Steve in Allentown, PA 5 Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 The 16" barrel on my .308 Saiga radiates some serious heat after rapidly firing only a few boxes of ammo. I was thinking that the plastic handguard could benefit by having a hunk of reflective sheet metal install into it. Combined with venting cut into the plastic at the top sides and along the bottom, I think the handguards would stay much cooler. The way this has been accomplished in M-16's is that the handguards have short studs molded into them at the time of production. The sheet metal is then attached to these studs. This keeps the sheet metal from contacting the handguards, except at the studs, thus insuring air movement across the sheet metal. I was thinking of going to the hardware store and picking up a roll of the sheet metal used for roof flashing and experimenting. I've got to figure out what to use as spacers to separate the sheet metal from the handguard and I need to figure out how to hold everything together. I figure there must be some kind of glue/epoxy that is very resistant to high heat out there somewhere. Does anyone have any knowledge or experience with the kind of glue/epoxy that would work in this application? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uber_maus 0 Posted July 27, 2006 Report Share Posted July 27, 2006 steve i had the same thoughts w/my saiga and romak. i first used a soda can and that didn't do too much (big suprise, eh?). i just put some holes in the handguard and it works ok. i don't try to burn off too many rounds at once though because my 7.62 rifles are more for precise shooting. i think someone on this forum was making some custom stocks w/the holes in them and i know robinson arms (www.robarm.com) is selling handguards w/elongated slots and sling swivels for 80 bucks. hope that helps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sauerquint 2 Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 steve i had the same thoughts w/my saiga and romak. i first used a soda can and that didn't do too much (big suprise, eh?). i just put some holes in the handguard and it works ok. i don't try to burn off too many rounds at once though because my 7.62 rifles are more for precise shooting. i think someone on this forum was making some custom stocks w/the holes in them and i know robinson arms (www.robarm.com) is selling handguards w/elongated slots and sling swivels for 80 bucks. hope that helps. Have you ever seen that metal insulation tape? It's almost like corrugated cardboard, you wouldn't need to worry about the studs then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve in Allentown, PA 5 Posted July 30, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Have you ever seen that metal insulation tape? It's almost like corrugated cardboard, you wouldn't need to worry about the studs then. It sounds like the refelective portion is attached to a honeycomb that would allow the air to pass through. Seems like an option worth exploring if only I knew where to find such an item and what to ask for when I got there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sauerquint 2 Posted July 30, 2006 Report Share Posted July 30, 2006 Have you ever seen that metal insulation tape? It's almost like corrugated cardboard, you wouldn't need to worry about the studs then. It sounds like the refelective portion is attached to a honeycomb that would allow the air to pass through. Seems like an option worth exploring if only I knew where to find such an item and what to ask for when I got there. I think I've seen it in the Furnace section of Home Depot. I suppose other hardware stores might have it as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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