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Midwest Industries #19 Rifle Length Handguard (Gen II)

By: Stickman

19-08-2011

Photo Recon, Product Announcement, Product Preview

We’ve checked out the Gen II drop in hand guards from Midwest Industries already in both the carbine, and midlength models. Recently, Midwest Industries upgraded their rifle length handguards (MI #19) as well to round out the entire lineup. These rails are what I consider to be the best “bang for your buck” in the non-free floating rail market. I base this on a few different factors including a street price of $160, a solid fit, simple drop in installation, and its multiple anti-rotation QD sockets. These 12″ rails will replace any rifle length hand guard, including the 16″ barreled one shown below, though its much more typical to find this style sitting on a full AR15/ M16 rifle.

Click the below image for more pictures and information.

Samson Evolution Series Rainier Arms 12.0 Rail

By: Stickman

06-08-2011

Photo Recon, Photo Recon, Product Announcement, Product Preview

Rainier Arms has teamed with Samson Mfg to create a lighter weight “Evolution Series” rail. The tubular style of rail has become increasingly popular as civilian and LE shooters have decided the extra weight of a full quad rail isn’t always needed, especially when you can just drop in rail sections where you want and still have the functionality of a quad rail. With a given weight of 11 ounces including the heatsink that installs over the barrel nut, this is one of the lighter rails we’ve seen. The top of the rail system is a full-length 1913 spec rail, and Rainier Arms includes two different drop-in rail sections, which let you throw on a light and VFG if you choose. Additional rail sections are available.

Installation of the rail is simple, but you need to remember that the heatsink pieces need to be installed as shown in the pictures below. Chop off the Delta ring cap, and remove the spring, then push the heatsink pieces into place. Note the half-circle portion goes on the bottom, and the full circle goes on the top next to the gas tube. If you try it the wrong way, you are only going to get frustrated as the tube won’t slide over them. After you slide the rail in place, tighten the two screws, and you are done.

At $175, this full-length rail is worth checking out, especially if you are looking to slim down your blaster. Click the picture to check out the product specs and a video.

Below are the product specs from the manufacturer:

Description:

The Samson Evolution Series is the next step forward in free floating hand guards. Light weight and durable, these hand guards offer the perfect upgrade for 3 gun shooters, LE/Military and weekend enthusiasts alike. The 1.8” facetted O.D. offers a comfortable shooting platform for most shooters. Accessory rails can be added or removed easily to adapt the hand guard to your specific needs (units can also be mounted at 45 degree offsets). This version of the Evolution Rail is a Rainier Arms exclusive.

Features:

The thermal bushing locks onto the stock barrel nut
No special tools required for installation
The inside diameter is large enough to fit most suppressors (1.56”)
Continuous mil spec top rail
Duel anti rotation tabs
Relieved for most gas piston systems
Thermal Bushings helps reduce heat transfer to hand guard
Tube Matl 6010 T6, Bushing Matl. 303 Stainless
Mil-spec Hard coat Anodized
Weight: 11.0oz w/Heatsink
Length: 12.37″
Rails Included: QD Swivel Socket, 2 Inch Rail, 4 Inch Rail
Standard AR-15 barrel nut required; not included.

http://www.rainierarms.com/?page=shop/detail&product_id=2563

Centurion Arms Carbine Length Cutout Rail

By: Stickman

24-06-2011

Photo Recon, Product Preview

A few weeks ago Centurion Arms dropped their new Midlength Cut Out Rails onto the rail scene, and they have now followed up on it with their carbine version. As you may remember, Centurion Arms C4 rails were chosen as one of our favorite new items from SHOT. The newest rail is the Carbine Length Cutout Rail and is designed for barrels that use a fixed Front Sight Base (FSB) and a carbine length gas system. The carbine length gas system is what is found on the issued M4. This new rail extends past the FSB and allows for additional mounting space on the side and lower rails. This is a benefit to guys who are using lights, as the farther out the light gets, the less shadowing we see off the barrel.

Installation of this two-piece, free-floating rail remains the same as it does with the other Centurion Arms C4 rails and is as straightforward as removing the delta ring to expose the barrel nut then removing or cutting off the hand-guard cap. All Centurion Arms rails are 6061 T6 aluminum, type III hard coat anodized, 1913 spec with grade 8 fasteners. Centurion Arms is owned and operated by an active duty Navy Seal (no we aren’t breaking OPSEC), and the rails were designed and machined here in the USA.

https://centurionarms.com/

For additional information on the Centurion Arms C4 rails, you can take a look at the previous articles on Gear Scout.

http://militarytimes.com/blogs/gearscout/2010/10/03/centurion-arms-c4-rail/

http://militarytimes.com/blogs/gearscout/2011/01/19/centurion-arms-c4-rail-2/

The mother of all rail articles

By: Stickman

01-06-2011

Product Announcement, Technology, Training

I recently received a question, and it’s one I get multiple times a week. The question was specifically about the pros and cons of rail systems. Instead of giving a short reply, I figured I would write up something a bit more encompassing to link back to. If you are looking for a rail, this might not answer all of your questions, but it should be a good start.

