I got in on the Rainier Arms pre-order for the new Fortis REV rails last month. They promised delivery by the end of January and they met that promise. That right there was a big thumbs up for Rainier Arms considering the current climate.
The Fortis is packaged in a simple cardboard tube. There are no instructions, but for anyone who has worked on an AR-15 the installation is self explanatory. If you are not currently running a low profile gas block and GI barrel nut you will have to install them to run this rail. My setup below is a BCM 16" barrel, with a BCM lopro gasblock, and BCM barrel nut on an Aero Precision upper. To install, slide the rail over the whole works.
Snap it in place over the barrel nut…
Install the cap piece through the dovetail and torque down the screws. You will find that the cap will bottom on the rail once the screws are tight. This is a nice feature that gives a good visual indication that it is seated properly and offers some protection at stopping the screws instead of stripping them out. Further protection at stripping the screws is the stainless inserts they screw into.
The Fortis rail has anti rotation tabs on both sides.
The rail includes a full top and bottom section of rail. There are short rail sections permanently installed at 3 and 9 o’clock at the front of the rail. There are 4 QD sling points, left and right sides, fore and aft.
The rail is very secure and feals pretty good in the hand. It is overly tall so going thumb over the rail is tough for even my large gloved sized hands. You thumb ends up in the “groove” along side the upper rail section. It will interesting to see how hot it gets due to its very close proximity to the gas block.
I currently run a DD MFR 12" on my other rifle. I prefer the feel of the tube at this point. Shooting will make up my mind. The rail won’t go to waste, though, because my son has fallen in love with it already.
We weighed the Fortis vs. the DD MFR using one sling point and one rail section that I currently run on the MFR. Mounted on similar uppers, with very similar barrel and flash hiders.
Fortis weighs 3 lbs 5 1/8 ounces
DD MFR weighs 3 lbs 6 5/8 ounces
I was surprised that the Fortis was lighter. Really not the much difference in real life. The other advantage for me running the MFR is the ability to mount the rail section at 45* to the left of the upper rail. I really like mounting my weapon light there. The only choice with the Fortis is 90* (9 o’clock), which is not my favorite choice.
Overall, this is a super light and very stable handguard. The price point is also excellent. Can’t wait to shoot with it on this weekend.
I’m going to back off of my prior grip statement. A few minutes playing with it and I decided it was very comfortable with a slight shift of how I hold my MFR.
It looks quite tall. I’m really starting to like these style hand guards that only have sections of rail fore and aft. Seems the keymod system has taken off quite well.
Would hate to get a finger caught in one of those big cut outs. Yikes.
It works well for my son, he likes it. Like anything else, it’s personal preference. We haven’t had any heat issues yet, but we also haven’t run it too hard. It’s stayed mounted solid for the few hundred rounds we’ve used it for.
That’s clever. A dove tail for strength.
Are there teeth or a bar to engage the teeth on the stock barrel nut or are the anti rotational tabs the only thing keeping it from rotating?
I was almost set on jumping into one of these rails, but I am like you on this, I have no need for the full lower rail. Also, I have small hands, and I am glad that you pointed out how tall this rail is because I am sure it will be too big for me due to the “c clamp” grip I like to use. This rail just looks cool as hell, but is not practical for me I am afraid and I would only be buying it for the “cool factor”. If they make a tube style rail using the same design, I would be all in. It would also be nice if they would make it with optional rail segments instead of the permanent segments used now. Maybe they will listen to the consumer and make some adjustments to the design, only time will tell. Thanks for the review, it helped me a lot.
Wondering if centurion has a patent on the lock-up because these rails looks VERY similar in that aspect? Just installed the 14" on a customers gun tonight. Super lightweight but very similar to the centurion lock up.
The difference in designs is easily defensible by either party. In addition to the C4 being more like a URX in terms of its two piece construction, the Fortis has stainless thread inserts to boot. Plenty different.
