Many options are offered in today’s market to add any crossbow accessory to your rig. Since the origin of weaponry, there has always been a want for customization. Initially, hunters would tie a bayonet to their weapon so that they could get a slight upper hand on their enemy. The United States military commissioned the Picatinny Arsenal to develop a mounting device that would be standard across their various devices. The initial Picatinny rail was called the MIL-STD 1913 rail, and it was based off previous work that had been done by the A.R.M.S. company in the 1980’s. It was adopted on February 5, 1995 by the United States military.
The Picatinny Rail consists of a rail of ridges that are raised by various slots. You can attach your desired crossbow accessory by simply sliding it onto the rail and securing it with the required bolts or screws. The rail was initially meant to be specifically used for sights and scopes so it was placed on the near the receiver of the rifle. Manufacturers are placing them all over the machine now so that you can add even more crossbow accessories, simultaneously.
They rail has a very strict dimension and tolerance standard. These dimensions and tolerance standards are the bread and butter of the Picatinny Rail mount. The Picatinny Rail has a locking slot that has a width of .206 in. It has spacing slot centers that are .394 in., and a slot depth of .118 in. These specifications can be seen across all of the Picatinny Rail mounts. Since mid-2012, manufacturers have made their accessories to fit the Picatinny Rail mount. Many people have made similar mounts (such as the NATO STANAG 2324) but the specific and consistent nature of the Picatinny rail has kept it around. More and more companies are continuing to make their crossbow accessories with the Picatinny Rail in mind. This ensures a good future for the rail, and near limitless customization for you.
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