Let’s blow the dust off an article in Rifle Firepower from 2013 as we celebrate the Del-Ton Evolution’s 10th anniversary.
THE PLAN WAS SIMPLE: spend three days calling coyotes on Montana’s High-Line near the little town of Chester. I’ve hunted Western coyotes in April before, and it can be hit or miss, depending on the stage of the area’s gravid females’ pregnancies. If it’s about a week before the females give birth, they rarely come out of their dens, and the males will stand guard and stay put at the den’s entrance, for the most part.
We lucked out and called a few closer- range song dogs throughout the hunt with a new-fangled, high-tech shotgun as a primary weapon. That allowed me to break out Del-Ton’s new Evolution rifle and give it a Cowboy State workout for the long-range shots. Even though the first afternoon’s hunt was a bust, with only one coyote last seen heading for the Canadian border, we held out hope.
After battling 35-mph winds and a wind chill approaching zero the following morning, we swapped locations and drove south about 40 miles hoping for calmer conditions. On the first stand, we eased down into a dry creek bed where a small herd of Angus cattle were calving. Fifteen minutes into the set, we switched tunes from the “dying rabbit blues” to “kitty carnage” without anything showing up. When the calls switched to “coyote puppy in distress;’ things changed quickly. I watched a pair of pale coyotes break the top of a ridge 600 yards out and charge down into a ravine, heading in our direction.
A few minutes later, one of the coyotes topped a ridge at 375 yards and charged down into the creek bottom. When she crossed the dry creek bed, she quickly started circling downwind. Easing forward while looping downwind of our location, she got a snoot full of our scent, barked a few times and exited stage left. Seconds later, we spied her mate standing watching from the top of the ridge.
During sight-in the day before, I had zeroed the scope to hit dead-center at 100 yards, then backed off to 300 yards and shot another group with the Zeiss 6.5-20×50 Conquest with a mil-dot reticle.
I found the Hornady 55-grain Z-MAX loads were striking 15 inches low, which corresponded to the third mil-dot at its highest setting. I punched the button on my Leica 1200 rangefinder and lasered a boulder beside the coyote and it read “375,” so I held the fourth mil-dot on his chest and squeezed off the shot. I watched him fall before hearing the bullet strike behind his shoulder and take out his spine. One calf-killer down, the DTI Evolution was well on its way to making a statement as a reliable performer.
MEET THE EVO
Basically, the DTI Evolution is a 16-inch carbine with a mid-length gas system and a lightweight-profile, chrome-moly-vanadium barrel with a chrome lined-bore and a l-in-9-inch twist rate. What distinguishes this rifle is a Samson Evolution 12.37-inch, free floating handguard. Available in black or Flat Dark Earth, my test model had an all-black finish.
More specifically, the barrel is made of a chrome-moly-vanadium alloy, which is a relatively hard metal that has earned a stellar reputation for longevity. To further extend the barrel’s life, the bore is chrome-lined, including the chamber. The extra protection shows up in the chamber mouth area, where the harder surface resists throat erosion to a greater degree than barrels treated otherwise. Typically, you’ll crack a bolt with high round counts before you’ll wear out a chrome-moly-vanadiun barrel that’s chrome-lined.
The Evolution has a 5.56x45mm NATO chamber, which will also handle .223 Remington ammo. To assure reliable feeding, the barrel extension is milled with M4-style feed ramps. The barrel’s 1-in-9-inch-twist rifling stabilized bullets up to 62 grains without any problems. Don’t be too surprised if it also handles 69- to 75-grain bullets, too, as this test rifle did.
To protect the exterior of the barrel, it is treated with manganese phosphate, including the area under the Samson lowprofile gas block. As previously mentioned, the rifle is fitted with a lightweight-profile barrel with the gas block placed in the standard mid-length location. Tipping the barrel is a 1/2-28-threaded muzzle that wears an A2-style flash suppressor.
