M16/SR-16 Re-Wiring
 

Can I re-wire a common M16/SR-16 to have a handguard mounted battery instead of having it in the rear stock? If so, how easy is it to do?

Sorry for the newb questions, but I've never owned any AR-15 type of AEG before and have no idea how the internals are, other than that they have version 2 gearboxes.

It is a lot more pain than it's worth. Normally guys stay away from handguard batteries. Have you considered getting a crane stock? A collapsable stock that fits the battery?

Yeah, I thought about it. But I'm really liking how the Magpul PRS Stock looks, especially on a long barreled RIS M16.

To answer his question...

Its not that hard, just a matter of tearing the gun down, opening the mech and switching the wires from rear to front. Might need additional lengths of wire for it, so have a solder gun and heatshrink tubing handy.

That doesn't seem that hard, I'm already pretty good with a soldering iron.

But I'm guessing that I will probably need a handguard that can hold a battery then, right?

Yes you will. It's not too much work, and if you enjoy working on your gun, fun too! :P

Yeah, I love working on my TM SIG 552. But I've been feeling the need to get a full size AR-15 type of AEG for a new project.

You could also go with a Lipo in the stock tube...

That's not a bad idea. If I'm going to get a Magpul PRS stock I'm going to also need the Magpul PTS Rifle Stock Adapter for AEG's. By the looks of the adapter, I can probably fit a Li-Po stick battery in there. Thanks for the suggestion, you probably just saved me some money for not needing to get a handguard that holds a battery. Thanks man! :)