It’s a strange coincidence that as I was browsing the Internet to find a new handguard for my Ruger Precision Rifle Gen 1 I was thinking why on Earth are there no products with a dovetail ARCA interface?

I looked at the Seekins Precision handguard, with an ARCA rail from Magpul to go together, and finalized my shopping list. Great products, according to the crowd, but I was left with a feeling that there’s still room for improvement.

About an hour later I get a message saying that I probably should hold my purchase until SHOT Show, as there are news around that might interest me.

And here we go. Catalyst Arms, founded in 2017, had some news for me that seems to fit my needs (Precision Rifle Series and Long Range Shooting with various bags and supports) like a glove.

I know my needs aren’t unique, so I’m sure that their new FAST TRACK™ Precision Handguard is going to interest a lot of shooters.

Horse shoe pattern. Dimensions: 15” long x 2” tall x 1-3/4” wide

NEW! FAST TRACK™ Precision Handguard

Catalyst Arms Introduces A True Precision Rifle Handguard For AR-15 and Ruger Precision Rifles

Beaverton, OR – Catalyst Arms, LLC, a firearms accessory company, has introduced Fast Track™, a true precision rifle handguard for AR-15s and the Ruger Precision Rifle. Designed for precision rifle competitors and long-range shooters, Fast Track™ has the features they have asked for in a handguard such as an integrated Arca Swiss style rail, flat sides and bottom, a smooth top for greater scope clearance, M-LOK® slots and ease of installation.

Fast Track™ has an Arca Swiss style rail the full length of the bottom of the handguard. This provides maximum versatility for mounting directly to tripods or attaching accessories that can be quickly moved forward or backward as the shooting situation requires.

Unlike add on rails that stop before the magazine well, Fast Track’s full-length rail allows shooters to put the rifle action up against barricades or mount tripods as far back as possible for maximum stability.

The integrated rail is also a non-snag design that will not hang up on gear or while sliding the rifle back and forth or getting into position. The flat sides and bottom make the Fast Track™ much more stable than round handguards when shooting from bags, barricades, packs or other surfaces.

A low-profile top provides maximum scope clearance for mounting optics as close to the bore as possible.

M-LOK® slots run the length of the handguard at the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock positions for mounting other rails or accessories.

For ease of installation Fast Track™ attaches to both AR-15s and Ruger Precision Rifles via a dual barrel nut system that is easy to align and torque to proper specification.

Machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and hard coat anodized black.  Weight: 19 oz with barrel nut assembly

It will fit AR-15 gas guns (with low profile block) and Ruger Precision Rifle – Short action (Gen I, II, & III)

ARCA Interface – What is it?

For those who don’t know what the ARCA Interface is, please check here as someone already explained it in an excellent way.  This video from Magpul will help also.

Cole-TAC probably has the best video explaining the ARCA rail, and how I intended to use my setup for PRS/Long Range Shooting. You can check it out here.

The price is 219.95 USD which seems to be fair. The two other products I looked at are 55 USD more together, but price isn’t everything.

TFB will get back with a review of the FAST TRACK™ Precision Handguard as soon as we can.