If you bought a free-float handguard and then discovered it didn't come with an installation tool — or that the barrel nut doesn't work with your current upper — you've encountered one of the most confusing but easily solved problems in AR-15 building. This article covers the mechanical side: what barrel nut types exist, how they differ, what you need to install ea …
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Walk into any gun shop or scroll any AR-15 parts forum and you'll find strong opinions about free-float handguards. "Free-float or bust." "The accuracy difference is negligible." "You need a torque wrench." "It's just a barrel nut swap." The noise around this topic tends to skip the most important question: do you actually need a free-float handguard for what you're doing with …
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