And so it arrived…wrapped in plain brown paper. Rather like a dildo, I suppose.
Thanks to Arc Precision for sourcing this. I gather the other four SMRs which were imported have already found new homes, but there are sure to be more on the way.
First impressions? It certainly does not disappoint. If there’s a Tier 0, this rail would be in it. It’s right up there with Daniel Defense and Noveske in terms of quality. Maybe a little better? I know KAC has a lot of fans and I don’t want to upset them, but the SMR is in a whole different league to the URX 3.1 I sold to finance it.
A few glamour shots, with further details below.
Either side of the rear of the rail, showing the trades, markings and the main pins which secure the rail to the barrel nut. Note that this design – borrowed, I suspect, from the HK416 – allows the barrel nut to be installed, without needing to be timed to 12 o’clock. Only the rail itself is timed, after the barrel nut is sufficiently secured.
“Inspected”
Geissele has put a lot of work into trimming the fat from the rail in this instance of the product (Revision A). Notice the sections removed from the top rail and the shape of the apertures on the bottom of the 3 and 9 o’clock rails.
The accessory pack, which includes three RIS sections, fixings, two Allen keys (imperial, naturally) and a barrel nut tool – which can be used for removing the OEM barrel nut and installing the SMR barrel nut. Notice the wide, flat, circular locating structures on the reverse of one of the RIS sections.
The threaded ‘dog bone’ sections, which the RIS attachment bolts screw into, slip into channels in the rail – the cross section of which can be seen below. This method of securing the RIS is convenient and easy to use. It’s also a cheaper method than the helicoil inserts used in the SMR MK1 – which helps to keep the MK2’s cost down. It also means that if misuse leads to stripped threads, the dog bone is cheap and easy to replace. You can also see the anti-rotation grub screws on either side of the rail. After installation, these are tightened down and clamp the receiver as a precautionary measure (although they are secondary to the force exerted across the barrel nut, by the two main securing bolts).
Pics from Geissele showing the MK2’s RIS attachment channels (left, in FDE), versus the MK1’s method.
The instructions are comprehensive and check out item 6. It was refreshing to read that Geissele doesn’t expect everyone to own a torque wrench.
The Reptile House 