Description
The handguard is the most visible and most handled part of a rifle: the one you choose will define the style, weight, ergonomics, and performance of your AR-10 or AR-15 firearm. Ultra-lightweight is only the starting point for what our NOAX handguards offer. Aerospace carbon fiber make this guard stronger than aluminum at below half the weight. The lattice structure provides a solid and repeatable grip and allows versatile accessory mounting at almost any angle. It insulates your forehand and provides airflow ensures superior barrel cooling rates for accuracy even in sustained fire. For precision shooting, our free-floating barrel nut puts no pressure on the barrel and will never change your point of impact. We know that’s a lot to promise, that’s why we back these claims with our industry leading warranty. We offer the NOAX handguard in lengths from 7” to 15” to match your shooting style and rifle setup. The carbon lattice material is complemented by our deep-black hard-anodized aluminum end-caps which allow easy mounting to your upper receiver and protect the leading edge from impact.
The EDGE, BLADE, and ATLAS models are all built with our precision NOAX material and vary only in the forward end-cap. EDGE provides a flat cut for classic style or to align with a silencer. BLADE provides an angular cut to help exhibit your barrel or for compensator and front sight clearance. While M-LOK and Picatinny can be mounted anywhere along the handguard with our backing plates, ATLAS provides a quad Picatinny rail and a sling stud for users who expect to always run accessories.
What’s in the box? All Brigand Arms handguard orders include our lightweight barrel nut which replaces your existing barrel nut. We always recommend you talk to a gunsmith about installation, but we have tutorials for both AR-10 and AR-15 installation. If you’re frequently working on your AR build, we recommend our ultra-compact BAAR armorer’s wrench. Like most free-floating handguards, all Brigand Arms guards require a low-profile gas block. We recommend Faxon for a simple lightweight gas block and Aero Precision for adjustable gas blocks.
If you have followed Brigand Arms for a while, you might be thinking “This material looks different than the last time I saw it…” You’re right! In 2021 our fabrication process was re-designed to give our team complete control over the manufacturing process. We call our new material “NOAX” (pronounced “NO-axe”) to differentiate from the former braided “OACS” or “O-ACS” material. Every NOAX handguard is built in Birmingham, Alabama by specialized machines developed for that purpose. This new material is stronger than ever, enables more precise accessory mounting, and now has a sleek dark graphite appearance and smoother texture. All orders placed after December 1, 2021 are built with this new material.
To get the most out of your O-ACS handguard purchase, consider adding our Picatinny or MLOK accessory mounts.
Specs:
- ID = 1.75 in. | OD = 2.00 in.
- Tube: Patented T700 carbon fiber NOAX
- Caps: Aluminum 6061 Hard Anodized
- Barrel nut (included): Aluminum 7075 Hard Anodized
Weight
| LENGTH: | EDGE | BLADE | ATLAS |
| 7″ | 3.7 oz | 3.7 oz | 5.8 oz |
| 9″ | 4.1 oz | 4.1 oz | 6.2 oz |
| 12.375″ | 4.7 oz | 4.7 oz | 6.7 oz |
| 15″ | 5.1 oz | 5.1 oz | 7.1 oz |
*All weights INCLUDE barrel nut. Add 1.2oz for AR-10 model
- Barrel Nut: Free-float barrel nut system (externally threaded alloy aluminum barrel nut and a steel jam nut).
- Threads: Standard Yankee Hill thread count.
- Torque: Recommended torque is 30-40 ft-lbs, as with any aluminum barrel nut. A small spot of moly grease (e.g. aeroshell 64/33ms) is recommended, but not required. If you get to full torque and the gas port is not quite aligned, simply loosen and re-tighten the nut until it creeps into place.
- Lengths: Measured from tip of end cap to end of jam nut (i.e. fully-installed length).
- AR-10 Barrel Nut Installation: Check out the install video for guidance.
Jackal –
Great for lightweight builds
by Jackal, Verified Owner from TX, United States Written on July 25, 2021 – via Optics Planet
I keep trying to create a fist around it to see if it will give, but nope, this thing is super sturdy. Its also nice to have the options of flip-up sights on it. Make sure to run something across it first to get rid of all the carbon fiber splinters to avoid them in your hands. Heard a previous reviewer and followed their recommendation. After that you could easily grip this bare handed or, as I normally do, with gloves. I added a tiny handstop on the bottom row to avoid any slippage. Now it just in NFA jail waiting on my SBR tax stamp. The barrel is a 10″ which fits it perfectly. I used some aluminum black to fix the scratches I put in during installation which is somewhat unavoidable, but I just used an adjustable 3/4″ to 2″ cheap spanner wrench from Amazon, but to each their own. Anyways, the aluminum black did its job and you cant even tell it was scratched during install. This is definitely a great answer to how do I save weight on a build while maintaining strength.
Strelok –
Light and strong
by Strelok, Verified Owner from MI, United States Written on May 12, 2018 – via Optics Planet
I bought the 12″ version of this handguard, and it’s a wonder to hold. Light as a feather, but despite that it’s far more rigid than the woven “basket” design would suggest. It doesn’t bend or flex in the slightest under pressure, and so far it’s taken day-to-day abuse without issue. The integrated sling swivel stud is a nice touch–it means I don’t need to buy an M-lok backing plate or sling mount. In general, I’d say the ATLAS model is best for anyone that wishes to accessorize his rifle while also retaining a lightweight handguard. You have enough space for the “standard” complement of accessories–backup front sight, flash light, IR laser, sling swivel on the stud, and a bipod on the bottom. Alternatively, you could choose to use the sling swivel as a bipod mount instead, as there are several bipods that mount onto this kind of swivel. I’m also a fan of the barrel nut’s attachment system. After torquing on and timing the barrel nut, the handguard threads on separately, and is secured using a jam nut which screws is threaded to turn in the opposite direction of the handguard. This allows the user to precisely orient the handguard to the desired orientation, and simply tighten the jam nut to secure it–a very flexible and relatively hassle-free system.