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Thread: Rail Systems? Your opinion?
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12 November 2014, 20:06 #1
Rail Systems? Your opinion?
I recently saw this video on youtube:
I recently did my build and I chose an M-Lok rail system.
I would like to hear forum member's opinion of this sytem, keymod, and any other kind of system that may be out there.
Simply put, what do you guys think of these various systems?
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12 November 2014, 20:10 #2
I have a few normal picatinny rails, 2 keymod and now an mlok. I liked the usefulness of the normal picatinny rail, but I don't like the rail itself. I think having 15" of rail on 4 sides of the rifle is a bit much. Now with these new interfaces you can put accessories where you want them without all that rail space. Don't have a preference over keymod or mlok as far as looks, but I will say that mlok is going to take off big since it is backed by magpul.
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12 November 2014, 20:16 #3
I think this question will best be answered in another year or two.
I'm old school, I still like quad rails. Plenty of accessories, and I can place them anywhere.
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12 November 2014, 20:24 #4
I never knew about this difference until I was trying to buy a rail, but at first look I tend to agree that the M-Lok system is going to be much bigger (over time). Also per the video above it is an open source system and supposedly not only magpul, but 30 other companies have signed up to make M-Lok bits and pieces.
The old school quad rail thing seems to me to be left in the dust, especially when you can have all these legos to put what you want where on your rail. The idea is definitely solid (meaning the concept of customization)... I have no experience with keymod and only minimal experience with M-Lok...but one thing I have noticed is M-Lok accessories aren't just wildly available. I've only found one or maybe two places that have anything. One is directly from Magpul and the other is from Midway. Outside of that finding things is a hunt.
Also as a first time AR builder I think it's vital that the industry as a whole educate more people on these kinds of options.
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12 November 2014, 20:26 #5
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12 November 2014, 20:28 #6
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12 November 2014, 20:30 #7
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12 November 2014, 20:35 #8Contributing Member
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Most of the AR market is guys trying to build the absolute cheapest AR they can put together and claim it's better than a colt. You're in the minority, you took the time to figure out what you wanted and learn the differences. Most guys are trying to build this magical gun for $500 or less. They don't care about Keymod vs mlok vs quad because that $30 handguard on ebay is just as good.
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12 November 2014, 20:37 #9
True. When I pick up my build, its not light. It's solid. I like solid. I will have to weigh it and see really how much it weighs.
I guess that's sort of the point of the thread... 'gimmick or awesome'? and to get an idea from forum members what they think.
When I ordered my rail initially I got the keymod version but they were out of stock, so they called an asked if I would like to wait or go for the M-Lok... to be honest at the time it didn't matter to me either way. I was operating out of ignorance more than anything but I got sort of a quick education on it to make a choice.
Ever since I have been thinking about it and looking around for M-lok options...and like I said, they aren't out in full force yet, that much I've discovered.
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12 November 2014, 20:39 #10
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12 November 2014, 20:41 #11
I currently have 4 kemod rails, just waitning to assemble two of them. I have two rifles with Centurion C4 rails. For me, the big winner of keymod is the small O.D. I'm putting one on my AR-10, but it probably won't have any attachments except a bi-pod, to which I have to attach a 4 in. piece of keymod rail. (Ironic, ain't it?) I can't comment on M-Lok, I haven't shot/used one yet. I'm assuming as far as size and handling, it's about the same as Keymod, not sure but it appears to be about the same thing, just different mounting "holes".
Not sure if this helps or hinders.
FTNRA Life Member
Basket full of Deplorables Life Member
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12 November 2014, 20:45 #12
Thank you :) LOL. You can easily say I did my homework on what i was going for for a long time, long before I ever did a build. I probably researched two years on stuff but I didn't know about this whole M-Lok vs Keymod thing until I went to order a rail... but no matter how much you look stuff up and look at things there are always unknowns... and this was an unknown for me for sure. I just kind of decided one or the other on a whim. The form factor (IE that looks awesome) vs the function factor (that really does work) don't always jive up...
Now I am in the mode of going 'this is what I have, now how do I make it all work'...
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12 November 2014, 20:48 #13
Supposedly from a manufacturers standpoint making M-Lok rails is easier to do and hence cheaper to manufacture. Same with the accessories vs the keymod system. I would imagine the manufacturing of the add ons would be about the same but the manufacturing of the rail itself will be cheaper if you go M-Lok.
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12 November 2014, 20:54 #14
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12 November 2014, 21:08 #15
According to Bill Geissele, he said that Keymod is not as structurally as sound as MLOK. Now, I don't know enough about material sciences to prove/disprove this (... haven't gotten that far in engineering classes yet) ... but Bill's a mechanical engineer, so I'll say his word is good.
Is Keymod that popular of a mounting option? Doesn't really seem like; at least not to me.