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Rifle Rails 101
by Brody Layher
If you have bought a rifle in the past decade, there's a good chance there’s a two to three-inch piece of metal at the very front of your stock. By now, I am sure you have found out what that’s for and use it nearly every time you shoot, but if not, this blog should help you out and maybe convince you to add one other piece to your stock.
In the late ‘80s, Richard Swam developed the Picatinny rail so that optics could be mounted onto large-caliber rifles for the US military. Once it was established, it also became the go-to mounting system for all firearm accessories, such as lights, foregrips, lasers, night vision optics, and, most importantly for most folks reading this blog, bipods. “Pic” rails provide an extremely reliable mounting platform for the most accurate way to shoot a rifle in the field.
Picatinny rails come in a variety of sizes, but the most common versions for hunters are small two to three-inch models. These provide enough slots and surface area to mount most any bipod, from the lightest Gunwerks Elevate Ti to the heaviest MDT Ckye-Pod triple pull. For most hunters, this is enough, but with the recent development of ARCA rails being used on guns in the PRS world, many hunters are finding themselves drilling holes in thousand-dollar stocks in order to provide a new way to get steady in the field.
ARCA-Swiss rails got their start long before the Pic rail. In the 1950’s, ARCA plates were born to be able to mount large-format cameras onto tripods and various other stable platforms. This was adopted by PRS shooters in the early 2010s as a more stable, faster, and more universal mounting system. These days, nearly all major stock and chassis manufacturers integrate ARCA rails onto some or all of their systems. If your stock doesn’t have one built in already, it’s not hard to install one, but first, you need to know exactly what rail you would like to install.
If you’re starting with something like an old Remington 700 in a wood stock with nothing but a sling stud on it, you have a lot of options, so I will try to simplify some of the most common and best choices.
1. Standard Picatinny Rail
This would be a good option if you only plan to use a bipod and do not plan on or have the need to lock your gun into your tripod.
Hatch 2.5" Picatinny Rail Adapter
2. Combination Rail
This is a great option for someone who is looking to maximize their setup without adding a ton of weight or bulk. A combo rail allows you to add a bipod and lock into your ARCA-style tripod head. Normally, these are installed near the front of the gun, which isn’t always ideal for tripod shooting. The SRS Hunter Rail is the exception to this because it extends all the way to the mag well of the rifle, allowing you to balance the rail in nearly any position
SRS Outdoorsmans + Picatinny Rail
3. Arca Rail
This will be a great addition to the rear of your forend if you have a rifle that already has a Pic rail installed or if you plan to use a tripod while field shooting. A full-length ARCA may also be a good option if you plan to use a bipod that is ARCA compatible, or you only plan on shooting off your tripod.
Installation
When it comes to installation, it can seem fairly daunting. Drilling holes into your rifle stock seems sacrilegious, but I promise it’s not nearly as hard as it seems. Every rail I suggested above comes with the hardware that you need to install the rail. If you don’t feel comfortable drilling out holes to place the counter sink hardware, most any local gunsmith will be happy to help you out. If you have a drill (Dremel works well, too) and some epoxy, and this YouTube video, you should be able to install it yourself. SRS also makes a line of rails called EZ that requires no drilling.
If you’re the type of guy who still hunts through the timber and shoots most everything off-hand, you probably can stick to your smooth rifle stock, but if you’re looking to get the most out of your rifle, I highly suggest you look into some type of rail for your rifle. Feel free to give the guys over at Outdoormans a call; they’ll be happy to walk you through any further questions you may have.
Fun fact: ARCA is an acronym for All Around Camera plates
