An assembly for mounting a handguard to a firearm prevents longitudinal, axial, or radial misalignment relative to the axis of the firearm barrel by utilizing a biasing element disposed intermediate the barrel nut and the interior diameter of the handguard, a clamping element positioned opposite the biasing element about the perimeter of the barrel nut and having a first wedged surface, and a threaded wedge configured to co-act with the first wedged surface of the clamping element to directionally force the clamping element against the barrel nut in a manner that prevents canting of the handguard.