i’ve been doing some online reading and saw their is a big question about the authenticity of some of the rail systems out their. please coment about what you should look for, markings, different spellings, anything the unsuspecting buyer should really watch for. pictures would be great for comparing real and fake rail systems. having just bought a rail from a gun show i’m intrigued to find out the truth.
it’d be easier if you just post pics of the rail you bought so someone who knows the difference can see whether it’s the genuine article or not.
first of all I don’t have a camera to post pictures, sorry. second, i was just asking in general what to look for. it’s more for the publics intrest rather than if i have the real deal or not. i think i have the real deal. i just see more and more post about the authenticity of the rails and am very interest in knowing. I plan to buy more rails in the furture and i don’t have any experience with knight’s rails. the only rails that i own are troy rails. thanks for the reponse.
Where did you buy it from?
What markings are on it?
The discrepancies between a real and a fake RAS can be numerous and vary from knockoff to knockoff. Sometimes a fake can be spotted by something as obvious as having odd numbers for the rail slot markings (a real one is even-numbered). Other times you’ll need to be more diligent in your search.
Here is a fake one, for example (note the odd-numbered rail markings):
http://www.wgcshop.com/pcart/enlargeimage.php?enlargeimage=vfc_acc_rthf_l.jpg
An authentic KAC RAS will always have the following etched on it:
KNIGHT’S ARMAMENT
COMPANY
Titusville, FL or Vero Beach, FL (their old location)
Cage No. 1S002 (I would imagine ones produced from their old location would have a different cage no.)
They will also have this patent number:
5,826,363.
Hope this is of help to someone.
J
bought it at a VA gun show
KNIGHT’S ARMAMENT
COMPANY
Titusville, FL
But like i posted before, this really isn’t about the authenticity of my own rails, but just the rails in general.
If the price is too good to be true, then it’s probably a knockoff.
they release “seconds” for incredibly good deals from time to time- it’s not uncommon to see real RAS kits for between $150 and $200. there’s a thread on some that i think Grant got ahold of right now.
there are, however, fakes floating around out there. search ebay for “KAC RAS” and they’ll pop up all over the place.
i suspect i could spot most fakes, if i held them in hand, just by differences in quality. if anyone could pop out a complete RAS kit of the same quality as KAC, KAC would go out of business pretty quick. so really it’s just gonna come down to a wee bit of experience and discretion on the buyer’s part. if you’re not familiar with the real RAS kit, don’t drop your money on a guess.
ETA: OP… if you want me to post pictures of any particular detail, i’d be happy to. i’m sure most guys here would too. which kit did you get?
I have been finding real kac rail sets new in box with all covers and vert grip 100.00 to 150.00 here in the Austin area.
http://www.gandrtactical.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=RAS-BLEM
dis be what i’m talkin about. complete kit for $175
http://www.knightarmco.com/shop2/index.php?categoryID=129 they are 150.00 on the knights website from what I see.
Bringing it back from the dead. I was wondering if someone could tell me if these are real Knights Armament rails. From the research I have done the only thing missing is the cage number but its got the correct patent number. Im confident the vert grip is real, but Im not sure about the rails. These are the pics the seller sent me:
You look good to go with that one.
I agree with Arbiter, everything there looks legit.
J
Even without the cage number? I saw another with it thats why i question this one. Btw does anyone have any expierence with the 2nd or blemished rails in knights online store? How bads the blemish? Is it a fitmenent issue?
Mine, an older RAS, doesn’t have a cage no. either.
I don’t have any personal experience with KAC’s factory seconds, but from what I’ve read here it usually has something to do with either the tint of the anodizing or the laser-etching being a bit off. Whatever their aesthetic defects may be, they are in no way a physically defective rail.
Here’s some threads on KAC factory seconds:
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=37225
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=8327
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=51038
J
BUMP! I’d like someone to authenticate a potential buy… Here are the pics he sent me. Going for $240…
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j206/vietboy1st/P1000228.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j206/vietboy1st/P1000227.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j206/vietboy1st/P1000226.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j206/vietboy1st/P1000225.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j206/vietboy1st/P1000224.jpg
looks like my medium length FF RAS
Ok, just send funds via paypal
Looks real to me, I’ve worked with these on military rifles for years. Looks legit.