

Since you have to attach Pic rails individually, they don’t affect the silhouette of a rifle too much unless you’re adding multiple pieces at once. However, it also provides an immediate military or tactical appearance, which can be visually appealing for most shooters. Handguard Profiles: Picatinny vs M-LokĪs a free-float design, M-Lok rail systems make the barrel of your rifle seem thicker and bulkier, particularly once you mount attachments. The vibrations and heat will loosen the screws, so they’ll eventually pop out. However, one significant issue you can experience with Picatinny is that they will come loose the more you fire your gun.
#Mag pul mlok rails install#
Not only is it much easier to install an M-Lok rail to a rifle, but you can mount accessories on all sides immediately without needing multiple pieces.Īnother advantage of the M-Lok system is that you can attach Picatinny rails to the negative spaces and combine both systems to get the best of each. So, if you want to mount an optical sight and a front handle, you need two individual pieces.īy comparison, M-Lok systems use a free-float design that attaches to the barrel and itself. If you’re going to attach a Picatinny Rail to your rifle, you need to screw the piece into your firearm so that it’ll hold steady, even after repeated outings. Here’s a comprehensive breakdown of factors to consider when comparing the M-Lok system to a Pic Rail. However, many shooters prefer the M-Lok because it’s easier to use, but it’s not quite as durable as Picatinny. It’s hard to say definitively whether one rail system is “better” than another. While a Picatinny Rail system uses grooves, an M-Lok system uses holes and T-shaped screws for faster and easier mounting. This meant you could put the handguard over the rifle barrel and start attaching accessories immediately. Unlike Picatinny rails that attached to specific parts of the gun, Magpul developed a revolutionary “free-float” design. While the Picatinny Rail System was the gold standard for over a decade, Magpul decided to create the M-Lok system in 2007, although the version we know today didn’t exist until 2014. This change made it easier to zero out any scopes attached to the rail and allowed for stronger grips between the gun and the attachment so they don’t fall off.Ī Pic Rail is mainly used to attach optics, but you can attach accessories to other parts of the rifle like flashlights, front handles, bipods, and more.
#Mag pul mlok rails update#
The most notable revision was in 2009 when NATO recommended the manufacturer switch to a metric system and update the clamping method. The name Picatinny stems from the location where it was developed – the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey.Īlthough the original rail system was created in 1995, it’s undergone a few upgrades over the years. M-Lok vs KeyMod vs Picatinny vs Weaver RailĪs the first rail system of its kind, Picatinny Rails quickly became the go-to option for mounting scopes and other attachments to rifles of different shapes and sizes.

Hardware is included.ĭesigned for use with all M-LOK compatible hand guards and forends, the 5, 7 and 11-slot M-LOK Polymer Rail Sections provide a cost-effective method of attaching various 1913 Picatinny-Spec rail-mounted accessories such as lights, vertical grips, etc. These are injection molded from a reinforced composite and are compatible with both aluminum and polymer M-LOK handguards and forends. For these users, Magpul makes small sections of Picatinny rail to facilitate mounting by adding rail where necessary without cluttering today's sleeker handguards. While this negative space hard point mounting allows for many direct attach accessories, many users have legacy Picatinny rail accessories. They developed the M-LOK system to provide a lighter alternative to Picatinny rails. Magpul has been a leading manufacturer of weapon accessories for many years. Magpul M-LOK Polymer Picatinny Rail Panels
