For a couple of years, these two systems went mano e mano as a lighter-weight, lower-profile option to a Picatinny rail as the debate raged on.īut then, in 2016, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, conducted testing that compared KeyMod and M-LOK head-to-head. This rotates the T-nuts 90 degrees and locks the accessory in place.Īs you might imagine, as with any new gun accessory, as the systems were introduced, there were fans of both, and many weren’t shy about pronouncing their choice superior to all others. M-LOK works by inserting the “T-nuts” of an accessory through slots in the handguard and then tightening the bolts on the accessory. You then slide the accessory forward, into the smaller front portion of the slot, and tighten the mounting bolts. KeyMod works by inserting an accessory’s mounting nuts through the large holes of key-shaped slots (which resemble slots in industrial shelving) in the handguard. For those of you not familiar with either system, here’s a brief description of how they work: Unlike a Picatinny rail, which is a “positive” or “male” system and can be bulky, sharp, and tough on the hands, both KeyMod and M-LOK rails are lower-profile “negative” or “female” systems.

KeyMod was developed by VLTOR and released in 2012, so it had roughly three years to gain some traction before MAGPUL released its M-LOK system in 2015. Which is why all three types are manufactured and sold by Daniel Defense. But KeyMod, M-LOK, and Picatinny rails are all viable options for an AR rail. So, those using terms like “dying” or “dead” are referring to KeyMod’s status compared to that of its main competitor, the M-LOK rail. There are also still plenty of accessories from many different manufacturers available for KeyMod rails. But is it true?įirst off, let’s be clear about one thing-there are plenty of firearms out there equipped with KeyMod rails, including the Daniel Defense DDM4ISR, so the rail system is not being called dying or dead by some because you can no longer find or buy it. If you’ve done any online research on which type of rail to get for your AR, you’ve probably come across more than one article, forum, or video proclaiming that KeyMod rails are dying or, in the opinion of some, already dead.

Magpul keymod accessories