July 20th, 2020
6minute read
Jargon is inescapable in the firearms industry.
It can be used as shorthand to communicate an idea rapidly.
It can also be used to determine whos a casual shooter or an old hand.
No one wants to sound foolish, so sometimes our jargon isnt well understood.
M-Lok could be one of those terms.
But, what is it?
In that way, its not a new idea.
Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the bayonet.
All of these items can be attached to a rifle to give its wielder an edge in battle.
In the past, accessories have been attached with tape, Velcro and hose clamps.
None of these were ideal.
Later, the standard would be adopted by NATO as the STANAG 4694 Accessory Rail.
Picatinny rails became the de facto standard for accessory attachment to many rifles and pistols.
For a period of time, virtually every accessory made for AR-style rifles used a 1913 mount.
The upsides to the 1913 standard included durability and universal compatibility.
They also could be uncomfortable, like having a cheesegrater attached to the front of your firearm.
This Is the Way
Alternatives to the 1913 system were introduced, but few gained much traction.
Magpul, widely regarded as an innovator in the firearms industry, developed a standard called M-Lok.
To accomplish this, the company took two innovative approaches to M-Lok.
It was a reliable system, but it was somewhat weight inefficient.
Regardless of how few accessories you might mount, the rail retained a full-length row of posts.
That left 90% of the rail space as unnecessary weight.
With the M-Lok design, Magpul reversed the concept.
The accessory can attach with mounting hardware that locks into the slots.
An M-Lok accessory uses a screw with a T-nut to attach to the rail.
You simply align the nuts with the slot and then turn the screw 90 .
The accessory is now securely mounted to the M-Lok rail.
Ive found that once the accessory is locked down, the connection is very secure.
Having a great idea is of no use should no one ever use it.
Then, Apple introduced the iMac that replaced all of the legacy ports with the USB connections.
Magpul likely knew that its improved design would languish if it could not get other manufacturers on board.
To solve both issues, Magpul patented the M-Lok technology.
This allowed other manufacturers to adopt the new standard without paying royalty fees to Magpul.
M-Lok Options
Its been more than five years since the M-Lok standard was released.
In that time the Picatinny rail system has fallen out of favor with many companies building AR-style rifles.
Many common accessories are available with M-Lok mounts.
Vertical grips, sling attachment points, hand stops and other gear are natively available with M-Lok attachment hardware.
Is M-Lok the new standard?
For optic mounts and handgun accessory rails, the Picatinny standard seems to be the better choice.
For everything else, M-Lok looks like its the winner.
Go to forum thread
Magpul
