Just a handguard, it doesn't really serve any mechanical purpose, just covers the barrel & gas tube. I'm not sure why they went with this design as opposed to a more typical M16 handguard (as was actually the case in earlier attempts to make an M16-based LMG)
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On the Colt IAR, which is a further evolution of this concept, there's also a big chunky handguard, but there it actually goes over a heat-sink around to barrel (you can see a bit of it poking out after the end of the handguard in this picture)
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The LMG doesn't have anything like that, so yeah, I don't know why they went with that design.
Nope - the Colt LMG has neither water cooling nor a quick-change barrel mechanism. There was an earlier prototype which featured the barrel change part, but that didn't make it to the final iteration
whats the boxy bit in front of the receiver do? idk what a gun is
Just a handguard, it doesn't really serve any mechanical purpose, just covers the barrel & gas tube. I'm not sure why they went with this design as opposed to a more typical M16 handguard (as was actually the case in earlier attempts to make an M16-based LMG)
On the Colt IAR, which is a further evolution of this concept, there's also a big chunky handguard, but there it actually goes over a heat-sink around to barrel (you can see a bit of it poking out after the end of the handguard in this picture)
The LMG doesn't have anything like that, so yeah, I don't know why they went with that design.
Is it potentially filled with water or coolant? Or maybe it's easier to swap barrels quickly with a larger guard.
Nope - the Colt LMG has neither water cooling nor a quick-change barrel mechanism. There was an earlier prototype which featured the barrel change part, but that didn't make it to the final iteration
I was wondering why no quick-change barrel. Looking at it, that flimsy gas tube just hanging out there seems like a potential problem.