Mr Folgers
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2010
- Messages
- 1,023
Some of you may remember the handguards thread of last year. In it I was looking to see all the types of handguards people had in their collections. I thought I had the most -- but Jetskrtal quickly put me back in my place.
But no longer!
Some fellow out in Texas decided to put up for sale a huge lot of 104 beaten Galil handguards. They all looked like trash from the single picture he included, but I knew there was a diamond in the rough!
Now please, hold on! It may seem like I have an addiction, but it's common nowadays! I can stop whenever I want!
In all seriousness, this isn't a 'bragging thread' (what you read above is my horrible sense of humor), and that all this is put together for my own research and for your own curiosity. What I am actually looking for is specimens out of the ordinary. What I will do with all of these, I have no idea. They take up a lot of space and probably harbor some disease equivalent to the Plague.
Anyhow, onto the point of this thread.
Here's a few things I found:
A few days after getting the 50lb box of rotten wood and rusted steel rivets, I sorted out and cleaned the pick of the litter. Out of 104, I'd say about 10 of them were Original IMI ARM handguards. This didn't surprise me too much; I expected one or two since Guatemala (according to the old parts kits from there) did receive Israeli ARMs in their initial batches. Don't let the pictures confuse you! The condition of these is nothing to write home about. Rule of thumb when dealing with any rifle forearm is that the Left side is always going to be in worse shape than the Right.
Also in the lot were Original IMI Wood AR handguards. At the time of the Galil's introduction, all the rifles used Wood furniture since plastic/polymer was still new at the time. At what point IMI switched to Poly on the AR series is uncertain, but it is known to have occurred early in production. Notice that the Rivets on these have a teal patina indicating they contain some copper. IMI rivets of this era seem to have serrated faces that are covered flat with black paint.
Here is a picture of a Damage IMI handguard with the same rivets and Patina. I like to call this one "Anatomy of the Wood" because the Right Panel cracked and fell off in the perfect spot to show the thickness of the panels and how the Rivets are installed. This piece also revealed to me a part of the manufacturing process: Clearly visible on the flat bottoms where the panels meet are marks from a Planing machine. This likely indicates the the inside of each Panel is run through a Planer, face up, either before or after the insides are milled out.
Next is a discovery I made whilst digging through the pile of wood: Guatemalan ARM handguards. I was not aware that these even existed! I must say I am quite fascinated with the local Guat handguards. Before Mujahideen (Muja) explained the background of these handguards being made by slave labor, I was not sure at all to their origins or purpose. Whilst the idea of enslaved natives making these handguards would explain the haphazard construction and quality, I am still perplexed as to the reasoning for local production instead of purchasing IMI Teak on the ordered rifles.
These ARM handguards are made fairly well; the craftsmanship is certainly higher than on the AR counterparts. Some small details I noticed was that the undersides cut for the bipod are a bit too deep, the Rivets are of a stronger type more resistant to corrosion, and the inside panels are the same thickness through (unlike IMI, which has thicker portions that eventually slim down towards the middle and front).
A big surprise within was that 3 of the handguards in the lot were not wood! One was a no-frills IMI Poly, but the other two were a bit different: two large finger grooves were cut into the panel faces in lieu of the original protruding grooves. What appears to have occurred is this: when the Plastic handguards finally wore down to where they had no grip, someone would take a drill press or dremel and re-cut grooves to extend the service life. On one of the handguards, this is done on both sides and painted over with some durable, rubberized paint. On the other (not pictured), the grooves were only cut on one side while the other side was left smooth. Why this was done, other than for comfortability, I do not know. What I can say is that whoever did the cuts did a pretty good job. They were drilled straight across and to the same length. Definitely a keeper.
The last item I will report today is some Solid crafted handguards I found in the box. These were made out of one large block of wood, rather than two individual panels. They are much thicker on the inside, but still friggin' ugly on the outside. Making these with basic tools was probably not easy, especially when you are malnourished and have no freedom.
