quote:

Originally posted by kimberkid:
It took me years to realize that, while these do-dads are cool, I don't use light's, lasers and all the other things that market engineers and designers have come up with to separate me from my money.

Maybe it would be different if I was younger, or lived on a farm and needed to take out fox or coyote's from killing my livestock ... or a night hunter (we call'um poachers) and needed infrared or thermal detection ... or if I was a hit-man, but in both the John Wick movies he didn't use any of that stuff.

Except those aren't the only reason to have a light on your rifle. IMO (and in the opinion of people with BTDT resumes) a light is required on a defensive rifle. Sure if all you do is go shoot on the range a light is probably useless.

I even put one of the rifle that my mom got. This is her rifle:

quote:

Originally posted by heisrizn:
Keymod will go by way of HD DVD. M-lok is the Blu-ray of mounting systems.

HD-DVD vs Bluray was a this or that situation due to the copyrights involved. It isn't the case with Keymod or Mlok. As mentioned though many handguard companies have chosen one style or the other most accessories are available for both.

Heck I don't think are many truly dead things in the firearm industry.

Neither one. My first AR came with the cheese-grater quad rails. Functional, but not the best. All subsequent ARs have Wilson's TRIM rails -- smaller, lighter, smoother, with the ability to attach short rail sections wherever necessary. I only have a rail attachment on the forward 6 o'clock position for an Atlas bipod. I have a QD sling attachment at forward 9 o'clock position, however they are attached directly to the TRIM rail.

That's it -- sling mount and bipod on my ARs, nothing else. Wilson's TRIM rails have attachment locations for all sorts of doo-dads, but have not seen the need to hang anything else.

I like key mod just because Ive been running a Noveske NSR rail on my duty gun for four years now. It is a great rail, the only thing I would like improved is not having to index the barrel nut similar to a KMR type. But once its on straight, its fantastic. Unlike a lot of rails out there now, the four sides of the NSR that are not the mounting surfaces are rounded which gives a great feel in the hand but does not allow direct 45degree mounting of accessories like a KMR or other.

Everything Ive been reading recently online from guys who seem to know what they're talking about says that they are both about the same, but on a technical level M-Lok is a bit stronger so if your running something like a bipod or barricade stop off it that could get sheering type load then you should go mlok.


Ive been doing a ton of research on rails recently and while there are lots of good options I will be going with either a BCM KMR or a SLR Ion Ultralight for my next build. Both are super light and have good mounting systems.
The BCM mounting system has a lot going for it I think and the rail is reasonable priced. BCM only comes in KeyMod.

If you are running laser or IR target identifiers (PEQ) etc, then my research is saying the Geissele MK8 rails are the strongest/most solid mounting system, however they are heavier/more expensive than the BCM or others.

Ive been simplifying/lightening my AR for a while, now I just run a 14.5 mid-length lightweight barrel, pinned BCM Gunfighter comp (effective but not too loud), 13.5" NSR, TLR-1 at the 12o'clock, Aimpoint micro, BCM short Mod 3 vertical grip (used more like a handstop), and a Proctor sling (love that thing, super lightweight and who needs padding when you have body armor on).

The last thing I'm going to do is switch from the SOPMOD stock to something small like the Magpul SL-K.

I find my Daniel Def M4v11 with Keymod is fine to grip bare. I have a short pic rail section mounted @ 6 o'clock for either my Magpul angular grip or a atlas bi-pod for bench work, but that is it.

I'm kinda leaning to neither also. A simple LE6920 may be in my future.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by IrishWind:
Check the rails and how they feel. One gunshop recently trier to steer me to MLOK based on how the rail felt plain. The MLOK rail was octogonal in shape, and the KMR was more like a cross.

"Feel" will vary based on that specific model of handguards, not necessarily by the type of slots. With the different models of both MLOK and Keymod handguards from various brands, some handguards will be more cross-shaped with slots only at 3/6/9, while others will be hexagonal with slots at 1:30/3:00/4:30/6:00/7:30/9:00/10:30.

I'm not sure why the KMR felt cross-shaped to you... It's a true hexagonal handguard with equal slots on all 5 facets (with a pic rail on the 6th facet on top).

The rail the guy handed me was KeyMod, not KMR. Sorry about the confusion. Their was Pic rail on top, and KeyMod at 3,6, and 9. And if you looked at the rail from the front, the deep indents between the positions looked like a cross. BCM KMR would have felt as good as the octagonal MLOK rail.

I agree for keymod the Noveske NSR is the way to go.

