has both rivets coming through the metal tab, is their a way to repair it ?
is their a place you can buy new rivets that will fit and look correct ?
Has anyone here ever repaired this prob. thanks for any advice.

Information

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[USGI]

Sarco used to list them - I searched there with no luck. Looks like Numrich still has them, but they're a bit spendy. - Bob

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/983280.htm

[browningautorifle]

the hand guard is very loose

The usual procedure is to carefully bent the tab a bit upward to push the hand guard down. Carefully...

[imarangemaster]

The usual procedure is to carefully bent the tab a bit upward to push the hand guard down. Carefully...

This! Even if the rivets are a little loose, if you bend the two corners up slightly, it will tighten it up. Do a little at a time, until snug.

[lboos]

This! Even if the rivets are a little loose, if you bend the two corners up slightly, it will tighten it up. Do a little at a time, until snug.

imarangemaster,
Thanks for that great advice, I bent the two corners up like you said, 1st try, "a perfect fit." what an easy and simple fix. Thank's again.

[browningautorifle]

I bent the two corners up like you said,

You're welcome...

[imntxs554]

The usual procedure is to carefully bent the tab a bit upward to push the hand guard down. Carefully...

Jim....Thanks from me too. I've had a real nice matching Handguard for over a year that I really wanted to use, but was loose just like the OP was stating, but I bought another one and used that one and put the one I wanted away. It always bothered me to not be able to use it until you posted that. Now it's on my Carbine with a GREAT look and GREAT fit. Thanks

Frank

[INLAND44]

The armorers did it a little differently but with the same result. Their way will probably last longer. They curled up the whole back edge of the tab to varying degrees depending on how loose the fit was. They must have used non-marring pliers or a ball peen to do it because its a smooth rounded job with no marks. Anyway, fitting the hand guard is just part of the process of 'blueprinting' the front end of the carbine so it stays together under fire. The band clamp has to be fitted to the barrel, the action has to hang in the recoil plate properly, the band must slip onto the stock without lifting or pulling down the barrel and the hand guard should be nearly tight when the band is against the shoulder of the stock and exactly at a right angle to the stock. The band spring has to latch the band in that exact position and the band screw has to get snug before the two sides meet. When the band screw is snug the hand guard should be fairly tight with a little fore and aft movement possible, maybe 1/32". There's a lot of fitting in that front end and these days its rare to find a carbine that still reflects that correct set-up.

[browningautorifle]

Frank

Good to see you surface again Frank...