Hello fellow forum goers. I am new to these forums but I thought I would share some details on a modification that I recently performed on my Stag Model 8 Piston gun. The Troy VTAC Alpha Rail has always been a favorite of mine for it's slim and smooth design. The obvious drawback of it's petite proportions is that it will not work on my piston gun though, I am not sure about other models on the market. I took it upon myself to see if I could modify the rail to clear both the piston tube and vent ports without compromising structural integrity. The result has cycled and functioned flawlessly so far but I will admit, I won't be getting any commendations for my methods, I worked with what I had on hand at the time.

After removing materiel required for Piston tube clearance.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/13570689815_ac5a180b0d.jpg

Makeshift tool for clearance cutting and some helpful hands.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3788/13570705505_4eea135aa3.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7113/13570706185_5783e6c0e7.jpg

Video of Piston tube fitment.
Test fitting the Gasblock/Piston Tube

Drilling holes for the gas Piston vent ports. They were a little close to the rail but I will never mount anything this far up.
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3781/13571085614_0376ca38f5.jpg
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/13571084654_09f7164142.jpg
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3669/13571084014_6cbf3ab838.jpg

Mounting the rail.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7255/13570715305_6732051625.jpg

The finished product.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7420/13571026515_89bdfe25ec.jpg

I hope this helps anyone looking for a slim rail on their Piston gun.

Cheers

Looks GREAT! Nice job!

+1 for a successful DIY project!

Nicely done I have the model 8 and its excellent

Thank you for the warm welcome guys!

My next task is to attach a sling via a QD mount. The problem is, all of the ones that I have seen for the VTAC rail specifically are massive. In keeping with the slim profile, I want to try and modify the rail for a low profile QD mount forward of the left side vent hole.
If anyone knows of an easier way to get the desired effect, please let me know. I have seen the various low profile rail mounted QD points and they just don't fit my fancy.

Here is what I was thinking of using for the fab route:
http://www.impactweaponscomponents.com/product/qd-micro-mount/

This is the Troy factory option:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/treeborne/For%20Sale/P8030004_zpsb80d33b6.jpg

I have decided on this location as it gets in the way of my hand elsewhere.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2859/13593233515_ba366de70b.jpg

I was able to get some more work done this weekend on the hand guard. The decision to try and fab up a QD mount turned out nicely.
Here are a few pictures of the install.

Components used:

• 1/2" rota-broach precision cutter


• Impact Weapon Components Micro Flush QD Sling Mount

Here is the before with the 1/2" rota-broach used to cut the hole. I highly recommend a set of these cutters as they make burr free precision cuts through all types of metals.
You can also see the Impact Weapon Components QD stud and it's spirolock.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7354/13799206165_b66e561b71.jpgphoto 1

Test fitment after cutting the hole.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/13799213883_f6c54382d4.jpgphoto 2

Here is a side profile with the set screws taking most of the loading on the mount.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7029/13799205495_fb240807c2.jpgphoto 3

...And lastly, a shot of the guard back on the rifle.
https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2830/13799205355_28387aa63d.jpgphoto 4