Patent ID: 8191300

Claim:
A handguard assembly for a firearm, comprising: a stationary handguard portion; a movable handguard portion that can be moved from a closed position to an opened position; a catch positioned on an interior of the handguard assembly, the catch maintaining the movable handguard portion in the closed position; and a latch mechanism positioned on an exterior of the handguard assembly, the latch mechanism further maintaining the movable handguard portion in the closed position, the latch mechanism comprising: a channel formed on one of the handguard portions; a latch attached to another of the handguard portions, the latch movable between locked and unlocked configurations, the latch comprising a detent configured to engage the channel when the latch is in the locked configuration and to disengage the channel when the latch is in the unlocked configuration; a pivot pin that permits rotating the latch between the locked and unlocked configurations; a spring that is biased to normally maintain the latch to the locked configuration; the latch comprises a plurality of teeth on an opposite end from the detent; and the spring is positioned behind the latch adjacent to the teeth.