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Posted: 6/18/2007 8:22:14 PM EDT
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I have never handled one, but am interested in them now. So what is the good, bad, and the ugly? I am open to all info relating to them and pics are nice too. Thanks |
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It is a very sexy, well-built rail. I have one on my 24" varminter. It is a popular rail with the 3-gun crowd. It uses a steel barrel nut which I prefer over aluminum. It is a two-piece design with seven anti-rotation screws securing the tube. It will not rotate when properly installed. My only complaints include the cost of the extra rail sections . . . rather expensive at $25 - $75 each depending on length. I'm also not a fan of the fact that the unique barrel nut design requires you to red Loctite the outer barrel nut to your upper receiver before installing the rest of the handguard system. The larger, outer nut (left) is secured to the receiver with red Loctite so when the smaller, inner nut (right) is torqued it does not move the outer nut.   I actually got away with not using Loctite through the use of a Ridgid strap wrench I had my buddy hold the outer barrel nut with the strap wrench while I torqued the inner barrel nut around the barrel. So far so good, kinda like using the "jamb nut" theory on traditional nuts and bolts. The strap wrench cost me $30 at Home Depot.  
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I put mine on with blue loc-tite about a year ago, and it's still good to go. I likes it. EDIT: Forgot to mention, the PRi rail sections will mount in the JP HG. It's much cheaper, but the one I got was unfinished, and I don't really like the way it fits together, but it's half the price of a JP rail. I've got a SureFire M962 mounted on one with no problems. I wouldn't take one to the sandbox or to clear houses with though. |
Red: Pics? blue: Why not? |
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Spiff, you were not saying then that you would hesitate to take the tube to Iraq but rather the tube WITH the PRI rail? Is that correct? So the rail is solid as can be. Would there be any worries about it rotating? How about the locktite, can't that heat up and come loose under rapid fire? |
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Right. The tube is solid,but the PRi rail in the tube is not what I would consider bulletproof. 3-gun fellas use them all the time, and if that's not rapid fire, I don't know what is. I'm not sure that melting your gas tube out with beta-c mag dumps is a good idea, but I've not heard of anyone having problems. Mine has never even thought about rotating. Is there any particular application your looking at using one for? |
I like the tube. Very solid and feels a lot better than the old Armalite NM tube that I used to have. The price for the extra rails was the only "bad" for me. I ended up only mounting the one on the bottom anyway.   I put this one together to help eradicate my 'yote problem this year. I've got that LED head on there right now for cheap (battery-wise) night time plinking. Have one of those turbo heads to use this fall. CHRIS |
| Keep in mind, just like any aluminum tube handguard, these get pretty hot in the Arizona summer months. I had one on my 3 gun back-up rifle. While checking zero in July during late morning under a covered bench, the handguard got uncomfortably hot. If you plan to use gloves or a wrap it with something like parachute chord, you should be fine. |
Now THAT would be hot! |
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The JP FFT is the stuff, I dont care for the 4 rail stuff, but love the full length top rail option, I have owned 2 and will be ordering my 3rd pretty soon, It has a piece that you loctite on , then a new style of barrel hmm bolt kinda. pics included of how it attaches FFT $120 from brownells, Full length rifle rail is $60, so your looking at $180 for the setup, kinda steep but definately worth it.    |
| These are becoming my favorite FF handguards. I have used pretty much all of the high end 4 railed tubes in the past without ever really utilizing all of the rails. Admittedly, because they look good. Now I know better. Again, these are light, customizable, and solid. They ain't too shabby looking either. |
I have one on my three gun rifle, I absolutely love it and I'm getting ready to buy a second to install on my carbine. I screwed up the install the first time, not enough wire brushing, before using the loctite, so it busted loose when I was tourquing down the barrel. On my next one I think I'll remove material off of the back of the nut until it lines up correctly which will make for a nicer install. My favorite think is that I don't have to buy a $150 railed handguard and then buy $50 worth of rail covers to put over 90% of the rails I'm not using. V-TAC tubes will be going on all my future uppers  Polytech |
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You will be very happy with the JP. Everything about the Viking Tactics tube forend exudes quality. It is a fundamentally simple, solid and well engineered product. The ventilation is first-rate, alignment system (receiver extension nut) is genius, the finish is superb. If a customer is unsure about what they want for a forend and they are not set on a four-rail, I try to educate them on JP VTacs. Every time they have thanked me for the results. Some time in the future I will only be building with JP VTac forends if someone wants a tube. Nothing else comes close in design and quality, and the price-to-value ratio is very good. And I practice what I preach. This is my 21st Century Bambi slayer:  Install tips: Put the wire brush attachment on your rotary tool, carefully strip the coating off the receiver's threads (where the standard barrel nut would go.) I get it down to the shiny metal, be careful not to scratch the receiver. Degrease the inside of the receiver extension nut (the big one) because they put oil on the barrel nut and you want the threads clean and dry. Put your red loktite on the inside of the receiver extension nut in the end facing the receiver, spin it on 'til it stops, back it off until it lines up. It will be very loose. Take a Q-tip and some acetone and get the excess Loktite off the receiver nut threads (inside) ESPECIALLY out of the notch where the barrel extension pin will go. Now take your barrel nut, grease the threads well, spin it into the receiver extension nut so it binds against the receiver. Line the gas tube holes up, and tighten the barrel nut so that the position of the receiver and the big nut are locked. LET IT SIT FOR A DAY. Don't rush or you will spin the receiver extension nut when you torque the barrel nut. After it's cured, you may find that the barrel nut is locked in place (hopefully you put enough grease on the barrel nut to keep it from getting too loktite'd). Just use your wrench and back it out. The rest of the installation is so simple as to not be worth writing. |
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