There are several custom made M4 handguards for paintball on the market. I listed two of the more popular types below. In most cases the company simply purchases a large number of M4 or AR15 handguards which they sell along with their own custom mounting device. These custom handguards cost $70 or more but the actual handguard can be purchased for around $10! Mounting a handguard can be easy and inexpensive. Creating your own mount also eliminates any confusion over whether the factory made handguard will fit your barrel.

Preparation

You will need to purchase the following items:

You will also need some epoxy, a dremel with a sanding wheel, protective eye glasses, wax paper, rubber bands, flat black paint, and electrical tape. Make sure you get the shorty M4 handguards instead of the long M16 guards. The shorty handguards work well with 10-14in barrels. The long guards will require at least a 16in barrel.

Putting It All Together

Once you have all of your parts start by sizing up the individual pieces. Remove and discard the metal heat shield from inside the guard halves. Work the PVC fittings around until you find a semi-solid location for both. You may want to decide whether you want to add a weaver rail before putting everything together.

Start by sanding the PVC fitting down as needed until the guard halves can close around both fittings. I recommend using a dremel with a sanding wheel.

You may notice that the delta ring and front cap don’t fit perfectly onto the handguard. Sand down the tabs on the front and back of the guard halves to accommodate the delta ring and front cap. Don’t completely remove the tabs!

The next step is to widen the front cap for the larger paintball barrel diameter. I highly recommend using a dremel and sanding wheel. Use the threaded end of your barrel to stencil the diameter of the barrel on the front cap with a pencil. Make sure to use newspaper to catch the metal shavings and eye protection if you value your sight. Sand the existing hole in a circular motion until the barrel can fit through the enlarge hole.

The remaining steps are fairly simple. Choose a guard half to use on the bottom. You may wish to add a weaver rail to this half before gluing everything together…I waited until afterwards. Coat the inside of the guard with epoxy wherever the PVC fittings come in contact with the guard. Place the PVC fittings in the desired position and use a barrel or broom stick to keep them lined up.

After the epoxy has had a chance to settle for about 30 minutes drip epoxy into any exposed cracks using a toothpick. Try not to get any epoxy on the exterior. Keep in mind that any excess epoxy will drip out the lower exhaust ports onto the wax paper. Let dry.

Once the fittings are glued to the lower halve, remove the wax paper and any excess epoxy (may require sanding). Make sure the upper have still fits properly or sand down the PVD fittings until it fits. Use epoxy to attach the top guard and wrap the handguard in rubber bands. Wipe up any excess epoxy with a damp cloth. Let dry.

Next, attach the font cap and delta ring with epoxy. Once the epoxy hs dried, try out the handguard on your barrel and make any last minute adjustments like increasing the front cap hole size. Paint over any exposed epoxy and any expose PVC with flat black paint. Use a q-tip or small brush to paint the PVC through the exhaust ports.

Mounting the handguard on your barrel is fairly simple. Wrap the barrel with electrical tape in two sections, one for each fitting. Twist the handguard onto the barrel while attached to the marker; adjust the amount of electrical tape as needed. If the right amount of tape is used you should be able to remove the barrel without displacing the guard.

One final note, as I mentioned earlier you can add a 6 inch weaver rail to the top or bottom of the handguard. I use a weaver rail to mount a tactical flashlight for night games. The rail could also be used to mount a bipod, forward sight, laser, etc. My rail is secured with screws drilled through the guard and into the PVC fittings. You can find a wide range of weaver rails with several different mounting methods for anywhere from $5 -$50. Try searching for sight rails on eBay if you’re on a tight budget.