How Many Ring Spacers On A M1S90...?

[SteyrAUG]

OK, I just got a bunch of LE trade in shotguns.

 

Some are 18" and some are 14" shotguns.

 

In the process of taking them apart and giving them a "wipe down" I notice some have as many as 4 spacer rings behind the barrel ring and some only have 1.

 

Obviously there are many loose handguards as well. Looks like the "boys in blue" didn't put them back together exactly the same way they took them apart.

 

So how many rings should be there? Isn't it 2?

[lugie]

2 indeed. Both of which should be put on after the hand guard and before the barrel itself.

[Benelligunny]

Depends on when it was made. Very early models from chantilly or sterling only used 2 (one wavy, one flat). After that point they all used 4 (flat, wavy, flat, retainer). Now if you have a sure-fire or other worn out forend light that was purchased from a used police auction, please keep in mind that most of these can be broken and depending on how worn out it is depends on how many washers they may have used to tighten it up. Personally I dont like them. They're heavy, break easily and hardly ever fit right. I'd rather use a hand held light. When the "real scenario" happens trust me, using that light will be the last thing on your mind. I've never been in a situation when it would have come in handy.

[SteyrAUG]

Depends on when it was made. Very early models from chantilly or sterling only used 2 (one wavy, one flat). After that point they all used 4 (flat, wavy, flat, retainer). Now if you have a sure-fire or other worn out forend light that was purchased from a used police auction, please keep in mind that most of these can be broken and depending on how worn out it is depends on how many washers they may have used to tighten it up. Personally I dont like them. They're heavy, break easily and hardly ever fit right. I'd rather use a hand held light. When the "real scenario" happens trust me, using that light will be the last thing on your mind. I've never been in a situation when it would have come in handy.

 

First, THANK YOU for the detailed answer concerning the rings.

 

And I agree that the SureFire lights are an often ill fitting, heavy and not to mention expensive weapon light solution.

 

That said, I could not disagree with you more about the benefit of a weapon light. I have been in "that situation" more than a few times and I can't imagine making it more nerve wracking by having to manage a hand held light at the same time. I have also been in "more than a few" incidents where a weapon light was critical to identifying friend from foe, especially in South Florida after a hurricane when you have no power and it is looter season.

 

I personally prefer a small rail setup and something along the lines of a TLR1 or Surefire 6P. For Benellis there are things like Mesa extended magazine / barrel clamps with a short rail and even 3 ways that mount to the magazine tube. I'm going to be looking into the latter for the 14" guns to keep the whole setup lightweight.

[truckcop]

I've got 4 M1 S90's, all HK imports, that still have their original forend. The 1990 and '92 versions have 2. The 1995 and '96 versions have 4. Not sure at which point they made the change. Brilliant deduction: 93 or 94? Who knows?

I think we can all agree that 1 ring is not enough. The actual number it should have can probably be determined by looking inside the front portion of the forend where the barrel ring is inserted. The ones (mine, anyway) that have two are held in place by a "bump" on either side. The ones that have 4 have a "groove" or "notch" on either side. The outer-most flat ring has a small flange on either side that stick out and ride in the groove.

 

Most of the fitting problems I've seen over the years with the Surefire Light forends is getting the wrong one for the gun. There are at least two versions that differ because the outside diameter of the magazine tube at its widest has been changed over the years, causing the fit problems. Not sure if those changes correspond to the changes in the number of forend rings. It's all very confusing and drives me crazy sometimes.

 

FWIW, I can say without reservation that handheld lights and long guns are a lousy combination. Weapon mounted lights are the way to go for a defensive use long gun, hands down. (no pun intended) (ok, maybe just a little)

[SteyrAUG]

I've got 4 M1 S90's, all HK imports, that still have their original forend. The 1990 and '92 versions have 2. The 1995 and '96 versions have 4. Not sure at which point they made the change. Brilliant deduction: 93 or 94? Who knows?

I think we can all agree that 1 ring is not enough. The actual number it should have can probably be determined by looking inside the front portion of the forend where the barrel ring is inserted. The ones (mine, anyway) that have two are held in place by a "bump" on either side. The ones that have 4 have a "groove" or "notch" on either side. The outer-most flat ring has a small flange on either side that stick out and ride in the groove.

 

Most of the fitting problems I've seen over the years with the Surefire Light forends is getting the wrong one for the gun. There are at least two versions that differ because the outside diameter of the magazine tube at its widest has been changed over the years, causing the fit problems. Not sure if those changes correspond to the changes in the number of forend rings. It's all very confusing and drives me crazy sometimes.

 

FWIW, I can say without reservation that handheld lights and long guns are a lousy combination. Weapon mounted lights are the way to go for a defensive use long gun, hands down. (no pun intended) (ok, maybe just a little)

 

Thanks for the additional info, very helpful.