I have one very special ARM handguard en route from Israel that I think some of you may find very interesting!
Until then, comrades!
But no longer!
Some fellow out in Texas decided to put up for sale a huge lot of 104 beaten Galil handguards. They all looked like trash from the single picture he included, but I knew there was a diamond in the rough!
Now please, hold on! It may seem like I have an addiction, but it's common nowadays! I can stop whenever I want!
In all seriousness, this isn't a 'bragging thread' (what you read above is my horrible sense of humor), and that all this is put together for my own research and for your own curiosity. What I am actually looking for is specimens out of the ordinary. What I will do with all of these, I have no idea. They take up a lot of space and probably harbor some disease equivalent to the Plague.
Anyhow, onto the point of this thread.
Here's a few things I found:
A few days after getting the 50lb box of rotten wood and rusted steel rivets, I sorted out and cleaned the pick of the litter. Out of 104, I'd say about 10 of them were Original IMI ARM handguards. This didn't surprise me too much; I expected one or two since Guatemala (according to the old parts kits from there) did receive Israeli ARMs in their initial batches. Don't let the pictures confuse you! The condition of these is nothing to write home about. Rule of thumb when dealing with any rifle forearm is that the Left side is always going to be in worse shape than the Right.
Also in the lot were Original IMI Wood AR handguards. At the time of the Galil's introduction, all the rifles used Wood furniture since plastic/polymer was still new at the time. At what point IMI switched to Poly on the AR series is uncertain, but it is known to have occurred early in production. Notice that the Rivets on these have a teal patina indicating they contain some copper. IMI rivets of this era seem to have serrated faces that are covered flat with black paint.
Here is a picture of a Damage IMI handguard with the same rivets and Patina. I like to call this one "Anatomy of the Wood" because the Right Panel cracked and fell off in the perfect spot to show the thickness of the panels and how the Rivets are installed. This piece also revealed to me a part of the manufacturing process: Clearly visible on the flat bottoms where the panels meet are marks from a Planing machine. This likely indicates the the inside of each Panel is run through a Planer, face up, either before or after the insides are milled out.
Next is a discovery I made whilst digging through the pile of wood: Guatemalan ARM handguards. I was not aware that these even existed! I must say I am quite fascinated with the local Guat handguards. Before Mujahideen (Muja) explained the background of these handguards being made by slave labor, I was not sure at all to their origins or purpose. Whilst the idea of enslaved natives making these handguards would explain the haphazard construction and quality, I am still perplexed as to the reasoning for local production instead of purchasing IMI Teak on the ordered rifles.
These ARM handguards are made fairly well; the craftsmanship is certainly higher than on the AR counterparts. Some small details I noticed was that the undersides cut for the bipod are a bit too deep, the Rivets are of a stronger type more resistant to corrosion, and the inside panels are the same thickness through (unlike IMI, which has thicker portions that eventually slim down towards the middle and front).
A big surprise within was that 3 of the handguards in the lot were not wood! One was a no-frills IMI Poly, but the other two were a bit different: two large finger grooves were cut into the panel faces in lieu of the original protruding grooves. What appears to have occurred is this: when the Plastic handguards finally wore down to where they had no grip, someone would take a drill press or dremel and re-cut grooves to extend the service life. On one of the handguards, this is done on both sides and painted over with some durable, rubberized paint. On the other (not pictured), the grooves were only cut on one side while the other side was left smooth. Why this was done, other than for comfortability, I do not know. What I can say is that whoever did the cuts did a pretty good job. They were drilled straight across and to the same length. Definitely a keeper.
The last item I will report today is some Solid crafted handguards I found in the box. These were made out of one large block of wood, rather than two individual panels. They are much thicker on the inside, but still friggin' ugly on the outside. Making these with basic tools was probably not easy, especially when you are malnourished and have no freedom.
I have one very special ARM handguard en route from Israel that I think some of you may find very interesting!
Until then, comrades!
