Each mounting system has their own specialties and their own pros and cons, because like with everything in life, no system is ever “perfect.” However, we can help you find the best rail for you and your shooting needs. KeyMod and M-LOK Compared A Brief Historyįor years, the standard accessory mounting system on AR-15 rifles has been the Picatinny rail. Still, the Picatinny rail is one of the most widely used rail systems in the industry, even though it poses some distinct disadvantages that the KeyMod and M-LOK resolve. Nonetheless, the Picatinny rail system is still widely used because of its straightforward and easy-to-utilize accessibility. One of the disadvantages to the Picatinny rail is that it can add some unnecessary weight to your rifle, bulking it up in a way that’s not beneficial to your gun use. Placed on the front end of your rifle, it can make your AR-15 a little nose heavy.ĭue to this single inconvenience, two resolutions were designed and distributed throughout the industry: Thus, the KeyMod and M-LOK rail systems were born of a need for a better, lighter and more versatile mounting system.īoth systems made the promise to cut back weight and add a wider range of mounting capabilities.
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Installing keymod accessories install#
We will review the topic anytime ahead of time the coming year and let you know what we have found.Both systems also provided the ability to attach accessories to the handguard and not require to install a Picatinny rail across the gun. Tell me about your encounters (advantages or disadvantages) of using both the Keymod or M-Lok systems.įurthermore, please tell me if there are any specific Keymod or M-Lok related products you would like us to test. I have acquired a Keymod and an M-Lok hand guard to evaluate, and over a couple of months I will be trying them out at the range anytime I have the chance.Ĭonsidering that there is no way I will be able to test every single available hand guard and accessory out there, I will be counting on your comments, too. Till the dust forms, we are considering the advantages and disadvantages of both system. Does the current market put up with 2 standards? Or will 1 ultimately reign over, leaving behind the other to be as forgotten as Betamax of the AR world? Right now we have got two open source direct-attachment rail system standards which are slightly distinct, but eventually strive to tackle the exact same issue. The connection lugs on M-Lok accessories are t-shaped and bi-directional to allow them to be positioned in front or back of the slots. Magpul’s new M-Lok system makes use of slots instead of the keyholes.
Installing keymod accessories free#
To improve their chances of the brand new standard, Magpul in addition has produced M-Lok free for the competition to use. So sometime this year, they invented their own contending standard called the M-Lok system. They considered producing some Keymod compatible accessories, but were not satisfied with how the system worked with polymer accessories. Great idea right? Magpul assumed so, too. Slide it ahead, then tighten up the screws. To install a keymod-compatible accessory, line up the lugs around the accessory using the round section of the keyhole. Many companies currently produce Keymod firearms and hand guards along with accessories such as straight foregrips, flashlight mounts, bipod adapters and sling adapters. Hand guards designed with the Keymod system can be extremely light-weight, and permit for the primary attachment of any Keymod-compatible components. It is an open source, public domain design, which means that any organization could make rails or components while using the system without paying any royalties. The KeyMod Systemįirst released in 2012, KeyMod was created and launched through the cooperation between VLTOR and Noveske. Not really a terrible solution, what if we could get rid of the middle step and attach components right to the hand guard without having a picatinny adapter? The KeyMod and M-Lok systems do just that. To ease this, you will find low profile hand guards that permit the operator to install small parts of rail mainly where they’re required. It may be a great system, specifically for installing optics, although including picatinny rails on a firearm’s foreend/hand guard can also add lots of unnecessary mass and excess weight. The picatinny accessory rail system is the standard for bolting stuff to the AR-15s as well as other firearms for many years now. We are on the verge of seeing the same major play out in the world of AR-15 rails. Yet if you were born after 1980, there is a good possibility you have never actually seen a Betamax tape.
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Recall Betamax? It was the first rival to the VHS videotape format, and on one occasion, it was just as popular.