PianoBlack Posted January 22, 2011 Report Share Posted January 22, 2011 (edited) Troy Industries TRX Extreme Battlerail 11" (Black) & DYTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail 11" (Black) Comparison. Troy Industries on top, DYTAC replica below. Table of Contents: Introduction. Troy Industries TRX Extreme Battlerail 11" (Black). DYTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail 11" (Black). Comparison. Conclusion. 1. Introduction. Troy Industries' TRX (Troy Receiver Extension) Extreme Battlerail is a monolithic, free-floating rail that offers a continuation of the upper receiver rail. it is available in two different colors, black and dark earth and in several different lengths. Several specialty models exist, including Noveske and VTAC variants, though I have only found the VTAC models for sale (other than the standard Troy). DYTAC produces a replica of most of models produced by Troy (except the 13") and a variant that isn't actually produced by them (the 12"). There exists a C.M. version of the TRX Extreme, but I will not be reviewing that. Throughout this review I will refer to the TRX Extreme as simply "TRX." There exists a TRX Standard which features fixed rails at the 12, 3, 6, and 9 positions as opposed to the TRX Extreme that has a fixed rail solely at the 12 o'clock position and bolt-on lengths of rail that can be attached elsewhere (1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9, and 10:30 positions). 2. Troy Industries TRX Extreme Battlerail 11" (Black). Specifications. Manufacturer: Troy Industries MSRP: $175.00 Length: 11 5/16" Width: 1 47/64" Height: 2 6/64" Weight: Barrel Nut - 1.4 oz Rail Assembly - 8.9 oz Total: 10.3 oz Package Contents: TRX Extreme Battlerail 11" (Black) Proprietary Barrel Nut 4" Quick-Attach Rail & Hardware x1 2" Quick-Attach Rail & Hardware x2 Barrel Nut Wrench Allen Key For Hex Screws on Rail Allen Key For Hex Screws on Rail Segments Instruction Sheet. Left Side- Right Side- Continuous Top Rail- Rear- Front- General Comments: Troy Industries' TRX (Troy Receiver Extension) Extreme Battlerail is a monolithic, free-floating rail that offers a continuation of the upper receiver rail. According to Troy Industries, it is "constructed from aircraft aluminum and finished in MIL-SPEC TYPE III hard coat with Teflon." The barrel nut is machined out of steel and so is the rest of of the fasteners. The three "quick-attach rails" are made out of aluminum like the main rail and also feature an identical finish. On the right side of the rail is Troy's familiar logo, featuring a line-drawing of the famous Trojan horse and "TROY" written in all capitals in outline form. The continuous top rail features T markings from 16 to 42 in even increments (16, 18, 20, etc.) along with other markings including part and lot numbers. The MIL-SPEC finish has a slight bluish tint to it and is more of a satin than a true matte. However, it is a flawless coating that is even and coats both the inside and outside of the TRX. Based upon the lack of slots visible in the holes machined into the rail, it appears that the particular TRX being reviewed is the current revision. Installation: Installation of the Troy TRX was almost flawless, save for the barrel nut becoming stuck after a few revolutions. This was due to the ever so slight difference in threading between the TPI of a real AR upper receiver and the threading on my Hurricane SR-47 conversion kit. However, it was a simple and almost effortless process to re-cut the threads with the barrel nut and included wrench via the process of advancing the nut 1/4 of a turn past snug, backing it off, and repeating this process until the process is complete. Once the barrel nut was removed and any aluminum shavings were washed away from both mating surfaces, the installation continued flawlessly. The rails of the upper receiver and the TRX aligned perfectly with only a very slight gap between the front of the receiver and the rear of the rail. 3. DYTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail 11" (Black). Specifications. Manufacturer: Troy Industries MSRP: $66.00 Length: 11 5/16" Width: 1 47/64" Height: 2 6/64" Weight: Barrel Nut - 1.3 oz Rail Assembly - 8.5 oz Total: 9.8 oz Package Contents: TRX Extreme Battlerail 11" (Black) Proprietary Barrel Nut Left Side- Right Side- Continuous Top Rail- Rear- Front- General Comments: DYTAC's replica of Troy Industries' TRX Extreme upon initial investigation was very promising. While it does not include the accessories that the actual TRX comes with, its pricing is considerably lower, though shipping from overseas will add to this cost. The rail appears to be machined aluminum and the barrel nut is a ferrous metal, though it has a powdery finish. There are many obvious machine or tool marks visible through its finish, which is almost a semi-gloss black. Its markings are similar to the actual TRX, with the logo on the side and markings on the top rail. However, the replica's coating is incomplete as much of the interior of the rail shows exposed aluminum. The replica is of an earlier revision of the TRX as slots are noticeable in the various holes equally spaced throughout the TRX. Installation: The DYTAC replica arrived a week before the actual TRX so the modification of the upper receiver by the Troy barrel nut had no effect upon it. Installation of the DYTAC replica was problematic. While the barrel nut screwed on flawlessly, due to a manufacturing flaw in the actual rail, it was impossible to properly install it. As shown in the images above, there are grooves running lengthwise along the rail in which the teeth of the barrel nut fit in. Running perpendicular to these grooves is a slot machined into the inside of the rail into which the barrel nut's teeth are to rotate freely to allow for the alignment of the rail and locking it in place again fore or aft movement. However, on the DYTAC, this groove is machine both too far forward (by 1/4 an inch), and of improper depth, so that the teeth on the barrel nut catch