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Posted: 5/28/2005 7:21:09 PM EDT
| I noticed that my RAS does not contain white lettering on the side of the top rail like others. I believe it says "Knight Armament Company Part no. xxxxx". Do all genuine KAC RAS have this or did they start doing this after a certain period. |
The only "RAS" that we number (address) the accessory grooves are the: M4 RIS M4 RAS M5 RAS SASS RAS This is because there is a Military requirement for same. All the others are not "addressed." For example the RAS II, MRE, etc. However, our name and/or part number is usually laser etched somewhere visible on the upper. This laser etching actually burns the black color die from the mil-spec anodize hard coat. It just looks like white lettering. So since anodize is clear unless you color it, what you see as white leters is like the base aluminum metal covered with a clear "window." |
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I was curious as to why the MRE RAS wasn't required to be numbered? I've caught sight of a few pics of them in use in Iraq and understood the ones that were released to the public were contract over runs. Were the MRE's built for Army or Navy use (or perhaps both)? |
The MRE is a version of our (KAC) 5.56mm Free-Floating Barrel RAS. Neither were developed from a published Government specification (like the M4 RIS, M4 RAS, M5 RAS) so there was no requirement for "addressing" the accessory grooves. Obviously addressing adds to the production cost. Our development of the FF RAS came after the 7.62mm Mk 11 was Type Classified by the US Navy. Customers wanted us to build a 5.56 style rifle as close to the Mk 11 as possible. That became our SR-15 Match Rifle (P/N: 98070). So 8 years later, this rifle is as close to USSOCOM's Mk 12 Mod 1 Special Purpose rifle (SPR) as you can get "out of the box." We have sold probably a thousand+ of the FF RAS to the Government for their assembly to SPR type rifles. On subsequent buys, they did not request "addressing," so we have not done it. However, way back when, a certain very specialized US Army unit wanted a version for a stock M4A1 Carbine, So we made a short version for that customer (P/N: 20208). Then a sub-element of that group complained about the shorter rail not providig a traditional handgrip area on the forend when accessories were mounted. So we invented the MRE thing (P/N 21166-1 & 21166-2)out of the same aluminum extrusions we had in-house for the parent FF RAS. The MRE is a little more complicated to re-install because of limited access to the taper pin heads during re-assembly. But these guys have some of the best professional Gunsmiths in DOD supporting them, so they did not see this as an isssue (as I am sure regular Army Maintenance Unit Armorers may have had). The MRE obviuously allows the accessories to be mounted "out front," while not cluttering the normally grasped forend. I think they are a great way to dress-up especially very early Ban Colt's with Sara Brady plain muzzle barrels that look pretty bleak with all that barrrel sticking out and no flash suppressor on the end. (Now back to your question), very few (if any) have ever been directly sold/delivered to similar US Navy type units, whereas hundreds have gone to a very few specialized US Army parent units. |
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