Patent ID: 8528246

Claim:
A forward hand guard assembly for a firearm having a receiver and a barrel extending along a firing axis, said assembly comprising an upper hand guard portion, a lower grip portion, and a clamp for securing a rear end of the upper hand guard and the grip to a barrel nut of the firearm so that a portion of the upper hand guard and the grip surround the barrel without contacting it, wherein the lower grip portion has a gripping surface comprising a substantially flat bottom surface, and structure for being gripped by the fingers, said structure lying entirely below the firing axis, wherein said gripping structure comprises a pair of substantially quarter-round convex surfaces having a first radius, said convex surface being tangent to the flat bottom surface, one on either side thereof, and a pair of substantially quarter-round concave surfaces having a second radius, said concave surfaces lying above said convex surfaces and meeting said convex surfaces at an angle thereby defining a gripping edge for the thumb and fingers of a shooter.