UTG rail help

[kaosfreak]

need some help from the cg community. before the "buy a quality rail" crowd, this is what i got and i have to deal with it.

purchased a UTG mid-length rail from amazon, specifically for the triangle front plate. removed the handguards and when i installed the rails, the bottom rail canted towards the front of the rifle. in other words, when the upper sits on the rails, it leans forward, it's not even all the way through. see pic below.


not sure if you can totally see it, but the OD back by the castle nut is larger then the OD at the triangle plate. there is a gap between the two piece at the castle nut, but the plates touch at the triangle plate, or front. does that make sense?

anyone have any clue as to what the issue is? tried to change the triangle plate to circular, no dice, rail won't accept it. little help here guys. should i call it a factory defect and try another one? i have used and purchased many UTG rails before and this is the first time i have seen this. any help would be great, thanks.

[rero360]

My suggestion, and you are not going to like it, but throw that piece of trash away and buy a real handguard from a reputable manufacturer. The adage, you get what you pay for, is completely applicable.

I'm not saying you have to go out and spend the coin of a Fortis, Geissele, Centurion, Troy, Noveske, Daniel Defense, VLTOR, or BCM rail, there are plenty of perfectly serviceable handguards from other companies out there than cost less and have been track records than UTG.

It'll be cheaper and less stressful or aggravating in the long run to just ditch that and buy quality instead of trying to make that work/repair/replace.

But, with all that said, if you only shoot maybe 50 rounds a year, are more interested in looks than function, and don't honestly care about the capabilities of the weapon then save the money and just rock what you have if that's what you want.

[CPRAFAN]

Return item to Amazon and reorder and hope for a part that fits.

[kaosfreak]

thanks guys. i am going to try and return to amazon first, give another rail a shot. if no go, then on to a different rail.

[Pearlpower]

I bought the UTG Pro below based on a friends recommendation and prefer it even over my DD rail on my wife's AR. Very solid and am impressed. Not shy with spending money on my AR, it is a keeper, not the same UTG you have but commenting once in a while we are taken advantage of and it is nice to get 'better' quality and save the coin for other items such as a nice Aimpoint. On yours, recheck the mounting, or exchange.

UTG FREE FLOATING RAIL

[Hot Holster]

Did you install both pieces at the same time, or do one side then try to fit the other piece?

With the UTG's you need to hold both pieces close in a "V" down at the delta ring, push the delta ring down all the way, insert both pieces around the barrel nut, and at the same time, push the front ends together snapping it into the plate.

A few years back when UTG was Chinese made I would say they had quality issues. Now that they are made in Michigan, UTG changed the machining process and has made them lighter and stronger. In handguards, I have Troy, Seekins, a couple YHM's, and three UTG's on my rifles. The UTG's work well, they're functional, they fit well, look good, and cost a heck of a lot less than the "cool name" brands.

[Hot Holster]

My suggestion, and you are not going to like it, but throw that piece of trash away and buy a real handguard from a reputable manufacturer. The adage, you get what you pay for, is completely applicable.

I'm not saying you have to go out and spend the coin of a Fortis, Geissele, Centurion, Troy, Noveske, Daniel Defense, VLTOR, or BCM rail, there are plenty of perfectly serviceable handguards from other companies out there than cost less and have been track records than UTG.

It'll be cheaper and less stressful or aggravating in the long run to just ditch that and buy quality instead of trying to make that work/repair/replace.

But, with all that said, if you only shoot maybe 50 rounds a year, are more interested in looks than function, and don't honestly care about the capabilities of the weapon then save the money and just rock what you have if that's what you want.

How old was your UTG's and what kind of problems did you have with them?

[SonofWWIIDI]

Sorry, but I thought UTG stuff was for airsoft and paintball?

[kaosfreak]

Did you install both pieces at the same time, or do one side then try to fit the other piece?

