This year at SHOT Show 2022 I had the opportunity to check out the New M89 Drive Lock Rails by SOLGW, Sons Of Liberty Gun Works. A new rail that will be offered moving forward with some meaningful improvements.
While there are a lot of gun companies out there manufacturing AR-15 rifles, some stand apart for various reasons. One of those is Sons Of Liberty Gun Works. For what you ask, pursuit of perfection in the basics.
You probably won’t find lots of “bells and whistles” on the SOLGW rifles, because if it doesn’t add to reliability and improve the gun to the end of a “fighting” rifle, it won’t be there. While at a glance, they may appear pretty vanilla compared to some of the wild stuff seen around SHOT Show, the design is intentional. Enter the M89 Drive Lock Rail…
The M89 Rail was designed out of a couple necessities (and named after 1789, the year of the 2nd Amendment). On the one hand, the current design of the M76 rail, while robust, was improved upon. Secondly, a new opportunity presented itself to have their rails machined through another shop, allowing for a shortened supply chain.
So what makes the M89 Rail special? Lockup and rigidity. The new rail uses the Drive Lock lockup system. Not only does it clamp the rail onto the barrel nut, but due to the bias of the hole geometry, as the hardware is tightened, it draws the hand guard into the upper receiver. This makes for a rock solid lockup between the entire upper, akin to a monolithic upper.
Rigidity was also improved. The new M89 Drive Lock Rail has more material in crucial places. This, while adding a little more weight, improves the rigidity of the rail. This really comes into play with the longer hand guards, such as 15” versions on SPR (Special Purpose Rifle) models. That added stiffness ensures equipment like visible or IR (infrared) lasers maintain their zero in use. Hard use.
You will see the new M89 Rails being introduced into the SOLGW lineup this Spring. Offered in lengths from 8″ up to 16.75” with a MSRP starting around $289.99. Additionally, you can purchase the rails, as well as upper and lower receivers, individually for all the builders out there. A meaningful improvement to a workhorse gun.
The new rail by “hodge defense”