Does not handle barrel heat and recoil - Leapers UTG Tri-rail Mount for Front Sight Attachment, 3 Barrel Sizes

This tri-rail is a knock-off of a now discontinued Yankee Hill tri-rail. I have no experience with the Yankee Hill item, but the UTG model did not work. I was skeptical at how well this thing would hold up under recoil, especially with stuff attached to only one side of it. I installed it on a Colt LE6920 using one of the provided shims, making sure to use blue thread locker. I cranked the screws down good and tight. The thread locker was allowed to cure for about a week between when it was applied and when I took the gun out to shoot. My fears of how well it would work were well-founded, unfortunately. After about 50 rounds, one of the spacers flew out of the rail. The rail without both spacers rotated and slid down the barrel thanks to the light attached to the left side.

I could never get both shims fully inserted and flush with the rail. I suppose if you removed the screws and pried both sides apart more you could probably get both shims installed all the way. That might help with it staying put, but I don't care enough to try again. There's nothing holding the rail in place besides the rail and shims squeezing the barrel. The only control you have over that is how hard you tighten the screws. I have a feeling that whatever tension you apply would not hold up as the barrel heats up; it might be better to shoot a bit and then apply the tension while the barrel is hot. There's no instructions provided by UTG, so who knows. I'd be interested to hear how the Yankee Hill rails were installed since they were used on US Govt SOPMOD carbines, but unfortunately there's nothing out there about that item. This type of rail is a relic of the past from back before free-float handguards and low-profile gas blocks became a thing.

I can't recommend this item because it didn't work for me, however for $18.00, maybe someone else might have some better luck with it. Apparently some do since it's used for SOPMOD Block 1.5 clones and I've seen positive reviews elsewhere about it. Props to Optics Planet for continuing to stock these sorts of rarer items that some of us running older M4 Carbines home defense/duty rifles still need from time to time. :0)