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Posted: 3/13/2005 8:41:28 PM EDT
| DID KAC QUIT MAKING THE RIS IN FAVOR OF THE RAS? I CANNOT FIND THEM ON THEIR WEB SITE AND THERE ARE QUITE A FEW FOR SALE NIB ON THE EE. ALSO WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE OTHER THAN THE TIGHTENING SCREW ON TOP. I HAVE TWO RAS. DOES THE RIS HAVE THE DOUBLE PRONG LIKE THE RAS WITHOUT THE TIGHTENING SCREW OR IS IT BASICALLY A SET OF RAIL HANDGUARDS THAT ONLY THE DELTA RING IS PLACING PRESSURE TO SECURE THEM? |
| I have some RAS units and I just bought a RIS. The differences are in the way they clamp down. The RAS clamps to the barrel nut while the RIS tightens down on the handguard cap. Both are numbered differently on the rails. The RIS will mount on heavier barrels than what the RAS will. Although I discovered if you knock out the front roll pin in the RAS and removed the front spacer, etc. you can make it fit a heavy barrel. |
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I was under the impression that the RIS was an accessory for lightweight and 9mm barrels, while the RAS was for the standard mil-spec M4/carbine barrel. No? whether they stopped making them or not, I could not say, but one of these two sources may know: Operatioon Parts- KAC dealer or The Horses Mouth- Knights |
| Like JohnM explained, they clamp in place differently, and both are in production. The RAS is USGI, as in a standard issue item made under contract for the Big Army. The RIS is part of the SOPMOD kit. Either will fit on the standard M4 Carbine, or the heavy barrel M4A1. |
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I have asked the same quesion- and this is coldblue's answer: Since the SOPMOD Block 2 effort to (among other MWS accessories) identify & adopt a free float barrel rail forend to replace the original RIS remains at "square one" now for nearly 18 months (square one being the gov has at least 3 acceptable industry proposals and a sample FF Rail of one each "ready" to start the next phase of competition), USSOCOM has purchased 1,000+ RIS. Plus lots of 300 Meter BUIS, M203 "QD" Mounts, Forward Pistiol Grips, etc. What is intriging to me about this is that we (KAC) have offered them an M4 RAS (which is more secure on the barrel due to its rear clamp) with numbered grooves 1-15 just like their RIS's, but they reject that opportunity for improvement;as well as the advantage of commonality with 200,000 US Army RAS's. They have also failed to pick-up on the more secure SAS lower rail (which is interchangeable from RIS to RAS), even though the one RIS complaint I hear more than any other is loosening lower RIS rail as a result of "striking drills" when extreme forward force/leverage is applided to the Forward Pistol Grip. I mean, if I was offering you a numbered RAS so it looked just like your old RIS so the change was truly transparent to the Operator, and with an inproved/more secure lower rail, all for the same price as a standard RIS, I think you would jump all over it. So I can only assume that the RIS is at least 90% satisfactory for the rail system they actually need. However, as time and other programs have moved on, recently an FN carbine has been selected as their SCAR. So one can assume that if this program continues forward with any rapidity, then USSOCOM will not spend $$$ on a new rail system for their M4's, they will just replce the whole weapon with their new SCAR. So only time and budgetary constraints will tell. Especially since lots of international disaster relief from the US is sliced right out of DOD element budgets. |
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