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Posted: 4/22/2012 6:41:14 PM EDT
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I want to change out the rail on one of my ARs to a smooth type rail like the Troy V Tac or DD Modular Float Rail or something similar.
Wondering what you guys like and would recommend. Ease of installation, weight, quality, etc. all important factors. Thanks! |
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Quoted:
I want to change out the rail on one of my ARs to a smooth type rail like the Troy V Tac or DD Modular Float Rail or something similar. Wondering what you guys like and would recommend. Ease of installation, weight, quality, etc. all important factors. Thanks! MI SS Series Gen II |
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Quoted:
You might also consider a Evolution rail from Samson Manufacturing. Here's a version they make for Rainier Arms: http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww189/wjt1169/Rainier%20Arms%20Evolution%20Rail/Upper-complete-left-onblack-01.jpg This. Super lightweight, solid mount, mounts using stock barrel nut, looks kick ass. I can't say enough good about these. Oh, and it doesn't even get a little warm when rapid firing. The in-stockness of them is the only issue I've had with them. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I want to change out the rail on one of my ARs to a smooth type rail like the Troy V Tac or DD Modular Float Rail or something similar. Wondering what you guys like and would recommend. Ease of installation, weight, quality, etc. all important factors. Thanks! MI SS Series Gen II These are really nice. |
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Troy Alpha series....
I own Troy Alpha rails in 9", 11", and 13". I am extremely happy with them. As a previous poster said, they are indeed very light. I like the fact that they are not wide. Use of a standard barrel nut is a welcome feature and the new Alpha mounting system does not have the tab hanging down in front of the magwell. I had the earlier Troy XTR and that tab drove me nuts when holding the weapon via the magwell. I hated it and couldn't offload it fast enough. The Troy Alpha is not quite as light as the MI SS rail and the rail sections are heavier than they need to be, just like the SS rail sections. If the troy alpha series handguards were available smooth, narrower, lighter, and came with lighter rail sections, I would see no legitimate reason at all to even look at other FF handguards. It is already an extremely well designed product, but could use a tweak or two to get near perfection. The available built-in sight is a great feature due to the weight savings and lower profile than a rail mount BUIS, but do not expect it to function exactly as a traditional flip up sight. There is some slight side to side movement and they tend to lean. For an accuracy goal of 'minute of man' and with the intention of using them as a backup sight only, they are fine. MI SS series.... A friend recently purchased the MI SS and I installed it for him. I do not like the proprietary barrel nut. It may not ever matter one way or the other, but I do not like it. The MI rail also has that tab hanging down in front of the magwell and it may be a feature that many find very annoying. However, the smooth body, extremely narrow tube, and extremely light weight are very welcome characteristics. Also, the available positions to attach the rails are somewhat spaced out and seem to be either too close or too far away to comfortably mount a VFG on the lower rail, which neither my friend nor me liked. One of the long included rail sections could make it possible to mount a VFG in that 'sweet spot', but I find it ridiculous to have to use a 3" rail to mount a VFG that only needs a 1 1/2" of 'rail estate' in order to mount, not to mention the unnecessary additional weight. It seemed like a huge oversight in the design and greatly affects ergonomics. On top of that, the rail sections stick out much farther than they need to in order to mount most of the quality rail mount products that I have and the rail sections are really heavy for what they are. The MI SS rail has a couple strongpoints over the Troy Alpha series, but has far too many significant negs for me to entertain buying one. If the user doesn't hold the weapon by the magwell, doesn't care what kind of barrel nut is used, and doesn't mind having limited mounting positions for accessories or using a 3" rail to achieve that perfect positioning of an accessory that could otherwise mount just fine on a 1 1/2" rail section, then the MI SS may suit them just fine. Nice super light and narrow handguard, but I'll pass. Maybe someone from MI will read this and make the SS series something that I would buy. After seeing the things about the rail that I liked better than the Alphas, it kind of pissed me off that there were so many other negs that I just can't get past. No big deal though, it is just another of the many products that I almost like enough to buy, but still leaves me wondering what goals the designers intended to achieve and if they noticed these shortcomings. I will admit that I am very hard to satisfy when it comes to firearm related products, but intelligent design does happen. However, when I like something, it usually far exceeds the needs of others that I come in contact with on a regular basis while shooting. I will say that many may find the price point of the SS very attractive and it may help them get past some of these other issues. |
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