I’m going to make these suggestions based off my own experiences in the military, as a current city cop who deploys the rifle at least a few times a week, and as an instructor in a large department who gets a chance to deal with a lot of interesting variables in both training and operational aspects. These are my personal observations, they are what I relay to my friends and guys I deal without outside of just department training. These are the same suggestions I make to my military friends who come back from deployments and are looking to build their own AR15 to have at home, and for training outside that of what they get with the military.

Click the below picture to jump ahead for all the info wanted to know about rails, and maybe some things you haven’t thought about before.

Midwest Industries MI-17 Gen 2

By: Stickman

07-03-2011

Photo Recon, Photo Recon, Product Announcement, Review

During SHOT Show 2011, we spoke with Troy Storch of Midwest Industries and got a look at their new AR15 carbine rail. The second generation MI-17 is CNC machined from 6061 aircraft grade lightweight aluminum, and hard coat anodized. The “T” markings are laser engraved for those people who are compulsive and need to know the proper place for everything. More importantly, these are as simple to install as a set of plastic M4 handguards. I tried a variety of devices to the rails, and there were no tight spots or items that would not fit. This model is the second generation, and is designed to fit piston models to include Stag Arms, CMMG, Adams Arms, Ares, Smith & Wesson, and LWRC model piston AR15s. Front and rear QD sling mount sockets are standard on each side, and the sockets are anti-rotation. While this is not a free floating rail, its lockup is nice and tight, and its weight of 7.5 ounces qualifies it for a super light weight rail system. To get a “better” rail, you are going to pay a lot more for something you may or may not need.

A quick check of some of the larger players in the AR15 accessory market showed the MI-17 rail to be priced around $125. The MI-17 rail ends up being a reasonably priced, high quality component that I have no problems recommending to fellow cops for a duty weapon, or for friends who are looking to drop a rail onto their AR15 carbines.

Knights Armament’s new URX-3 Rail breaks cover at Modern Day Marine

By: Rob Curtis

28-09-2010

Product Announcement

If it looks like someone took a quad rail to a shop grinder to remove unused railage, you can be forgiven because that’s how the URX-3 took shape. An operator with an M110 decided to slim down the rail URX-2 on his rifle and in doing so shaved a bit of weight and improved the feel of the weapon’s handguard.

KAC’s Kevin Boland was on hand at the show and explained, “once guys have their light, PEQ and bipod in place, there’s not much need for any of the other Picatinny rail surfaces. So, why bother with the extra weight and rail covers if you don’t ever use the rail space?” Exactly.

We also spied an update of the integrated front sight on the rail system. The sight post has been redesigned from the spinning tubular sight post to a thicker, rectangular post (like a national match post) that doesn’t spin. There’s an option for a tritium insert in the new design, too. Just don’t go sending in your sights for an upgrade as KAC hasn’t figured out if and how an upgrade program will be implemented.

Ops-Core 2010 Helmet Rail

By: Rob Curtis

06-10-2009

Product Announcement

Ops-Core introduced an update to their helmet-mounted rail, so far dubbing it the 2010 Ops-Core Rail. They are aiming to keep the price the same as their older model, around $85, but adding a few more features.

The new rail, shown as a prototype above, has a retractable bungie, Oxygen mask attachment points, chem-bio attachment points, mandible attachment anchors and an auxiliary rear rail for other items like goggles and comm gear.

Operator’s Choice #4: Extended Rail

By: Rob Curtis

25-07-2009

Cordon & Review

The 1913 Picatinny rail is the defacto mounting system since devices can be quickly and solidly attached or removed using cam levers or thumbscrews. Items are indexed using set spacing on the rail, and most items will retain a zero after remounting. Early handguards were short and rail-less, meaning you needed expensive custom mounts for front-mounted accessories. Later came a short bolt on rails that gave a common mounting system and more real estate, but the rails were clamped around the barrel and that affected accuracy.

Recent rail systems are longer and free floating, meaning they attach to the barrel nut instead of the barrel. This single point of contact means no matter how many gizmos you mount on your heater, the weight won’t cause any barrel deflection or point-of-impact shift when shooting with a supported handguard. New alloys mean the guards can extend the usable area of a handguard considerably without effecting weight, stability or heat transfer performance.

What they said: “A free-floating handguard improves accuracy by isolating the barrel from external pressure. It provides a solid mounting platform for other accessories, keeps the front end light and feels more like a rifle than a giant Lego brick.”

Operator Favorite: JP/VTAC Modular Handguard ($175)
Ditch the cheesegrater and use all that space on your extended handguard to actually hold your carbine instead of a foregrip. The tubular handguard with user-mounted rail sections mean you mount small sections of rail where you want your devices and leave the rest light and clean.

Also mentioned:
Daniel Defense RIS II ($400)- One of the few free-float rail systems that offers a removable bottom rail that allows the mounting of an M203.
LaRue Tactical ($250-$300)- LaRue is a traditional-style handguard with a pin-indexed barrel nut and rails that hug the barrel for a lower profile.

Midwest Industries #19 Rifle Length Handguard (Gen II)

Samson Evolution Series Rainier Arms 12.0 Rail

Centurion Arms Carbine Length Cutout Rail

The mother of all rail articles

Midwest Industries MI-17 Gen 2

Knights Armament’s new URX-3 Rail breaks cover at Modern Day Marine

Ops-Core 2010 Helmet Rail

Operator’s Choice #4: Extended Rail

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