With the UTG's you need to hold both pieces close in a "V" down at the delta ring, push the delta ring down all the way, insert both pieces around the barrel nut, and at the same time, push the front ends together snapping it into the plate.

installed top piece, then bottom. both are bottomed out at the delta ring. there are tabs that fit inside the triangle plate that they all fit nice and snug. i have dry fit this off the rifle and it looks good. it's only when i go to install on the rifle that the bottom front rail leans forward. i thought i over tightened. uninstalled and reinstalled, same thing. i back the screws out as much as possible to create distance between the rails at the front post, but it was just too sloppy and loose. i had thought about creating a spacer to put in between the front screws to make up the cant, but i just don't see why i would have to go to such great lengths to make this work.
i wonder if this all has to do with the triangle plate? maybe i need to get a new rail for a regular circular plate and try again?
amazon is great and has already shipped me a new one. i have 30 days to return the old one. i will give it one more go. i am not floating this rifle as it will be run with the front post sight. but floating it would take all of this BS away.
thanks guys! if anyone cares, i will update this thread once i get it resolved.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

My suggestion, and you are not going to like it, but throw that piece of trash away and buy a real handguard from a reputable manufacturer. The adage, you get what you pay for, is completely applicable.

I'm not saying you have to go out and spend the coin of a Fortis, Geissele, Centurion, Troy, Noveske, Daniel Defense, VLTOR, or BCM rail, there are plenty of perfectly serviceable handguards from other companies out there than cost less and have been track records than UTG.

It'll be cheaper and less stressful or aggravating in the long run to just ditch that and buy quality instead of trying to make that work/repair/replace.

But, with all that said, if you only shoot maybe 50 rounds a year, are more interested in looks than function, and don't honestly care about the capabilities of the weapon then save the money and just rock what you have if that's what you want.

+1

If you must have a quad rail, get a Midwest Industries. Very good, American made, and reasonably priced. Otherwise a Magpul handguard and attach rails where needed.

[rero360]

How old was your UTG's and what kind of problems did you have with them?

Never owned anything from them, thankfully I learned my lesson after buying a BSA red dot that ate batteries so fast that I ended up spending as much on batteries as I did the scope before I said F it and threw it away. Since then, long before I got into ARs, I've learned to research products and not buy the cheapest thing on the market, that quality products and the piece of mind and confidence that they provide has a value you can't put a price tag on.

Example: I bought an Aimpoint Micro T-1 last year, been on pretty much non stop since then, have used it on my rifle while I've been deployed for the last 5 months, shot well over a thousand rounds with it on the M4. I still am using the battery that it came with and I'm confident that I'll still be using that battery after Obama has left office.

[Pearlpower]

+1

If you must have a quad rail, get a Midwest Industries. Very good, American made, and reasonably priced. Otherwise a Magpul handguard and attach rails where needed.

Not that it matters as US quality is all over the board (have owned over 50+ cars and buy 40-80 items monthly from Amazon alone) , UTG is US made-at least the one I have. I also run a Streamlight because it again is far better than the far more expensive Surefire counterpart. It is not about price, but your due diligence in research.

[Grumpyoldretiredcop]

OP, regardless of what rail you have, one of the ways that gaps like the one that you describe happen is failure to pull the delta ring all the way to the rear when trying to snap them in. It happens with more expensive rails, too, I've had the same issue with YHM two piece handguards.

You may want to invest in a handguard tool. The extra leverage can be a huge help. Then insert the front of the handguard (I start with the top), use the tool to pull the delta ring all the way to the rear, and the rear of the handguard will slip right into place. Repeat for the other handguard, then if a small gap still exists, squeeze them together and they'll finish snapping into place.

[Caseless]

Return it and get another one. Else pay a little more and order the UTG Pro version. Supposedly the Pro is advertised to be made in USA.

[teflondog]

In case you decide to return the UTG rail and move on to something else, I suggest looking at Midwest Industries. I think they give you the most bang for your buck with quad rails. You can pick one up for around $150.