in the remnants of the grooves running lengthwise through the rail. After investigating this problem, I contacted WGCShop, the retailer from which I ordered the DYTAC replica, and explained to them what I was experiencing. They investigated the problem and noticed that several other of the DYTAC rails that they had in stock also exhibited similar manufacturing defects. Additionally, they stated that they would get in contact with DYTAC about this. 4. Comparison. While both the Troy and DYTAC rails appear at first glance to be nearly identical, further investigation reveals many differences, the first of which is the obvious difference in finish and manufacturing quality. While the DYTAC is a black with no hints of other colors, it is also shinier than the actual finish used on the Troy product. There is also an incompleteness to the finish of the DYTAC, which is visible in several of the photos. Additionally, the markings are noticeably larger on the DYTAC than on the Troy and those on the continuous top rail do not match. The DYTAC also features deeper grooves cut lengthwise through the rail than the Troy, which may explain the visible cut outs in the holes equally spaced throughout the rail. The weight difference between the two rails is negligible and it was surprised that the replica was lighter, though I suspect this was due to the grooves. The barrel nut of the Troy appears to be actually machined instead of potentially cast or made of sintered metal. There is also a size difference between the Troy and DYTAC in terms of the allen screws used to tighten the rail (located at the bottom rear of the rail) and one of the inserts on the DYTAC was slightly off, resulting in the screw feeling tight despite not applying any clamping pressure. The DYTAC barrel nut was not compatible with the Troy rail. 5. Conclusion. While DYTAC offers a considerably cheaper replica of Troy's TRX Extreme, due to the problems faced in installation, I can not recommend it until confirmation of the problems that I faced to be limited to only a handful or bad batch of rails. The prices difference between the two items may seem initially large ($175 vs $66 before shipping), after taking into account shipping and what is included with the actual rail, it dwindles considerably. I have seen the Troy TRX for sale on eBay for $155 shipped in the USA, which further reduces the price difference between both products. It is possible to address the problem of the improperly cut channel on the DYTAC model by filing down all of the teeth found on its barrel nut until they are flush with the channels. However, this prevents the use of the gas tube as a key to keep the barrel nut from rotating. I hope that you found this comparison to be useful and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. -Piano Edited January 22, 2011 by PianoBlack Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PianoBlack Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 *Update* I contacted WGC Shop about the problems faced with the DYTAC rail and they passed the message onto DYTAC. Several weeks later, I was contacted by WGC and informed that they would be sending me a replacement rail and to hold onto the barrel nut. As soon as this arrives, I'll update the review. -Piano Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uscmCorps Posted February 7, 2011 Report Share Posted February 7, 2011 Good and thorough review PB. Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on your PM. LMK if your issues are resolved. If not, I'll contact DYTac myself directly. Fingers crossed! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigBabyMoses06 Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Thanks PB for turning me to the real steel parts. Was a *badgeress* to thread on, to say the least, but its super solid now. I am confused as to why they put the spikes on the barrel nut in the way of the gas tube. I have my gas tube sitting on top of a spike now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PianoBlack Posted February 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2011 WGC has shipped the replacement rail to me and now I am awaiting its arrival. Hopefully DYTAC took the time to correct their manufacturing process for all of their TRX Extreme Rails, which might explain the lack of them on the market. -Piano Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PianoBlack Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 The replacement rail from WGC arrived today. The fit and finish of the main rail is what I expect from a DYTAC product. The barrel nut spins freely in the rail body and the finish is complete with no bare spots. A full revision of the review will be posted this weekend. -Piano Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Good review. I have a 9" Troy TRX on the way and I'm looking forward to it even more now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PianoBlack Posted March 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2011 From top to bottom: 1) Troy TRX Extreme Battle Rail. 2) Replacement DYTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail. 3) DYTAC TRX Extreme Battle Rail. The replacement rail that was sent to me is a little lighter than both the Troy TRX and the first DYTAC replica. Additionally, the barrel nut is a rougher finish, though it feels better than the original. However, it is obvious when compared to the Troy TRX, which one is the replica and which one is real. Feel free to ask any questions that may arise. -Piano Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PianoBlack Posted September 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2011 Just to clear things up, the 2nd DYTAC TRX installed flawlessly and did not have any of the problems the first one had. I've received questions from several different forum members, which has lead me to believe that I was unclear in my original posting. Thanks, -Piano Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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