Del-Ton's new Evolution tactical rifle and two more for 2013

Del-Ton is adding three new AR-pattern rifles to their catalog for 2013, two budget offerings and a competition-ready tactical rifle, the DTI Evolution. These three guns are each different enough from each other to cater to individual preferences well.

The DTI Evolution is the fanciest of the lot. Designed to be featherweight and good-to-go for running and gunning, it also comes fully-loaded with high-end parts and accessories. It starts with a free-floating lightweight-profile 16-inch chrome-lined barrel, low-profile gas block, mid-length gas system and Samson Evolution 12-inch handguard. The handguard has a full-length 12-o’clock rail and optional side and bottom rails.

In addition to the handguard, the Evolution has a set of Samson backup iron sights, a quick-deploy dual-aperture rear and standard folding front sight. It also has a Magpul Moe CTR buttstock and extended buttpad. Del-Ton payed attention to the inside as well, installing a heavy buffer and two-stage trigger. Everything is finished to mil-spec. Unloaded the Evolution weighs just 6.5 pounds.

And with an MSRP of $1,300, this is also Del-Ton’s newest and most expensive rifle. We expect to see it sell in the real world for about $1,100. Still, with these additions it’d be hard to build your own for that price.

Next up is the Echo 316H OR, a no-frills AR-15 that’s made to keep costs down and run for a good long time. It’s got a heavy-profile 16-inch barrel, carbine-length gas system, and plain old A2-style furniture. The rifle does not come with sights but does have a railed gas block. Throw whatever sighting system you want on there, load it up and you’re good to go.

The Echo 316 OR has an MSRP of $864, and we expect it to retail in the $700-750 range.

The third and least expensive of the bunch is the DT Sport OR. Like the Echo, the DT has no sights and no special features to speak of. It also doesn’t have any sights, and that’s where things get a little more interesting. The DT has a low-profile gas block. While you could just throw a red dot on there and use it for plinking and varminting and what have you, it also means that it’s ready to accept drop-in rail systems from the factory.

The DT Sport OR looks like a good way to buy a complete rifle, but still have plenty left over to customize it with whatever accessories you like in addition to being a very inexpensive AR just in need of an optic. The DT has an MSRP of just $699, lower than the less-featured though better-known Smith & Wesson M&P Sport, which has a list price of $739.

If you’re on a limited budget and don’t want to assemble your own AR, Del-Ton can put one together for you that comes in at just about the same amount. These rifles have a nice spread to them, but that could be because we’re suckers for Samson rails.