Just back from the 2012 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, we saw a lot of firearms and accessories. As always, there were many manufacturers of AR-15 style rifles present, and after looking at those weapons for three days, most AR rifles are hard to distinguish from another, especially the mil-spec style rifles, as they all look pretty much the same. However, a few do stand out from the masses, with premium features and hardware. Among those is the Del-Ton TRX carbine shown here. Del-Ton has been making AR rifles for a few years now, with my latest review of one being posted back in 2008. The TRX carbine featured here is distinguished by its use of some of the best hardware available, all from Troy Industries. Troy makes high quality AR furniture and accessories for the aftermarket, but their products are also used on many premium rifles within the industry.

The Del-Ton TRX uses a sixteen inch chrome-lined barrel with a one-in-nine-inch rifling twist. The muzzle is fitted with a closed-bottom birdcage flash suppressor. Most other features are from Troy. The gas system is Troy’s free-floating design, with allows the use of the Troy rifle-length hand guard. Attached to the hand guard are sections of Picatinny spec rail, for the attachment of flashlights, sling loops, lasers, or other accessories.

Atop the full-length flattop rail is an excellent set of Troy folding battle sights. These sights are quick to deploy, and their aperture design is unique and easy to use, with one aperture set up for distances out to 300 meters, and the other for longer distances. The sights fold down for use with optical sights, and did not interfere at all when I mounted a scope for accuracy testing.

The dark earth color of the furniture is very popular with shooters, looks great, and sets the Del-Ton TRX apart from the masses. The buttstock has six positions to adjust for stock length, and is quick and easy to adjust. This stock design also did not pull hair out of my face as do some other styles of adjustable AR buttstocks. The hand guard is lightweight, ventilated, and comfortable to use.

For accuracy testing, I mounted my mule; the Leupold Mark 4 8.5 to 25 power target/tactical scope. This scope allows me to get all the accuracy that I possibly can out of a rifle/ammo combo. Velocity testing was done with the chronograph set out twelve feet from the muzzle at an elevation of 541 feet above sea level, approximately. Temperatures hovered around the fifty-five degree Fahrenheit mark during all velocity testing, with humidity in the ninety-two percent range. Velocity readings are the average of several shots fired, and the results are listed in the chart below. Velocity readings are listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed in grains. FMJ is a full metal jacket bullet. HP is hollowpoint. V-Max is a polymer-tipped varmint bullet. TSX is a Barnes Triple Shock homogenous copper hollowpoint bullet. The handload listed uses the TSX bullet with 24.5 grains of Ramshot TAC powder, a Remington small rifle primer, and Winchester commercial .223 Remington cases. Accuracy results are listed below in inches, and are the average of five groups with each type of ammunition. Accuracy testing was done with the rifle resting in a Target Shooting, Inc. Model 500 rifle rest, to eliminate as much shooter error as possible. The rifle was allowed to cool between each brand of ammo tested.

The accuracy of the Del-Ton rifle was very good, especially considering that it has a mil-spec trigger, which had a pull weight of six and one-half pounds. The rifle carries very well, with a slight forward balance, weighing in at eight and one-quarter pounds, with the empty magazine in place. Overall length varies from thirty-two and one-eighth inches to thirty-five and one-half inches, depending upon the position of the telescoping buttstock. I really like the rifle-length hand guard, which covers the gas block. The medium-heavy barrel has a diameter of three-quarters of an inch, forward of the gas block, and .878 inch from the gas block rearward to the chamber area.

Functioning of the TRX was one hundred percent with every type of ammo tested. Every round fed, fired, and ejected perfectly, using both the supplied Troy thirty-round polymer magazine and aluminum original twenty-round Colt magazines from the Vietnam War era.

The Del-Ton TRX is one of the better AR-15 style rifles on the market today. It is set up with everything needed, without the excesses that are on some rifles. The hand guard is slim and comfortable. There is plenty of rail upon which to mount accessories, but not so many rails as to get in the way of shooting. The sights are durable, adjustable, and easy to use. The rifle is accurate, rugged, reliable, and good-looking.

Check out the TRX and other Del-Ton rifles and accessories online at www.del-ton.com.

To order Del-Ton rifles online, go to www.galleryofguns.com.

To order quality 223 and 5.56x45mm ammo, go to www.buffalobore.com, www.theamericanmarksman.com and www.luckygunner.com.

Del-Ton rifles are built in North Carolina, and have a lifetime warranty.