Adams Arms (AA) Tactical Evo Piston AR (AR-15/M16 Rifle / M4/M4A1 Carbine) Uppers (Upper Receivers) with Samson Evolution Rail System/Tactical Handguards for Martial Combat and Tactical Training (Videos!)

By David Crane
defrev (at) gmail (dot) com

December 4, 2011
Last updated on 12/05/11.

DefenseReview (DR) recently published a hands-on review of the Adams Arms (AA) Evo Ultralite ultra-lightweight gas-piston/op-rod (push-type operating rod) AR upper receiver, written by DR writer/contributor Jeff Gurwitch. Well, the AA boys have been busy little beavers over there and have developed some more creamy tactical piston AR goodness for the tactical firearms community. They've just introduced the Adams Arms Tactical Evo Piston AR upper receiver family that includes 16" mid-length, 16" carbine-length, 14.5" mid-length, 11.5" SBR (Short-Barreled Rifle)/sub-carbine, and 7.5" PDW/V-SBR (Personal Defense Weapon/Very Short Barreled Rifle) variants.

All of the AA Tactical Evo (complete) uppers feature m4/M4A1 government/combat-profile barrels with standard Picatinny gas block and utilize the the Samson Evolution lightweight Mil-Std-1913 "Picatinny" rail system/forend rail tube/tactical handguards as the AA Evo Ultra-Lite upper receivers. The Tactical models' barrels and gas blocks take less time to machine, making the new uppers less expensive to produce vs. the Evo Ultralite receivers. This savings can then be passed on to the customer/end-user. The prices range from $939.00 USD to $1009.00 USD, depending on barrel length.

DR should perhaps mention that the Adams Arms piston/op-rod system is Mr. Gurwitch's AR piston system of choice and his favorite AR operating system and complete upper receiver, period, for both combat and competition. Gurwitch also likes integrating a Ferfrans Specialties RRS/DSAS (Rate Reduction System/Delayed Sear Activation System) bolt carrier group (BCG) with his Adams Arms uppers. The Ferfrans RRS/DSAS was developed specifically for the Ferfrans SOAR-P (Special Operations Assault Rifle-Piston) gas piston/op-rod tactical AR SBRs and carbines, but Mr. Gurwitch was supplied with an RRS/DSAS for side-by-side testing in the Adams Arms uppers to see how they perform with it vs. stock AA uppers. So, far, Gurwitch has found that the addition of the RRS/DSAS BCG not only increases weapon controllability on full-auto, but, interestingly, also increases his (accurate) target engagement speed in semi-auto fire.

In Defense Review's opinion, the U.S. Army could save itself a lot of time and money by going to a 14.5"-16" Ferfrans Specilties SOAR-P carbine/SBR upper or Ferfrans RRS/DSAS-equipped Adams Arms carbine/SBR upper as a drop-on/turn-key M4/M4A1-improvement/upgrade solution instead of going through the whole Individual Carbine (IC)/M4/M4A1 Carbine Upgrade/Improvement rigmarole for the Army's "next carbine". DR would also recommend coating the weapon's internals, including the BCG (Bolt Carrier Group) with a self-lubricitous/lubricating coating like FailZero's nickel-boron or Cerakote's Micro-Slick ceramic metal treatment for reducing friction and heat, and easing weapon maintenance. Oh, and maybe stick a Norgon Ambi-Catch ambidextrous magazine release button/lever on there (lower receiver) for the lefties.

Watch DR writer/contributor Jeff Gurwitch run a custom AA Tactical Evo Ultralite (also written Ultra-Lite) mid-length 14.5" piston AR upper on full-auto at the range in the first video (immediately below):

Adams Arms Tactical Evo Piston AR Upper Receiver Models/Variants' Specifications:

