A free-floating barrel has no attachment points to the firearm other than being directly threaded into the receiver. A rifle with a free-floating barrel is inherently more accurate because, in this configuration, the shooter cannot put any force on the barrel that might influence the impact down-range. This is typically an upgrade option for modern AR-style rifles. The free-floating barrels are covered by a handguard or forend. When the shooter grips the rifle, uses a bipod, places it on a shooting position, or uses a piece of cover as a brace, there is no external pressure on the barrel that could influence its alignment (point-of-impact vs point-of-aim) when the rifle is fired.