All USGI guards are suppose to be the same, but some will fit a carbine different than others.

You can slightly deform the lip on the rear of the band a bit to grab the guard nose.

There could be several things amiss….just have to find out. The guard itself might be too short. Is the guard marked?

Barrel band is type 1A. 

My band spring has good tension. 

Rear of handguard can go all the way under to the receiver slit, but I feel as if I can see some of the “nose” of the handguard where it slides over the band. It does “snap” when I slide it on however. 

If you had a friend with lots of stuff, you could try other guards for fitment. Commercial guards generally run a little longer. I have an unmarked (presumed commercial) 4-rivet on one of mine that really fits good and matches my stock.

What you can do with it depends on if it’s just for looking at (collector) or a shooter. You can take more liberties with a shooter.

You have one thing going for you, an Inland hand guard is about the most common one, so you can replace it fairly easily. You know I would have to actually see whats going on with it before I shoot my mouth off about what you need to do.😁 

Remove the band spring and slide the band back against the nose of the guard and see if it tightens-up. If that helps, the hand guard is likely too short or the band spring is slightly out of position (the mounting hole).

About the only good remedy for that is a longer hand guard or bending the lip (ledge on the rear of the band) over/in a little to contact the hand guard. I absolutely do not tolerate a lose guard and I don’t prefer shims, plastic wood or glue on a gun. I have read where some shortened, reshaped and fashioned the band spring nose to allow the band to slide back farther against the guard and properly engage the band notch. As I look at the picture of yours, I think slightly bending the ledge on the back of the band might just tighten you up. You could put a piece of leather, cloth or rubber over the guard recess and see if it tightens up…..if it does, a little bending might just solve your problem.

There in lies your problem. The fitment in that area is usually not that sloppy on GI carbines. Typically sloppy on a commercial.

I would measure the length of that guard from the rear to the front of the nose and shop for one longer. Nothing wrong with asking a seller to measure it. The usual GI guard is close to 8-1/8th. I have found some commercial guards to be 8-1/4.

I have a spare I think….I will measure it.

Measure yours like this. This is an unmarked one I have lying around.

Shoot the carbine. If that don’t free it you will have to pull it. Shooting will usually do it.

The thing is, you are not going to be able to just purchase another guard and guarantee it might be a little longer. You really need access to several you can try. When you have more than one carbine, you can often switch guards around. The one that don’t fit that one might work on another one and vice-versa.

People have recommended:

Build up the nose-lip with a wood filler.

Add a fabric, rubber or leather shim at

   the front of the nose.

Customize the band spring nose by welding

   material and reshaping the heel.

Plug the band leg hole and move it rearward.

OR….get a longer guard. My experience with band springs is they are all the same.

Welcome to the good, the bad and the ugly.😁

The reason they updated the T1 band to the T2 at first and then T3 for the bayo lug, was to improve the strength of that connection point. The T1 band was/is prone to movement.

The good is that the T1 was the original band and is highly desired. If you have the original T1 band that came on the carbine….that’s the good. The bad is it’s inferior in terms of securing that connection. I don’t think you can tighten it enough to improve things without bending it or binding the swivel. If the band was properly engaging the spring, different matter, but yours isn't. For that matter, if the T2 or T3 does not lock into position on the spring heel, they won’t stay put either, but they will tighten-up more securely.

I’d put my T3 on it and see if it mates with that guard and shoot the thing. That T1 band can be worth north of $125.00…..put it in the safe!

I stand corrected, but it was just my personal experience. I have sought different springs, but never came up with one shorter or longer enough that made a difference. You don’t find them listed in any particular size….just band springs. 

There’s your comparison. The band on the left butts right up against the heel (flat) on the back of the spring. The one on the right clearly shows the gap between the band and the heel.

Band noses can have a couple different configurations. Switch band springs and see if fitment improves. They tap out from the small hole on the left side of the stock.

As long as the guard stays on…no. Maybe you are thinking about shimming that area? It’s possible.

Yes, like the one on the left. If you are trying to shim something, it has to make the guard shift forward the distance of the gap. Just place something like a pipe cleaner, rubber band or string across the top of the rear tab so it will prevent the guard from going all way home. As long as enough of the tab is under the lip, it should stay. Refrain from prying or mistreating that lip, they can be damaged.

YES ME EITHER. I’m anal about my stuff. I want it done right. But I really do not want to change out my barrel band. I have 0 problems with accuracy with it, and it looks awesome. I NEED a longer handguard. If you have one long I’ll pay you more than what it is worth. It’s like an addiction, once it’s in my mind I can’t get over it. 

I have a handguard that came with some stocks I got from JLG, it is longer than any handguard I have ever seen, maybe foreign wood. Very long lip up-front, it may work for you, may even need sanded down a bit to fit. You can have it if you want to try it.

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