Model	5.56×45 PDW Tact Evo	5.56×45 11.5" Carbine Tact Evo	5.56×45 14.5" Mid Tact Evo	5.56×45 Car Tact Evo	5.56×45 Mid Tact Evo
Part Number	UA-7.5-P-Evo-556	UA-11.5-C-Evo-556	UA-14.5-M-Evo-556	UA-16-C-Evo-556	UA-16-M-Evo-556
Caliber	5.56×45 MM	5.56×45 MM	5.56×45 MM	5.56×45 MM	5.56×45 MM
Chamber	5.56 NATO	5.56 NATO	5.56 NATO	5.56 NATO	5.56 NATO
Barrel Length	7.5"	11.5"	14.5"	16"	16"
Barrel Twist	1:8 Right Hand	1:7 Right Hand	1:7 Right Hand	1:7 Right Hand	1:7 Right Hand
Barrel Profile	Heavy Contour	M4 Contour	Medium Contour	M4 Contour	Medium Contour
Barrel Material	CrMoV	CrMoV	CrMoV	CrMoV	CrMoV
Barrel Coating	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite
Barrel Lining	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite	Melonite
Gas System	Pistol	Carbine	Mid Length	Carbine	Mid Length
Fore Arm	Samson Evo Extended	Samson Evo Ext	Samson Evo Ext	Samson Evo Ext	Samson Evo Ext
Rail Length	7"	10"	12"	10"	12"
Rail Width	1.81	1.81	1.81	1.81	1.81
Rail Height	2.16	2.16	2.16	2.16	2.16
Flash Hider	A2 Flash Hider	A2 Flash Hider	A2 Flash Hider	A2 Flash Hider	A2 Flash Hider
Overall Length	16.5"	20"	23"	25"	25"
Overall Weight	3.91	4.28		4.52	4.64
MSRP	$939	$999	$1,009	$999	$1,009

The following is the Adams Arms press release on the AA Tactical Evo upper receiver family:

"As we continue to grow we are happy to be able to expand our product line to offer more variety to our customers.

Our newest offering combines features from both the Tactical Elite and the Evo Ultra Lite line of uppers to give you a new more price friendly and versatile option; the Tactical Evo Upper.

Available in a 7.5” PDW, 11.5” Carbine, 14.5” Mid Length, 16” Carbine and 16” Mid Length, this new line of uppers will give you the most inexpensive option on the market for a free floating, tactical piston upper.

We’ve taken the lighter more versatile Samson Evolution rail, used on our Evo Ultra Lite uppers, and added it to our standard government contoured barrel and standard picatinny gas block. These barrels and blocks take less time to machine and less money to produce than the ultra lite barrel and gas block. This means a savings in manufacturing cost, which we can pass on to the customer.

The benefits of the Samson Evolution rail is that it is lighter and allows the end user to configure his fore end for whatever need may arise without having to conform to a set of quad rails.

By combining our standard government profile barrel and our standard gas block with the lighter more versatile Samson Evolution rail we’ve been able to build a new line of uppers which starts at under $1,000.

Each upper comes complete with bolt carrier assembly, charging handle, Samson Evolution rail system, one 2” removable picatinny rail, one 4” removable picatinny rail, and one QD mounting kit; ready to be installed on your complete lower for your next favorite AR.

These new uppers are available through our preferred dealers listed below.

Coleman Tyler – sales@colemantyler.com
Elite Tactical Components – cs@elitetacticalcomponents.com
Rainier Arms – sales@rainierarms.com
Riflegear – info@riflegear.com
Western Sport – westernsportonline@gmail.com

And they retail for:

7.5” PDW Tactical Evo – MSRP $939
11.5” Carbine Tactical Evo – MSRP $999
14.5” Mid Tactical Evo – MSRP $1009
16” Carbine Tactical Evo – MSRP $999
16” Mid Length Tactical Evo – MSRP $1009

This is the first run on these uppers and with their price point may very well be the next biggest seller for us here. Get yours at any of the Preferred Dealers listed above and be the proud owner of the newest in the Adams Arms line."

Company Contact Info:

Adams Arms
612 Florida Ave.
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Toll Free: 877-461-2572
Local: 727-853-0550
Fax: 727-853-0551
Email Sales: sales@adamsarms.net
Email Jim Granger: jim@adamsarms.net
Website: http://www.adamsarms.net

Samson Manufacturing Corp. (SMC)
110 Christian Lane
Whately, MA 01373
Toll Free: 888-665-4370
Office Phone: 413-665-1162
Fax: 413-665-1163
Email: sales@samson-mfg.com
Website: http://www.samson-mfg.com

Ferdie Sy
FERFRANS Specialties 2649 E. Valley Blvd., Suite D
West Covina, CA 91792
626-893-8155 Office
info@ferfrans.net Email
http://www.ferfrans.net Website

Mailing Address:

FERFRANS Specialties
214 Calle Moreno
San Dimas, CA 91773
909-599-8094 Office

Falcon Security Group Inc. (FSG)
Huntington Beach, CA
Main Number: 714.248.6509
Email: falconsecuritygroup@gmail.com
Website: http://falconsecurity.us

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