These Picatinny-railed handguards gained notoriety and attention as “quad rails.” More on the PicatinnyĪlso, the Picatinny rail design is older and heavier than other options mentioned, but remains very much relevant in the world of rail interface options. Eventually, enterprising gunsmiths incorporated the Picatinny rail into handguard designs. One of the earliest designs featuring a Picatinny rail was the upper receivers on M16 rifles and M4 carbines, giving them an easier option to mount optics. Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey completed and standardized the design in the 1990s. In the 1980s, companies trying to standardize the Weaver design created the Picatinny rail. Picatinny rails are the oldest design of the three.

All three designs use interface systems for mounting sights, optics and accessories. Three main options exist for rail designs: Picatinny (also known as MIL-STD-1913 Rail), Keymod and M-LOK. Drop-in options are much easier to install and usually do not require the use of any tools.ĭrop-in rails, like Firefield’s Edge Carbine Two-Piece Rail are, a great option for those who need a quick non-free-float upgrade option that enables them to reliably mount accessories.įirefield Edge Series 7in Keymod Free-float Rail AR-15 Rail Patterns and Designs Therefore, the mounting systems for free-float rails are typically stronger and more rigid as well, but often require tools to install. When selecting rails, you generally have the choice between free-float and non-free-float (also known as drop-in) options.įree-float rails do not make contact with the barrel, increasing the rifle’s accuracy due to barrel harmonics. An AR-15 Upgrading Your AR-15 Handguards to a Rail System Depending on your skill level and the type of rail purchased, you could do the work yourself and skip a visit to the gunsmith. If your AR does not have one, upgrading is simple. Today, a great number of manufacturers are making rail systems standard options on their rifles so customers can easily mount things like flashlights, grips and lasers. When rail systems and free-float handguards first hit the market, they were prohibitively expensive and mostly limited to military, law enforcement and competitive users. With so many different accessories for ARs available now, handguards that do not offer mounting options just won’t cut it anymore. Upgrading your AR-15 handguards to a rail system is in. The era of basic plastic handguards is over. America’s most popular modern sporting rifle, the AR-15, has advanced greatly over the past decade.

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