Noveske NSR Rail Polymer Accessory Rail Cover Proper Installation Guide

Noveske NSR Rail Polymer Accessory Rail Cover Proper Installation Guide

These rail covers from Noveske can be difficult or impossible to install if you don't take it slow and smooth. I'll guide you through a painless install that doesn't result in mangled rail pieces or damage to your rail. 

Note- If you have a hammer/mallet out for this project.... PUT IT AWAY! You do not need a hammer. I've seen too many Youtube videos where people are using hammers to install these rail covers. Why would you use a hammer to install $10 pieces of plastic on a $280 rail. I didn't break even a single piece of plastic, and I never needed more than a little force to put these rail covers on. 

I only used one tool for this install and it was the black craftsman interchangeable socket driver pictured above, I removed the screw driver bit and it worked perfectly for what I needed.  I read horror stories online about people ordering three sets of panels because two sets got mangled in the install process, or that it took individuals 45 min to an hour to get these installed. This whole install should take you no more than 5 min. (Mine took a little longer because I kept playing with the panel placement to see what configuration I liked best.)

This is the underside of the polymer rail section, it has the "Lug" which slides into the KeyMod hole, and the locking tab at the rear. Notice that the slit at the base of the lug is angled to match the interior of your KeyMod rail slot. Spend a minute exploring how the piece fits and you'll realize that if you're forcing it onto the rail... it's because it isn't inserted properly.

In order to be installed properly, the lug needs to be flush with the surface of the rail, this is where I used my craftsman interchangeable socket driver. I used it to push firmly on top of the lug until it was flush with the rail.

The Lug is in the KeyMod hole, but the locking tab is not. Firm pressure on the lug will allow you to slide the piece forward into the slot as designed.

As I apply firm pressure to the lug portion I use my other hand to wiggle/push the polymer section forward in the KeyMod hole. Apply the firm pressure until the lug is flush with the rail, this isn't a strength contest, don't press so hard that you can't slide the polymer section forward.

After you've pressed on the lug and slid the polymer piece forward just a bit you will notice that you can remove the pressure and the lug will remain flush, once you get to this point you can push the lug the rest of the way forward without the downward pressure. If you find it difficult to move the rail forward, add the downward pressure again as you wiggle/push. Wiggle/push the piece forward until the locking tabs are flush with the rail. This is a very simple process!

The other sections are the same, if you are fighting the polymer sections, or grunting in exertion, you have something amiss. I found it easiest to slide the polymer section back off the rail and try again in this case. The first time I tried inserting this section pictured above, I didn't have all the lugs flush with the rail, and I was getting a lot of resistance when sliding the piece forward. Just stop, push the piece back, and try it again. These rail sections are very tight and can require some finesse, but forcing the pieces will result in broken pieces and bruised knuckles.

Applying a little pressure to slide the rail section forward, first one side....

Then the other....

Hopefully this has helped, or at least proved that these rail section covers aren't junk as touted by other online opinions. Yes, they are harder to install than Magpul XTM panels, but I didn't find anything overly burdensome or difficult during this install.

I ordered two sets and it left me with just the right amount of rail coverage. The panels fit tightly on the rail and don't add unnecessary bulk. They seem well made and a perfect addition to your Noveske NSR Rail.

Note - Good luck finding these in stock in the color that you want. Just bite the bullet and realize that with FDE and Black colors always sold out... Foliage Green may be in your future....

Noveske Chainsaw Build Part Two (Noveske (VLTOR) MUR Upper, NSR 13.5 Rail and Noveske LW SS Barrel)

Noveske Chainsaw Build Part Two 

The skies opened and cherubs carrying coffers of cash sprung forth, to fund my Noveske Chainsaw build....

No... not really... I sold some things and used the profits to fund my habits...

This build got expensive fast, I want to use quality parts and I prefer to keep it as close to the Noveske line as possible. I'm not building a trick rifle, or a mall ninja wall hanger, I'm just building a solid rifle and I've purchased tasteful upgrades as I saw fit.

I've assembled the lower using the Stag LPK and I think the trigger is pretty nice for a mil-spec trigger, no grittiness, minimal creep and all the parts assemble and lock up nice and tight. This is the first lower I've assembled and it was much easier than the online guides led me to believe. I took all the tips that they suggested and I didn't have a stray hammer mark or ding throughout the whole process. I put everything together sitting on my couch watching TV with a slab of 2X4 on my lap, some painters tape to cover surfaces and an old claw hammer (I still cannot find my machinist's hammer). I did find that a good sized Tupperware container to hold all the tiny parts is indispensable to this build.  Any angry beaver can put a lower together.

I ordered a VLTOR A5 receiver extension and buffer kit, I've read plenty of reviews online where people liked the smoothness that it imparted to the recoil, so I took the plunge and bought one. I've never had any experience with VLTOR until this build, and their parts/components look to be very well made. Snake oil?... too early to tell... but if it is, at least it's well made snake oil.

This Noveske MUR (Modular Upper Receiver) with forward assist was garnered from Gunbroker because no-one has any in stock online (With no restock date in sight). This is a chainsaw marked upper, and as such it has some minor cosmetic blemishes which don't bother me in the least. It looks well built and it should pair well with my NSR keymod rail.

Chainsaw!

The Noveske line of barrels are not for the light of wallet, and I paid an arm and a leg for this stainless lightweight profile 16 inch barrel. I figured if I was going to build a chainsaw, I might at least use the barrel that helped make Noveske famous. The upside is that it comes with a rock solid pinned low profile gas block and mid-length gas tube, so you don't need to purchase those separately.

Note: Do your own research about barrels, don't believe 90% of what you read, and if you can afford it and you want it.... buy it. It's a barrel and it won't last forever, but it will most likely last a very long time unless you abuse it. Most of what you read on the internet forums is pure hearsay, the "My brother-in-law who is a contractor said that his best buddy had a stainless Noveske barrel that was shot out after one carbine class" comments are rampant, pay them no heed.

The Noveske NSR rail came very well packaged and it looks really nice and feels really light.... that's all I have to say about it until I've got it installed.

The iron cross branding is a nice touch... some would say that this is the reason that Noveske products command such a high price... I don't disagree that this is a big part of the Noveske charm, but I think the no gimmicks, reliable gear that Noveske produces is also pretty desirable.

I still have some work to do before I end up with a complete  rifle, but now I have most of the major parts and the others are on their way. I'll do a follow-up (Part Three) in a week or so when I get everything assembled.

Noveske Chainsaw N4 Lower

It's nearing the holiday season and I've gotten one of my presents early...

I picked up a Noveske Chainsaw N4 Gen I lower receiver at Rainier Arms LLC. to put in the back of the safe for a rainy day. I'll source a Gen I or MUR Noveske chainsaw upper as they come available, and I'll decide on barrel options at a later date.

As always it's difficult to dispute the quality of Noveske components, and even if you're not a fan you'd still be hard pressed to say that they don't make a proven reliable rifle. I've never built an AR-15, but I've fired enough of them to know what features I prefer and there are a multitude of online resources to guide me through every aspect of the build. I won't need to do any machining, drilling or tapping, so I can assemble a rifle here at home without expensive specialized tools. 

The Chainsaw branding is due to a blemish in the finish, the blemish on my lower can be seen faintly near the Noveske Iron Cross symbol. I'm used to old badly beaten mil-surp rifles and this would pass as "pristine" if found on a FN/FAL or AK, in fact, if I didn't know that I was buying the "chainsaw" lower, I would never have even noticed. The critical tolerances, fit and machining of this lower is guaranteed to be no different than that of a non-blemished lower, and I saved 15 bucks in the process. (Plus I kinda dig the Chainsaw branding under the trigger guard)

This is a N4 lower, vice the newer Gen II lowers which sport the flared magwell and solid trigger guard. I wasn't keen on the Gen II's hefty price tag... and they were out of stock at the time so... I came home with a N4 Mil-spec type lower. It's a great deal on a lower, and now that I have the lower receiver on-hand, I can buy whatever components online and complete a rifle. 

I picked up a Stag Arms lower parts kit (LPK), some non-scientific research resulted in finding that the Stag LPK mirrors the Noveske LPK almost exactly (Produced by the same manufacturer (CMT), to similar tolerances). If you remember a few months ago in the big panic when folks were worried that the political climate was changing, it was near impossible to source a LPK. At about 60 bucks for this set there isn't any good reason why you shouldn't have one on hand to match your lower.

Lots of little parts, little parts that fly, bounce or otherwise escape when you try to install them... It's funny that all the install guides say you should put these together in a well lit, clean, tidy space, and my home wasn't built with not even one of these aforementioned rooms.

I can put the lower together on the bench without a jig or vise setup, but the upper needs to be held tightly to install the barrel. we'll see how I like this one after I get an upper and barrel combo.

AR-15 Wrench, 25 bucks... lets hope it does what I need it to do...

Pick up a lower while you can, it never hurts to have a few in the back of your safe. In hard times they trade at well above their purchase price, and if you get bored you can build a rifle in your spare time. People are rapidly forgetting the big panic a few months ago. That panic turned out to be all for nothing, but a lower saved is a rifle earned in the next panic.