Picatinny rail

Picatinny Rail

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Picatinny rail

The Picatinny rail ( or ) or MIL-STD-1913 rail or STANAG
STANAG

STANAG is the NATO abbreviation for Standardization Agreement, which set up processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance....
2324 rail is a bracket used on some firearm

Firearm

A firearm is a tool that projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined combustion of a propellant....
s in order to provide a standardized mounting platform.

name comes from the Picatinny Arsenal

Picatinny Arsenal

The Picatinny Arsenal is an American military research and manufacturing facility located on a lot in northern New Jersey. The Arsenal is the headquarters of the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center....
in New Jersey

New Jersey

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Encyclopedia

Firearm

History

Its name comes from the Picatinny Arsenal

Picatinny Arsenal

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, on the east by the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean, on the southwest by Delaware, and on the west by Pennsylvania....
, where it was originally tested and was used to distinguish it from other rail standards at the time. The rail comprises a series of ridges with a T-shaped cross-section interspersed with flat "spacing slots". Scopes et al. are mounted either by sliding them on from one end or the other; by means of a "rail-grabber" which is clamped to the rail with bolts, thumbscrews or levers; or onto the slots between the raised sections.

Uses

The rail was originally for scopes. However, once established, the use of the system was expanded to other accessories, such as tactical light

Tactical light

A tactical light is a flashlight used in conjunction with a firearm to aid low light target identification and allows the marksman to simultaneously aim and illuminate the target....
s, night vision devices, laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process called stimulated emission. The term laser is an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation....
sighting modules, reflex sight

Reflex sight

Reflex sights are optical or computing sights that reflect a reticle image onto a combining glass for superimposition on the target. Reflex sights are most commonly configured as non-magnification firearm Sight s , but they are also used to aid targeting on other devices, such as telescopes and point-and-shoot digital cameras....
s, fore grips, bipod

Bipod

A bipod is a support device that is similar to a tripod or monopod, but with two legs. It provides significant stability along two Coordinate axis of motion ...
s, and bayonet

Bayonet

A bayonet is a knife-, dagger-, sword-' or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on or over the muzzle of a rifle barrel or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear....
s. Because they were originally designed and used for telescopic sight

Telescopic sight

A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a device used to give additional accuracy using a point of aim for firearms, airguns and crossbows....
s, the rails were typically found only on the receiver

Receiver (firearms)

In firearms terminology, the receiver is the part of a firearm that houses the operating parts. It is sometimes called the body of the firearm, and especially in the context of handguns it is often called the frame....
s of larger caliber rifle

Rifle

A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls....
s. But their use has extended to the point that today the combination of Picatinny rails and accessories are displacing the original iron sights

Iron sights

The term iron sights refers to the open, unmagnified system used to assist the aiming of a guns/devices, usually those intended to launch projectiles, such as firearms, airguns, and crossbows; they are also used on many telescopes to help point at a desired target....
in the design of many firearms, and they can now often be found on the undersides of frames and even on grips.

Technical specifications

In order to provide a stable platform, the rail should not flex as the barrel heats and cools; this is the purpose of the spacing slots: they give the rail considerable room to expand and contract lengthwise without distorting its shape. The Picatinny locking slot width is . The spacing of slot centers is and the slot depth is . The only differences between the Picatinny rail and the similar Weaver rail

Weaver rail mount

A Weaver rail mount is a system to connect telescopic sights and other accessories to rifles, shotguns, pistols, archery bows, etc. which uses a pair of parallel rails and several slots perpendicular to these rails....
are the size of these slots and the fact that they are standardized. Weaver rails have a slot width of , but are not necessarily consistent in the spacing of slot centers. Because of this, accessories can be and are designed to fit on both Weaver rails and Picatinny rails; but most Picatinny devices will not always fit on Weaver rails.

Picatinny rail

History

Uses

Technical specifications

See also