In the 1930s, a man named William Ralph Weaver’s company produced a system of rifle mounts for scopes and other hardware. For almost 60 years, his purpose-specific rifle mounts would remain in popular use and maintain a high reputation. But in the early 90s, that all changed.
At the time, the United States military was looking for a new and standardized solution to help its soldiers carry modern battle rifles, equipped with modern hardware, attached to a modern AR rail system into zones of conflict. They were unhappy with commercially available AT rail system options and decided to commission the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey to develop a new mount.
Unsurprisingly, Picatinny Arsenal started by looking at Weaver, one of the most successful designs of the last century. In today’s blog from the team at RailScales®, we’ll take a look at these two styles of AR rail systems, discuss some of the storied histories, and provide some information that might help you understand if either one of these options might be right for one of your ARs. Let’s begin.
Weaver Rails and Rings
The Weaver system offers some beautiful advantages and also possesses some serious drawbacks. But at the time that it became available to American hunters and the very small, but passionate, group of sports shooters that existed in the nation prior to the Second World War, it was easily one of the most attractive options.
One of the things that Weaver rails did well was work for what they were intended to do. More specifically, each Weaver rail or ring set had a specific mount, or series of mounts that it was designed for. This meant that when you purchased a Weaver rail and the corresponding scope or accessory, you could be 100% certain that the fit would work just fine.
Weaver also provided clear and easy access to the ejection port, making individual loading and addressing malfunctions as easy as they would have been without the rail. Later single length, full barrel rails would sacrifice this access in favor of other advantages. At the time, many American made rifles, including the Army’s standard-issue Springfield 1903, were bolt-action repeating rifles. The M1 Garand changed this only a few years later.
The Weaver design’s true weakness was in its ability to guarantee consistent aiming. Especially over great distances. The use of paired rails or paired rings to mount a single piece of equipment meant that a shooter could not guarantee that his rails or rings were perfectly aligned on his barrel.
The Weaver brand still exists, although the original company has been gone for decades, and they do currently produce more modern style, standardized rails.
Picatinny Rails
Once developed for the US military, the Picatinny Rail, or Pic rail as it is often referred to, became the literal standard for almost the next 15 years or so. It was used extensively throughout multiple conflicts, and many servicemen and women, as well as private AR-owning citizens, became very familiar with Pic rails.
The Picatinny AR rail system offered a standardization that allowed the firearm accessories, sights, and foregrip manufactures to go wild. To this day, the Picatinny quad rail style remains popular with the military and law enforcement.
Furthermore, given that the Pic rail system was based on the work that Weaver had done, virtually all old mounts and scopes for the Weaver system could still be used on Pic rails, making the new system very appealing to shooters who did want to invest in new hardware.
Picatinny rails allow for the mounting of serious, heavy-duty hardware on to military and civilian rifles. However, the drawback to such a rugged piece of equipment is that it isn’t very light.
Another common complaint about Picatinny rails is that the edges on them are quite pointy and tend to catch on webbing, backpacks, the lining of your gun case, and just about any other fabric they come in contact with.
Conclusion
Neither one of these AR rail systems is the new kid on the block, but both of them have also demonstrated incredible staying power in a market filled with innovation, lightweight materials, and a lot of money spent on advertising, and that in itself says something.
Weaver and Weaver-style products are typically favored by hunters and mid-range marksmen for their low profile, and in the case of the two-piece sets, incredibly lightweight.
Picatinny offers the potential for much larger hardware, more of it, and is almost unmatched in its durability.
Only you can decide if one, or either, of these systems might be right for your needs.
Cover Your Rails System With Beautiful, Durable, Grip-Textured RailScales®
At RailScales® we lean more towards the more modern, lightweight systems, and we create unique, high-quality forend grips, sights, and rail covers. Shop online today and see why our G10 fiberglass RailScales® and our Polymer RailScales® have become so popular.
M-LOK: Another Option to the Picatinny Vs Weaver Discussion
As we’ve discussed, while both Picatinny rails and the Weaver system have been around for some time and do show incredible staying power. At RailScales, we like to focus on making our products for the future rather than the past. The M-LOK (Modular Lock) is a newer AR-15 rail system that works in a very similar way to its predecessors with some obvious upgrades.
As one of the major drawbacks of the Pic rail was its weight, the M-LOK was created as a lightweight AR-15 rail system. Additionally, although designed and manufactured by Magpul, the M-LOK’s plans are open source, so any company can make M-LOK rails and AR-15 accessories to fit this rail by simply applying to utilize the design that Magpul created. While Picatinny rails and Weaver systems remain popular with some AR-15 users, the M-LOK is quickly catching up and becoming a common choice for a standardized AR-15 rail.
The TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK
At RailScales, we design our AR-15 accessories based around customer needs and the desire to make a better product. That’s why we created our RailScales in the first place. These textured rail covers offer a superior grip and heat protection like nothing that was on the market before. As we continue to look to the future of AR-15s and shooting accessories, we continuously make improvements to our RailScales to provide a better experience to our customers. The TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK is designed with user experience in mind. Read on to learn more.
Color
This rail cover is a brown terrain colored FR4 source material. It is designed to match Cerakote rail forends as well as our line of Terra Bronze™ anodized and FDE polymer components. The rail cover isn’t just painted; instead it’s colored throughout, so it won’t wear overtime.
Texture
The TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK feature our patented textures, providing excellent grip and heat protection. This rail cover comes in your choice of four textures: Dragon, Honeycomb, Matrix, or MiniDot.
Material
The TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK are CNC machined out of high-quality, US-made G10. Compared to other rail covers made from cheap polymer, our RailScales are made from superior materials and built to last.
Attachment Method
Another benefit of the TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK is that it utilizes our direct attachment method, as all of our rail covers do. It doesn’t rely on older, less reliable clip-on methods like many other rail covers. Instead this RailScale offers a solid and vibration-free attachment method.
Order Your TerraCore™ RailScales® in MLOK Today
Are you searching for high-quality AR-15 rail covers for your M-LOK rail? At RailScales, we have you covered. We made vast improvements on the typical rail covers available and created premium rail covers made from CNC machined G10 in patented textures that provide AR-15 owners with the grip and heat protection they need.
While which AR-15 rail system you use is up to your personal preference, at RailScales, we like to keep our focus on the future and provide AR-15 owners with improved rail covers and AR-15 accessories for M-LOK and Keymod rails. We continuously strive to offer better performing, higher quality products and to continue to improve our offerings through understanding the needs of our customers and of AR-15 owners everywhere.
If you’re searching for a high-quality AR-15 rail cover, it’s time to shop RailScales. Our TerraCore® RailScales™ in MLOK are available in a variety of textured patterns and will provide you with the grip and heat protection that every AR-15 owner deserves. Shop our selection of AR-15 accessories and order your TerraCore® RailScales™ in MLOK today.