Super light and narrow. Most of my AR's have this rail.

quote:

Originally posted by motorheadjohn:

One rifle has the Bootleg keymod/picatinny handguard from BCM. It contacted the gas block at assembly, so I ground some clearance on the block but it wasn't enough. I tore it apart again and replaced the gas block with the double set-screw block which is shorter on the bottom. Accuracy is now better but even with red Locktite I don't have much faith in the set-screw style gas block staying-put.

The barrel must be dimpled on set screw style to be secure. If they are, I think they are very secure as long as good (red) loctite is used. Only thing better is to pin the block to the barrel. I don't trust clamp style without pinning.

SLR makes a good barrel dimpling jig you can easily use at home for only $30. Check your center-center spacing on the holes on your gas block though, they differ by manufacturer.

http://slrrifleworks.com/index...oduct&product_id=579

I like the keymod better, it's easier to attach the keymod accessories.

I have a BCM KMR and I love it's lightweight and thiness. The attachment is easier. I have a MagPul MOE handguard with Mlok and it was a much more pain in the ass to attach the light rail.

ARman

I have M Lok, but this is because I decided I wanted to simplify on one system only and not mess around with 2 systems and 2 different requirements.

I ended up choosing M Lok for a veriety of reasons. It felt nicer in my hand, and I preferred the look vs the pallet rack KeyMod. It's also supposedly cheaper and easier to manufacture, so I figured products would be cheaper over time if the savings did actually materialize. Finally, the idea of having a hole with different sizes in it just seemed off to me, I'd hate to get something jammed in there. I had visions of getting a branch jammed in there and never coming out again because of the 2 different channels.

quote:

Originally posted by Graniteer:
Finally, the idea of having a hole with different sizes in it just seemed off to me, I'd hate to get something jammed in there. I had visions of getting a branch jammed in there and never coming out again because of the 2 different channels.

Huh?

Please explain how you envision a tree branch getting permanently stuck in a Keymod handguard...

I own both types and handle both types at work.

Initially, I liked how light and handy keymod rails were, but once I put hands on some M-LOK rails, that was all she wrote. I much prefer how M-LOK rails look and feel, like their beefier screws and the fact that they're Magpul's baby, ( so that should mean that they've got good support. )

My comparison would be Beta -vs- VHS, ( for those of us old enough to remember those days. )

Own Keymod guns, but I do miss having access the 800lb gorilla's accessories without the need for added pic rail sections. That being admitted, BCM stuff is pretty good too, and they've been my primary source for KM gear. I've been thinking that my next AR build will be focused around M-Lok, just to see if I really must have the shadow of Magpul hovering over me.

quote:

Originally posted by Rustpot:

quote:

Originally posted by CD228:

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
So, which will be the standard five years from now and which will be a quaint historical curiosity?
(I have thus far avoided both because the best is not always the one that survives.)

Neither. .MIL will crack the code on a powered rail with power supply integrated into the weapon's grip. The attachment method will be driven by the electrical system.

.MIL has an MLOK rail in service, the Geissele 416 rail was approved a few months back. Not sure who for, but it's out there.

I've seen an unconfirmed report from Soldier Systems daily that we are going to see MLOK on the M110C. However, I am waiting to see what and when the rifles are actually delivered with.

The question was asked with a 5 year time frame. I would tell you to look at what is being briefed at NDIA and what is being worked on at Crane, Picantiny, NATO and with industry partners. The powered rail has been an ongoing project along with the integrated shot counter, Squad Common Optic (LPV), LSAT and the various light weight and smart round programs.

Now, I may be a little presumptuous in believing that the civilian marketed will jump to the powered rail as fast as they jumped on the 1913 rail.

Keymod looks like little cock n balls.

quote:

Originally posted by celticwolf:
Keymod looks like little cock n balls.

I've never looked at keymod rails quite the same after reading posts like this.

I wonder if, ( instead of the cock -n- balls ) they at least could've made the outline of the hot mud flap girl work?

I have a BCM KMR and I like it a lot, I'm not married to keymod though. I am planning to buy some replacement rails for my SCAR and I think I am leaning towards mlok.

I have both. Prefer the look of Mlok. Keymod looks like old school store shelving.

I don't really attach anything so it's not a big deal to me. At most I will put on a handstop and maybe a light. I don't need to be able to stick anything anywhere on my handguard. Handstop (or vertical grip) and light usually go as far forward as I can.

The older I get, the simpler and lighter I want stuff to be.

I have keymod because that was the system on the armalite handguard I wanted. I like it with the DD light mount.

I'm sure MLOK works well, I've never tried it. I expect both to stick around.

quote:

Originally posted by IndianaBoy:
I have keymod because that was the system on the armalite handguard I wanted. I like it with the DD light mount.

I'm sure MLOK works well, I've never tried it. I expect both to stick around.

Clean and slick looking rifle there.