Picatinny rail
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The 1913 rail (MIL-STD-1913 rail), also known as the Picatinny rail (1913 Picatinny rail etc.) is an American
.Once established as
.An updated version of the rail is adopted as a
History
Attempts to standardize the
The rail is referred to by many as the "Picatinny Rail", in reference to the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. Picatinny Arsenal works as a contracting office for small arms design (they contracted engineers to work on the M4[4]).
Picatinny Arsenal requested Swan's help in developing the rail, but did not draft blueprints or request paperwork for a patent. That credit goes to ARMS Inc's Richard Swanson, who conducted Research and Development and achieved a patent for the rail in 1995.[5]
Swan has visited civil court against Colt and Troy industries regarding patent infringement. The courts found that Troy had developed rifles with rail mounting systems nearly identical to the MIL-STD-1913 rail.
A
Many firearm manufacturers include a MIL-STD-1913 rail system from factory, such as the Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle.[6]
Design
The
The MIL-STD-1913 locking slot width is 0.206 in (5.23 mm). The spacing of slot centres is 0.394 in (10.01 mm) and the slot depth is 0.118 in (3.00 mm).[7]
Comparison to Weaver rail
The only significant difference between the MIL-STD-1913 rail and the similar
While some accessories are designed to fit on both Weaver and 1913 rails, most 1913 compatible devices will not fit on Weaver rails. From May 2012, most mounting rails are cut to MIL-STD-1913 standards.[citation needed] Many accessories can be secured to a rail with a single spring-loaded retaining pin.
Designed to mount heavy sights of various kinds, a great variety of accessories and attachments are now available and the rails are no longer confined to the rear upper surface (receiver) of long arms but are either fitted to or machine milled into the upper, side or lower surfaces of all manner of weapons from crossbows to pistols and long arms up to and including anti-materiel rifles.
Impact
Because of their many uses, 1913 rails and accessories have replaced iron sights in the design of many firearms and are available as aftermarket add-on parts for most actions that do not have them integrated, and they are also on the undersides of semi-automatic pistol frames and grips.[8]
Their usefulness has led to them being used in
See also
- Third Arm Weapon Interface System
- Warsaw Pact rail
- Zeiss rail
References
- ^ "A.R.M.S. Inc. (Dick Swan) vs. Troy Industries (Steve Troy): ARMS/Swan Wins $1.8 Million". DefenseReview.com (DR): An online tactical technology and military defense technology magazine with particular focus on the latest and greatest tactical firearms news (tactical gun news), tactical gear news and tactical shooting news. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ Pike, John. "M16 5.56mm Rifle". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
- ^ Pike, John. "M4 / M4A1 5.56mm Carbine". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
- ^ Danrit, C. P. T. (July 10, 2020). "US Army Develops New Fluted Barrel for M4 Carbine". Firearms News. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "HOME > ARMS". ARMS. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "Ruger® Mini-14® Ranch Rifle Autoloading Rifle Model 5801". ruger.com. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Dimensioning of accessory mounting rail for small arms weapons" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 26, 2010.
- ^ "Does a Concealed Carry Gun Need an Accessory Rail? | Gun Belts Blog". Bigfoot Gun Belts. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Magfed TCR". Tippmann Sports. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
External links