mustang979
Regular
So I love my M4, and I've been looking for a decent sidesaddle. I searched high and low, aside from mesa tactical the only commonly available option is velcro sidesaddles. From my own past experience with Mesa tactical, they aren't the best quality. They are ok, but the finish isn't awesome, it's ok, but not up to snuff IMO. Velcro side saddles? I love the idea of being able to just remove the carrier and slap on a newly loaded one, but I've had bad experiences with velcro coming lose. So I kept looking and I came across a rail from Asgard Defense that seemed to be the best of both worlds. A rigid side saddle, that comes off allowing for a fully loaded saddle to be attached. The only obvious downside is that it replaces the top rail of the Benelli (so no co-witnessing red dot for me 
)
I searched high and low, but was unable to find a vendor in Canada, and they didn't have an option to ship to Canada, so I fired them off an email hoping they had a Canadian vendor/reseller. It took almost 2 weeks, but I got a response indicating that they were willing to ship to Canada, and they had updated their website. Fast forward a couple weeks and a package has now arrived in the mail.
Here it is assembled with the 6 shell holder (there is an option for an 8 shell, and a 4 shell with a rail)
It took a little bit of fidgeting to get them apart, but here is the new top rail
They were so tight to get apart I was concerned that maybe the tolerances were too tight, but fast forward 10 minutes and I got it installed. they are nice enough to ship it with locktight, and it uses the stock rail screws.
I put some rounds in it, and they slide in nicely. I don't feel like there is a need for the shellholders to "break in" as I've heard of others. they are held firmly, but not too firmly
It uses a steel detent ball, so there is no rubber to wear out which is very nice,but I suspect if you leave the shells in the holder, they will deform slightly but I don't believe it will deform them enough to cause stoppages. you can see here, the detent balls do not protrude far in to the shells space.
On the downside the back of the shellholders seems a little complex, and prone to snagging on pockets/pouches, but I guess this is the price you pay for having removeable saddles that hold firm with no wiggle/jiggle
the other downside, is that it is machined so tightly, that inserting shells just ones wears off some of the shell. It's not a lot, and I suspect it is only a real issue if you sit there and load and unload a shell maybe 50+ times. this pic, was of a holder that had rounds loaded once, then removed. I don't think it'll be an issue for me, but it's worth being noted.
Overall, the finish is perfect, it feels solid and things that should be tight are tight. I'm looking forward to giving this a try in the coming weeks. in my initial fidgeting with the rail, I was afraid the tolerances might be too hard and removing the holders and reassembling them would be an issue, but in playing around in my basement it seems to be just right.
Heres a video they put up online showing how the holder attaches and detaches
If you are looking for a rail and are not worried about getting an rmr to co-witness with the iron sights, I'd say this rail is worth considering.
)I searched high and low, but was unable to find a vendor in Canada, and they didn't have an option to ship to Canada, so I fired them off an email hoping they had a Canadian vendor/reseller. It took almost 2 weeks, but I got a response indicating that they were willing to ship to Canada, and they had updated their website. Fast forward a couple weeks and a package has now arrived in the mail.
Here it is assembled with the 6 shell holder (there is an option for an 8 shell, and a 4 shell with a rail)
It took a little bit of fidgeting to get them apart, but here is the new top rail
They were so tight to get apart I was concerned that maybe the tolerances were too tight, but fast forward 10 minutes and I got it installed. they are nice enough to ship it with locktight, and it uses the stock rail screws.
I put some rounds in it, and they slide in nicely. I don't feel like there is a need for the shellholders to "break in" as I've heard of others. they are held firmly, but not too firmly
It uses a steel detent ball, so there is no rubber to wear out which is very nice,but I suspect if you leave the shells in the holder, they will deform slightly but I don't believe it will deform them enough to cause stoppages. you can see here, the detent balls do not protrude far in to the shells space.
On the downside the back of the shellholders seems a little complex, and prone to snagging on pockets/pouches, but I guess this is the price you pay for having removeable saddles that hold firm with no wiggle/jiggle
the other downside, is that it is machined so tightly, that inserting shells just ones wears off some of the shell. It's not a lot, and I suspect it is only a real issue if you sit there and load and unload a shell maybe 50+ times. this pic, was of a holder that had rounds loaded once, then removed. I don't think it'll be an issue for me, but it's worth being noted.
Overall, the finish is perfect, it feels solid and things that should be tight are tight. I'm looking forward to giving this a try in the coming weeks. in my initial fidgeting with the rail, I was afraid the tolerances might be too hard and removing the holders and reassembling them would be an issue, but in playing around in my basement it seems to be just right.
Heres a video they put up online showing how the holder attaches and detaches
If you are looking for a rail and are not worried about getting an rmr to co-witness with the iron sights, I'd say this rail is worth considering.
