Samson MFG has been manufacturing sights, rails and accessories for the AR15 family of weapons for years, but the Samson Evolution rail series seems to stand out from its siblings. Starting with the rail itself, the Evo 9-EX is a 9.2 ounce tube style rail made of 6010 Aluminum which extends past the front sight base (FSB) of a midlength gas system and secures itself via anti-rotation tabs and thermal bushings which lock on the stock barrel nut. Installation of the rail is easy, and the video shown below walks you through the entire process. The other option is to use it on a carbine gas system barrel like we did above, and drop on a folding front sight block to fill the space. The cut out rail section also allows for piston systems to be used, such as the Adams Arms piston kits.
With a MSRP of $185, this one piece free float tubular rail is priced in the middle of the pack while keeping its quality high. If you are looking for a tubular rail, check these out, or at least check out all the pictures and the install video by clicking the below picture and jumping to the rest of the article.
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The Samson Evolution rails come with 1913 rail pieces which allow the shooter to drop rail section on where ever you feel they are needed. Keeping the 1913 rails off lends to a lighter rail, and the rounded styling fits better in the hand and feels more comfortable than a traditional quad rail to most people who have used both.
Durability doesn't appear to be an issue with this rail series as we've been using one for roughly 9 months on another build. We have found the rail to remain tight, with the barrel being centered inside the rail. The screws have not come loose, though on our other build we have not been using accessory rails. We also have used a thread locker for the primary bolts which attach around the barrel nut. I've used plenty of other tubular rails, and found some to be too thin, with others being on the fat side. The Samson Evolution series hits that middle ground and feels "just right". The only complaint I've heard of is people not reading the directions and popping the thermal bushings on upside down, and it's hard to fault the rail for that.
In regards to aesthetics, to my eye this is a great looking rail. The gentle angles make it look a little different than the normal tube rails. While looks are obviously subjective, I think Samson did their homework on this creation. As with any bare rail, this will get hot after enough rounds go down the pipe, but with its wide surface area and plenty of cooling slots, it cools down pretty quick. I'm not sure how much of a difference the thermal bushings actually make in pulling heat away, but in theory they should help.
Manufacturers info:
The Samson Evolution Series is the next step forward in free floating hand guards. Light weight and durable these offer the perfect upgrade for 3 gun shooters, LE/Military or weekend enthusiasts alike. The 1.8" facetted O.D .offers a comfortable shooting platform while not being to large for most shooters. Accessory rails can be added or removed easily to adapt the hand guard to your needs (units can also be mounted at 45 degree offsets).
Patent Pending
- Length:
- Weight with Bushing: 9.2 oz
- 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
- Supplied with 2x 2" rail kits and 1x 4" rail kit
- Tube Matl 6010 T6, Bushing Matl. 303 Stainless
- Mil-spec Hard coat Anodized
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwIBJQo4qeA[/youtube]
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