New Gen 2 Drop-In Rail Hand Guard for AR15

Unrevealed at SHOT Show 2011, the new drop-in rail hand guard adds to Midwest Industries’ (MI) already extensive AR-15 product lineup. It’s a major upgrade from the previous generation of drop-in MI rail hand guard. Not only there are many new features but more importantly, it is 2.5 ounces lighter than the older model.

Midwest Industries’ Gen 2 drop-in 2-piece AR-15 rail hand guard is currently one of the lightest on the market at only 7.5 ounces.

The top rail is now continuous and bridges over the delta ring. The first and last rail slots on each of the quad rails are specially machined to accept the KAC style rail panel clip.

I have been using the older Gen 1 model for the past two years. It impressed me on how well it holds up in training. The installation of the new Gen 2 model is as easy as the old one. All it needed is to take off the stock plastic hand guard or existing drop-in rail hand guard then replace it with the new MI hand guard. If your rifle has a very stiff delta ring, you may want to use an AR hand guard removal tool. A removal tool is also handy for taking off the hand guard for weapon cleaning.

The followings are difference on the new Gen 2 drop-in rail hand guard to the older Gen 1 model:

• Continuous top rail section
• 4 QD sling swivel sockets with anti-rotation limiters
• One-piece construction for each halves
• Improved interface taps for better lock-up
• Larger cooling holes
• Better gas piston system compatibility
• 7.5 oz weight, a 2.5 oz reduction over the Gen 1

All of the Midwest Industries rail systems are CNC machined from T6 aluminum and hard anodized. Each milspec 1913 rail sections on them are T-marked for accessory location. MI backs each of their rail hand guard system with a Lifetime warranty.

One of the newly added features is the QD sling swivel sockets on the two side rails. Those four QD sockets also have anti-rotation limiter build-in.

The MI rail hand guards are always have great compatibility with AR-15 gas piston systems. The new Gen 2 drop-in model is compatible with gas piston systems from Adam Arms, Stag, CMMG, Smith & Wesson, ARES and LWRC. The only exception is the gas piston kit from Osprey, which needs the MI P-series models. Call or email MI for gas piston models that are not listed.

Besides of the reviewed 7-in carbine length, the new MI Gen 2 drop-in model is also comes in 9-in mid-length and 12-in rifle-length size. The color options are: black, OD Green and Flat Dark Earth.

The MI Gen2 drop-in quad rail hand guard is available directly from Midwest Industries or one of its retailers. The MSRP is $124.95 (7-in carbine length, #MCTAR-17G2), $139.95 (9-in mid-length, #MCTAR-18G2) and $159.95 (12-in rifle length, #MCTAR-19G2)

The extra cut at the front of the top rail is for piston system compatibility. The new MI hand guard works with most piston systems currently on the market. All four milspec rails includes laser engraved T-markings.