The Reptile House Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 (edited) After building alot of PTW platforms, I wanted to build a GBBR platform. I opted to use a WE Open Bolt M4 platform as a PRIME kit was avail, since I done PTWs for quite a while, its known as the PRIME lowers were a gold standard for the PTW realm as are the NOVA kits for the TM pistols. Its RS Accessorized UNLESS the part states "replica" or "Style" Specs: WE OB M4 PRIME Colt Set RS Larue Aimpoint Micro mount RS Aimpoint H1 RS Magpul BUIS TSC PRI style Charging Handle TSC Type 1 Anti Rotation pins TSC Ambi Selector RS GEISSELE SMR Mk1 10 inch FCC SF Style MB556k Hider WE Steel CQBR outer barrel and steel Extension TROY Low-pro gas block RS Gear Sector Hand Stop RS Magpul ASAP RS Magpul CTR Milspec RS BCM Milspec Buffer Tube/castle nut RS Tango Down Grip SF MIni scout style light w/ gear sector style mount Awesome You really should throw the SMR PTW build up too. Wait till you guys see the new Centurian Arms 5.56 Slick rail and its attachments. One of the nicest new rails I've seen in a while. Got to check it out first hand at Shot Show. Seen pics. The pinch bolt attachment system is usually a feature of the cheaper tubes - is that what it uses? If so it will give people another entry level choice. Is there anything unique about it, as I've not seen much info? TBH I kind of ignored it as an also-ran, assuming it was pinch bolt style and I've yet to use something better than the MI Gen 2 of that ilk. Edited March 12, 2013 by The Reptile House Quote Link to post Share on other sites
QQexDERA Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 PRIME lowers were a gold standard for the PTW realm as are the NOVA kits for the TM pistols. Might be because Prime are the OEM for Nova IIRC. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uscmCorps Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Just looked up some pics of it, really liking it. I'm a huge fan of built in QD points on rail systems. What lengths is it going to be released in? Can't recall exactly. The owner of Centurian Arms is an active operator and instructor with the Teams. He's away right now. Waiting for him to come back. Seen pics. The pinch bolt attachment system is usually a feature of the cheaper tubes - is that what it uses? If so it will give people another entry level choice. Is there anything unique about it, as I've not seen much info? TBH I kind of ignored it as an also-ran, assuming it was pinch bolt style and I've yet to use something better than the MI Gen 2 of that ilk. Pinch bolt? You mean it clamps onto the barrel nut? Not sure I understand what you're asking. What I like about the new Centurion Arms rail is that it is light (felt lighter than the Geisselle), skinny like my MidWest Industries Gen II SS tubes, low profile, has integrated limited rotation QD sling points. What is not seen in most of the pics is that the dedicated accessory mounts keep all accessories super low profile and add the absolute minimum amount of extra weight. What I'm not crazy about is Centurion Arms' price point on their rails, but it's a classic example of you get what you pay for. In contrast, I've used RS M4's and HK416's with their respective Geisslle specific rails, and as much as I like the aesthetic of the Geisselle, I'm not crazy about the function, weight, or height of them. They're incredibly well made, just not the right rail for me. And the new Skeletonized SMR Mark 4 is certainly lighter weight than previous incarnations (they skeletonized it due to user comments that they felt the rail was over built and could be lighter), but my fingers/grip didn't rest that comfortably in the rail holes, and I didn't particularly care for the heat dissipation of it (though, that isn't really a factor with airsoft. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Pinch bolt? You mean it clamps onto the barrel nut? Not sure I understand what you're asking. Yes - I mean the bolt system which secures the rail to the barrel nut, by pinching the rail on each side. Like the Troy TRX, Samson Evo, MI Gen 2 et al. It seems to be a value/mid-range feature, which could mean the price point of the Centurion will be reasonable - unlike the SMR. But like you said, you get what you pay for. Does the Centurion rail have such a mounting system? I think one of the big plus points for the SMR is it's built to take hard use, rather than being a more sporty, civvie rail. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uscmCorps Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I do believe the new Centurion rail is a pinch bolt design but I don't think that that feature is indicative of it being cheaper. Most of the cost of manufacturing is in the rail machining itself. Sadly Centurion Arms rails have always been at the higher end of the rail price spectrum and I think this new one will be no exception. As for hard use, the Geisselle is certainly a hard use rail but it could also be argued (and has been) that in some ways it's over built at the sacrifice of relatively higher weight gain and rail thickness. Its not the heaviest or biggest rail, but some argue it could have been less so during the design phase. That said, if i ever wanted to brain someone with a rail, the Geisselle wpuld be my first choice. To date the Centurion line of rails has seen more down range use by SF operators than the Geisselles. The Centurion rails are all designed to be hard use rails and this newest rail of theirs has been designed to be equally as hard use as its predecessors but evolved to fit the current warfighters' needs. The Centurion Arms company owner is an active Seal and he's made many guns and uppers for fellow SF teammates over the years which have gone on to see a lot of action. I'm not the slightest bit worried of how this new rail will perform when put to market. But I would like to add, I don't want to take anything away from mrsevenstars' gun. It is a fantastic and badass piece. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I didn't know about Centurion rail use amongst SOF - thanks for the intel. Would that be the C4? I suppose my thoughts about choosing the SMR also includes the cachet of the original version being specially comissioned for a certain 'group'...but I'm a bit sketchy on the details Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MRF Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 My I ask for some links ? All I could find were new Centurion rails for .308... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mimesis Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 The AR-15 version haven't been released yet, but it's coming. And a study in contrasts. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uscmCorps Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 There's plenty of pics of the slick Centurion Arms .308 rail. The 5.56 version looks pretty much the same, just in different lengths from what I recall. There aren't any photos of the 5.56 version out there. He was just carrying it in a backpack and showing it to a few clientele and friends at Shot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Any pics of actual use in the field by SoF USMC? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uscmCorps Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Nope. But the owner of Centurion Arms' credentials speak for themselves being a part of that community so I personally take it at face value. They're not prolific. That's for sure. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jimmypie Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 I wasnt calling you out, just was interested to see how there set up, and which units specifically using them. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
emp3ror86 Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 The Geissele one still looks better. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrsevenstars Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Never cared for the Centurion rails it reminded me of a trendy new versions of the troy and samson mrf &mrfs. I guess if i HAD to pick a rail that to swap out the geissele id pick my old KAC URX 3, as i preferred that over my old urx2,urx2mid,and the 3.1 thats feel for feel against my geissele 13mk1 on my ptw . The only new trendy rail i would have a hard time picking was between my geissele 10 and my friends nsr 9. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 The only new trendy rail i would have a hard time picking was between my geissele 10 and my friends nsr 9. My opinion of the NSR is it's the best in class for super slim and super light - and one of the reasons my MI Gen 2 will be sold on after only a year. However, the NSR is a sporty, civvie rail - so it won't take the abuse of the SMR. I'll never break my NSR, but owning an SMR must give the user an incredible feeling of invulnerability and yes...exclusivity. The SMR is not an easy rail to source, even in the US. Time will tell with the Centurion rail, but I don't see it as an equivalent to the SMR. I too see the Centurion rail as following the Troy, Samson, MI middle ground - and that's no bad thing. The Samson Evo is still one of my favourite rails. Quite like the look of that Fortis Rev though 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrsevenstars Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Some Current and Previous builds PTW Geissele SMR Mk1 13. PTW LMT MRP PTW Larue Gooseneck PTW VIS-2A PTW URX3 PTW Battle LA style PTW URX2 MIdlength 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mrsevenstars Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Both Geissele SMR mk1s PTW URX 3.1 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MRF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Nice collection, mrsevenstars...I have to admit, although initially I was not very enthusiastic about SMR rails, after seeing some pictures, specially this one, it started to change: http://spartanat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Geissele_2.pngHK416 looks amazing with this rail. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Isamu Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 it loosk like a regular M4 with the same rail... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Nice collection, mrsevenstars... I have to admit, although initially I was not very enthusiastic about SMR rails, after seeing some pictures, specially this one, it started to change: http://spartanat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Geissele_2.png HK416 looks amazing with this rail. Are those pics in the wild, MRF? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MRF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Are those pics in the wild, MRF? No, it's airsoft for 99%. Somewhere in comments below, author of the review was asked about any ITAR problems, so it's rather unlikely it's anything more than some GBB. Although my German skills after so many years of learning are still so poor... I could miss some info about that. Here's a link: http://spartanat.com/2012/12/review-geissele-hk416-rail/ It would be cool if it were pictures of issued rifle, huh ? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Reptile House Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thank you. Kudos to the author. Sourcing a 416 SMR from the EU shows enourmous dedication. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MRF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 NP If only I could afford I would do the same. Specially that polish SOF runs HK416 - although not with SMR rails, but why not bring the whole thing to the next level... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivan le Fou Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ivan le Fou Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Are those pics in the wild, MRF? Belongs to a guy on France Airsoft iirc. In fact there are at least two guys, reenacting DEVRGU, on France Airsoft with Geissele rails on their 416. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.