There is always plenty of items in our lives where we just “know” what the results of a given action and reaction might be without having to have seen the formal experiment. For example, I know that if one drops an AR on its buttstock from high up, the buffer tube will snap. But, I don’t know exactly what that height is, so it leaves the door wide open for an enterprising YouTuber to test the theory to my entertainment.

And so entertain MrGunsNGear has, just with a slightly different experiment. In his case, it’s testing when a head shielded polymer handguard will succumb to the heat put off by barrel during rapid fire strings. Having been in the Corps shooting M16’s a fair amount, the standard furniture can typically take quite a beating. The heat shields really do a number keeping the hands from burning and plastic from melting. But, what happens when those shields are down?

The “test” parameters are basically a Smith & Wesson M&P AR with its standard handguards – that omit the shield and a D60. Shooting is to be at a respectable pace in a cool environment. Let sit to have the heat sink through the barrel and open them up to see results.

Even without the heat shields, the handguards perform rather well. For the full details, hit the video below: