FFT Ti tube review

[ianmhart]

I've seen a lot written on the carrier comp and socomguy tubes. I thought I would give a quick review of the Ti tube from Freedom Fighter Tactical in case any one was considering buying one of those.

 

Note: I have not seen either the Carrier Comp tube or the SocomGuy tube and am not a metallurgist.

 

The tube cost 254 dollars with shipping included.

 

The machining on the tube was without flaw. There were no seams or defects. The threads were clean and properly spaced. Aside from a ******* of a time getting the original tube off, the installation proceeded without incident. The tube appears to have very similar wall thickness when compared to the original factory tube (but I don't own calipers or anything, so take that measurement for what it's worth).

 

 

I chose the "finished" appearance for my tube. The tube color was extremely close to the factory original. A tiny bit lighter, but you really had to look hard for the difference. The tube does not appear to be painted or dyed in any way, rather the color seems to be the natural Titanium color. The tube is noticeably lighter in weight than the factory tube. The tube was marked "Made in USA" and "Titanium" in very small letters.

 

 

The included spring was approximately 3 inches longer than the factory spring. It, as expected for a 3 inch longer spring, puts more pressure on the shells than the factory tube. It appears to be well made, but I guess time will tell on that one.

 

 

My interactions with FFT were positive. I dealt with a man named Tyler. E-mails were responded to in a prompt and courteous manner, usually within 1-3 hours. Phone calls were answered. The Tube arrived four days, including a weekend, after ordering and I was given a USPS tracking number on the second day.

 

 

The Socomguy and Carriercomp tubes are (by everything I've heard) excellent quality. They also cost a little less than the FFT tube. That said, machining-wise I see no way the FFT tube could be improved and, in my opinion, the excellent customer service I received was worth the extra money.

 

 

I hope this helps.

i.

Edited May 13, 2010 by ianmhart

[Duggan]

Good review, now get some pics up

[agm65ccip]

The included spring was approximately 3 inches longer than the factory spring. It, as expected for a 3 inch longer spring, puts more pressure on the shells than the factory tube. It appears to be well made, but I guess time will tell on that one.

 

The Socomguy and Carriercomp tubes are (by everything I've heard) excellent quality. They also cost a little less than the FFT tube. That said, machining-wise I see no way the FFT tube could be improved and, in my opinion, the excellent customer service I received was worth the extra money.

 

Glad to hear you had a good buy. My only question/concern is when you say the new spring is 3" longer than the factory one. If it seems like it will work then great, but 3" doesn't seem that much longer when we are talking about going from a limited tube to a full length (unless I misunderstood somewhere). When I got a +2 extension for my gun the new spring was quite a bit longer than the factory and I ended up cutting it down some. I'm sure at some point someone with more knowledge about the full length springs will chime in.

 

Again glad to hear it worked out well for you. O and welcome to the forum.

[Hookster]

Hi Ian and welcome to the forum!

 

It's great to finally have a review of the FFT tube on the record here.

 

Later,

 

Hookster

[ianmhart]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. I will post pics as soon as my posy count gets high enough for me to do so. As far as the spring... it might be a little longer then three inches over the original. Could be four. I just eyeballed it real quick, no ruler or anything.

Edited May 12, 2010 by ianmhart

[Unobtanium]

Thanks for the warm welcomes. I will post pics as soon as my posy count gets high enough for me to do so. As far as the spring... it might be a little longer then three inches over the original. Could be four. I just eyeballed it real quick, no ruler or anything.

 

Is it noticeably springier than OEM? How does coil-thickness compare?

[texas skeeter]

without pics you LIE!!

[h.bowman]

The Ti knob from FFT - I bought one - felt the same about craftsmanship. Locks into place the way it should. I love it. Yes, a tad lighter than the gunmetal, but if it was sold with the firearm off the shelf you'd never even notice it.

[BigHat]

The Ti knob from FFT - I bought one - felt the same about craftsmanship. Locks into place the way it should. I love it. Yes, a tad lighter than the gunmetal, but if it was sold with the firearm off the shelf you'd never even notice it.

 

The Ti charging handle is a good piece of work. Have one too.