Are these rails any good? I'm wondering why the Zev website says they have stainless steel barrel nut, but midway usa advertising that they have a titanium barrel nut. Does anyone know if there was a change made or something to the barrel nut?
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Are these rails any good? I'm wondering why the Zev website says they have stainless steel barrel nut, but midway usa advertising that they have a titanium barrel nut. Does anyone know if there was a change made or something to the barrel nut?
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I don't know if the Zev rails are any good, but Midway and Zev seems to be at odds on the metal the barrel nut is made of:
https://www.zevtechnologies.com/MEGA...ard_556-14.625
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/10...4762#questions
Two things that does give me pause about the Zev are 1.225" ID Diameter and a weight of 15.5 oz (via Midway, as Zev didn't post the weight) which is a hell of a lot for a rail using a Titanium barrel nut.
For example:
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021158063?pid=374505
https://midwestindustriesinc.com/mi-...uard-m-lok-tm/
Midwest's 15" lightweight rail weighs 8.9oz with Titanium barrel nut and it's ID is 1.3".
None of this is says the Zev rail is bad, but that I have some questions and concerns that you might not have.
Last edited by BobinNC; 03-30-24 at 19:12.
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Some companies advertise the rail weight with the nut weight included and some advertise the weight of just the rail, maybe that has something to do with it. Also just to mention the Zev rail looks almost identical to the SOLGW M76 rail, so much that it looks like the same manufacturer source, or someone just blatantly copied the other one.Originally Posted by BobinNC
Last edited by e z money; 03-30-24 at 19:24.
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Other than the use of the wedge lock system, the two rails are not even remotely alike. For example the SOLGW rail lacks the rear Steel QD Cups.
LOL at the M76's weight of 4 lbs. Surely a typo.
But SOLGW does offer a Titanium barrel nut for an addition $80.
Last edited by BobinNC; 03-30-24 at 19:44. Reason: spelling
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The Zev rail does not have rear QD. You might be looking at the Mega wedge lock rail, it has rear QD. The Zev website has Mega and Zev rails. Same company thought, I guess.
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ZEV 14 5/8" Wedge Lock Handguard
The US patent for the wedge lock mechanism employed in the ZEV Wedge Lock Handguard states that it was invented by Michael Miller and James Reid. The patent was originally granted to Mega Arms and has more recently been transferred to ZEV Technologies.
The wedge lock mechanism that secures the ZEV M-LOK handguard to the ZEV barrel nut is a simple, yet elegant approach to fastening a handguard to an upper receiver. Speaking of the barrel nut, the ZEV barrel nut is a hefty 3.6 ounces of finely machined stainless steel. The ZEV handguard comes with a custom barrel nut wrench.
The ZEV wedge lock assembly sits in a bottom lip of the ZEV handguard. The slim design of the wedge lock assembly allows for a sleek, streamlined handguard profile when compared to some of the more bulbous designs on the market.
The wedge lock assembly consists of a top wedge and a bottom wedge with a Torx bolt sandwiched in between them.
The top of the top wedge has a concave shape that perfectly matches the curvature of the barrel nut. The top wedge and the bottom wedge are mated at an angle such that when the Torx bolt is tightened, the top wedge is pulled rearward and upward wedging itself between the barrel nut and the bottom wedge and handguard forming an extremely solid lock-up.
The top wedge prior to being tightened . . .
. . . and after being tightened . . .
The ZEV Wedge Lock handguard used for this build is the 14 5/8” version and it’s manufactured from 6061 aluminum. The handguard, barrel nut and mounting hardware have a combined weight of 15.5 ounces.
The ZEV handguard has an indexing/anti-rotation pin at the 12 o’clock position. The hole in the ZEV handguard has an interference fit with the anti-rotation pin and mates precisely with the anti-rotation hole in an SOLGW upper receiver. The ZEV handguard also employs two anti-movement set screws at approximately the 04:00 and 07:00 positions.
The installed ZEV Wedge Lock handguard had zero degrees of rotation referenced to the picatinny rail of the upper receiver.
....
All that is necessary for trolls to flourish, is for good men to do nothing.
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Thanks Molon. I am hoping the anti-rotation pin on that rail will fit a Noveske branded Vltor MUR upper. I'm going to try it. From looking at pics, it looks similar. Maybe some minor modification if needed.
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It will.
RLTW
“What’s New” button, but without GD: https://www.m4carbine.net/search.php...new&exclude=60 , courtesy of ST911.
Disclosure: I am affiliated PRN with a tactical training center, but I speak only for myself. I have no idea what we sell, other than CLP and training. I receive no income from sale of hard goods.
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I have an FN branded version on an FN Tac II and it is easily one of my favorite rails. It’s solid as a rock and maintains a perfect balance of beefiness while still being slim enough for a perfect grip, for me at least.
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Great review by Molon btw. I'm just wondering that since I ordered it from midway usa and they advertise it with a titanium barrel nut, maybe I'm getting a version with a titanium barrel nut. I think I got the last one because when I ordered it, website said in stock, then right after I purchased, website said out of stock, back order.
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