The bolt and carrier get the mil-spec treatment. The bolt carrier assembly is phosphated 8620 steel, and the bolt itself is Carpenter 158 steel that has been highpressure and magnetic-particle testedthe same process used in testing auto engines to find hidden flaws and cracks. To bring the bolt carrier assembly up to its correct hardness, it is heat-treated and plated. The interior of the carrier is also chrome-lined. The carrier key is chromelined, too, and attached with Grade 8 screws. To further ensure that the gas key stays put, the screws are properly staked.
EVOLVING FURTHER
The upper and lower receivers are forged from 7075-T6 aluminum and hardcoat anodized to mil-spec. This model features a forward assist, which comes in handy with a rifle destined to go hunting. When I’m ready to chamber a round, I can ease the bolt forward to pick up a round. Then I use the forward assist to lock the bolt home without the loud metallic sound produced if the bolt release lever is used. This definitely helps when you are trying to be stealthy in an environment where unnatural sounds carry a long way. A milspec dust cover helped keep the silty Montanan dust from gumming up the works.
This model gets its name from the Samson Evolution 12.37-inch, free floating handguard. It wears a flattop Picatinny rail that mates up nicely with the upper receiver’s Picatinny rail. Two2-inch Picatinny rails ride either side of the handguard at the foremost position, and a 4-inch rail rides the far-forward 6o’clock position. This rifle was also delivered with a set of Samson folding front and rear sights.
An aluminum triggerguard protects a rather smooth two-stage trigger, and the grip is a Magpul MOE+ to match a fourposition Magpul CTR buttstock on the mil-spec buffer tube. This rifle measures 35.63 inches fully extended and 32.38 inches with the stock collapsed. It weighs 7.2 pounds unloaded.
RANGE FIRE
At the range, I used two scopes to put the DTI Evolution through its paces. To shoot precision five-shot groups at 100 yards, I chose the Zeiss 6.5-20×50 scope. When I swapped over to shoot reactive steel targets, I mounted a Trijicon ACOG.
At a minimum, I shot three 5-shot groups for each load. I put more than 400 rounds through the Evolution without
a malfunction. Even though it was 67 degrees, it didn’t take long for heat mirage to interfere with shooting groups. When I swapped optics and started running through magazines, the Samson Evolution handguard did its job and allowed me to run through 10 magazines in a short amount of time.
Federal’s 69-grain Gold Medal Match averaged 1.39 inches, with the tightest group measuring 1.08 inches. The average velocity was clocked at 2,712 fps, with the standard deviation measuring 10 fps and the extreme spread 30 fps.
Hornady’s 60-grain TAP ammo averaged 1.44 inches, and the smallest group measured 1.21 inches. The standard deviation for this load measured 33 fps, while the extreme spread was 97 fps. The average velocity was2,782 fps. Hornady’s 55-grain TAP ammo averaged 1.32 inches, and the smallest group was 1.09 inches. Its average velocity tallied 2,911 fps.
Black Hills’ 75-grain hollow point Match load produced a 1.49-inch best group, while the average measured 1.94 inches. The average velocity was measured at 2,544 fps, and the standard deviation was 28 fps. Summit Ammunition’s 77-grain match loads were the top performers. The first group I fired measured 0.84 inches. Encouraged by the small group, I fired five more. I didn’t beat the first group, but I did fire two more that measured 0.89 and 0.98 inches. The average for all groups fired was 1.05 inches. The average velocity was 2,792 fps, while the extreme spread measured 214 fps.
Hornady’s 55-grain Z-MAX loads pack a punch on coyotes to extended ranges for a .223 Remington round. The average velocity was 2,840 fps. The standard deviation was 19 fps. The smallest group measured 0.99 inches, with the average measuring 1.20 inches.
COYOTE PRETTY
From close range to some extreme distances, the Del-Ton Evolution is a reliable coyote killer. The Montana hunt with this carbine was memorable for the fact that I was able to score a long-range best with an AR. The 375-yard shot stretched my previous best by more than 70 yards on coyotes.
Whether you are looking for a great varmint rig or a competition-capable carbine for a 3-Gun match, the DTI Evolution is a great go-to gun for whatever you’re up against. For more information, visit del-ton.com or call 910-645-2172.
As seen in Rifle Firepower November 2013
