Barnes Precision - Ultralite Extreme Rail System

Around (6) six months ago, I received an Ultralite Extreme Rail System manufactured by Barnes Precision Machine to put thought the ringer and see if it could stand up to the performance requirements

that the modern day gunfighter needs. What I look

for in a rail system is the following:

• Reliability 
• Rigid 
• Light Weight
• Free Float
• At least 12" in length
• Ability to add all the fixing's

So I've been working with this rail system for the last (6) six months and running tests on it to see if it meets all of what I was looking for. I have to say that this rail system exceeded all my expectations and then some. What really convinced me was the reliability tests that were performed. 

The key ingredient to making this rail system out perform all others is in the patented barrel nut. Barnes developed a barrel nut that is considerably longer than most manufactured on the market, therefore giving more rigidity to the rail system. This becomes important for people who use flashlights, lasers, and IR systems on their weapons. Which in a tactical world, one or all of those tools is a must. So to test this, I mounted an EoTech red dot on the very end of rail system and zeroed it at 50 yards. 

I then took the EoTech off and began to punish the end of the rail system. I placed the gun in a vice and beat the very end of the rail with a rubber hammer, held the weapon by the pistol grip and struck the end of the rail against a wooden post, and then placed the weapon in the back of a empty trunk and drove like a madman all over our driving course at ITI for 10 minutes. I could hear the gun crashing around as I slammed on the breaks, took turns and caused the vehicle to spin out. 

I then remounted the EoTech in the same exact place on the rail system and shot a group. As you can see in the picture comparison, there was not much change. In fact, I would say there was little change in the accuracy of the weapon. This is definitely a win in my book !!                                                    (When you look at the target rings, the blocks are (1) one inch squares.)

Before Torture Test

After Torture Test

Now that the reliability and rigidness questions are answered, what else makes this a good buy? Well I'm not sure about you, but I don't ever run into anyone who carries a "vanilla" AR. Meaning that, people add all kinds of goodies to their guns to dress them up and this can add weight. I like that you can place rails where you need them. Not having quad rails running the entire length of the rail system, cuts down on overall weight. This becomes important when you have to carry your weapon for long periods of time. 

The overall performance of the Ultralite Rail System gets an A+ from me. It's proven to be accurate and rigid enough to support the needs of operational units. I personally like the 14" rail in order to get my support hand further down for more control. This allows me to be able to drive the gun better.  When it's time to take the shot at distance, it's nice to be able to brace the rail system on a barricade. Free float rails allow this to happen.

If you have any questions on this rail system, please email me at brandon@wrightshooting.com

Brandon Wright using Ultralite Rail System