| Q. What is a Picatinny
Rail?
A. The
Picatinny rail is a bracket used on some
firearms in order to provide a standardized mounting platform
for
telescopic sights and other accessories such as
tactical lights and
laser sighting modules. The standard was first published by the
Picatinny Arsenal and carries the official title MIL-STD-1913.
It is also known by the
NATO designation STANAG 2324.
The rail is typically placed directly on the
weapon's
receiver, in the position normally occupied by the rear sights.
Shaped in cross-section roughly like a wide T, scopes are mounted on
the rail either by sliding them on from one end or the other, or by
means of a "rail-grabber" which is clamped to the rail by means of
bolts, thumbscrews or levers.
In order to provide a stable platform, the rail
should not flex as the barrel heats and cools. For this reason
Picatinny rails are cut crosswise, to give them considerable room to
expand and contract lengthwise. These slots are also standardized in
size, and many accessories use them for locking purposes. The only
difference between the Picatinny rail and the similar
Weaver rail is the size of these slots, which are spaced 5 mm on
the Picatinny and 3.8 mm (1/8th inch) on the Weaver. Rail-grabber
mounted accessories can generally be used on either style rails.
Originally used for scopes, the rails were
typically found only on larger caliber rifles. With the increased
use of
night vision scopes, they started to appear on smaller assault
rifles as well, to the point today where they are displacing the
original iron sights of many weapons with versions that can be
mounted on the rails.
Once the rails became more common, they started
to be used for other accessories, such as flashlights. This has led
to many accessories now designed rail-mounted, including
bipods,
bayonets and
laser sights. In turn, this had led to the introduction of
"small rails" that can be fastened to guns in various locations, and
in some cases, entire grips with rails built-in on all sides. Short
rails now appear even on
shotguns and
pistols.
Definition contributed by Wikipedia the free
encylopedia. |
