While simple in design and function, firearms can be complex in terms of component parts. Of course, guns have evolved to become more sophisticated, which explains some of the extra parts. However, some people may be perplexed by the various types of gun rails or rail covers and other gun parts. When discussing rifle rail types, it's critical to understand how each better gun rail will affect the weapon's end-use.
Certain
gun rail types may be better suited for sitting in a blind and hunting, whereas
others may be better suited for a day at the spectrum.
What exactly is a rail on a gun?
It's
important to understand that a rail is also known as a mount or a base. All
three are used interchangeably. A rail is typically located on the top or
bottom of the barrel and is used to attach a sight or another firearm accessory
to the gun. There are various types of rails available on the market today.
Because
most gun owners use sights when firing, most firearms now have a rail. Sights
improve accuracy. They enable you to line up where you want your bullet to go
so that you can accurately hit what you are aiming at.
If
your firearm lacks a rail, most modern firearms are designed so that one can be
easily added. The rail is usually found on top of larger guns, such as rifles
and shotguns, and under the barrel of handguns, where a flashlight or laser
sight is easier to mount and carry concealed without the need for a part
sticking out.
Different styles of rail covers:
- A rail cover comes in various
styles, but the three most common are tip-off or dovetail rails, Weaver
rails, and Picatinny rails. While all rails serve the same purpose, they
differ in style and in the models of guns they fit. The type of rail you
want is often a matter of personal preference.
- We now have M-LOK and Keymod rail
interfaces that responsible gun users can use to eliminate the extra
weight the old legacy gun rail types carry. M-LOK is an open-source
mounting connector used by many, if not all, gun and accessory
manufacturers today.
Keymod is similar to M-LOK but lost the battle with M-LOK due to machining intricacies and drop test failures versus M-LOK. Other specialized gun rails do exist in the market, but they have become obsolete due to MLOK's immense popularity for all gun rails. To keep up with demand, Milspec Retail offers the best M-LOK accessories for this purpose.
