What's your preference, and why?

I only have keymod and works well for me

My new RPR has the keymod rail. I love it, the reason being that if an Mlok accessory comes loose it has a bit of wiggle space to it where it can slide around/move around.
The Keymod rail is as solid as it gets. Truly a genius design.

Mloc --  Keymod looks funny 

Keymod does look a bit different

I need to look at M-LOK, since I have a SUB-2000 on the way... but my FDE AR uses KeyMod, which I am happy with.

 

But with all the stuff I looked at thus far, I do feel KeyMod is better.

I only have keymod. There wasn't mlok when I started to get stuff. But now there are a few big names in the industry that swear mlok is the Better solution. If I didn't have one or the other I wouldn't even consider keymod. I think over the long term, mlok will be the predominant option

I held off on key mod so I could see what else would come out or if it would fail after a short term. Then mlok came out and I figured magpul does everything else right so why not try it. It's been great on my 2 ar's and I look forward to getting a sub2000 with the mlok fore end

 

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Not that it really matters but do either have any big contracts with the military? That's the one I would stand behind...

I still like the rail system.....others are gimmicks trying to reinvent the wheel IMO

Not that it really matters but do either have any big contracts with the military? That's the one I would stand behind...

The new hk rifle has a geissele mlok rail

 

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mlok

 

they both work fine.. and I have keymod.. but mlok is more widely supported.. 

 

I still like the rail system.....others are gimmicks trying to reinvent the wheel IMO

 

 

the concept is simple... 

 

with mlok and keymod you are simply bypassing the need for a rail.. making for a lighter and lower profile design.. nothing gimmicky about that.. 

Keymod. because my first serious AR to have either came with keymod, so I'm sticking with that for now. I know the reasoning behind the creation of MLok, and I'm not disputing it might be a better mouse trap, but it's not a big enough difference for me to want to change all my ARs over, and i'm kind of a "standards" kind of guy, so my rifles will all have the same system as much as possible.

if your preference is because "I have it already" its kind of easy to dismiss that opinion.. lol

 

I guess if you have either already.. then sure.. maybe not worth switching.. 

but if you are just jumping into it.. mlok for sure.. 

 

IMO of course..

I still like the rail system.....others are gimmicks trying to reinvent the wheel IMO

Sure if you think a more versatile, slimmer, and lightweight design is reinventing the wheel. Railed systems are heavy, clunky, big, and sharp.

 

Say you have a 7" rail on a carbine length gun. That's 28" of rail. If you had a light, DBAL, and vert grip on there you are talking about needing maybe 6" of mounting space. That leaves 22" of rail you don't need. That's over 75% of your tube as unnecessary weight and bulk.

 

Make that a 13" rail and you are now talking 52" of rail for the same 6" of mounting space. That's nuts!

 

And, what if you want to mount something at other than the 12, 3, 6, or 9 o'clock positions? SOL or you have to buy a specialty mount that adds more weight and bulk.

 

Hell, let's go back to wood stocks. If you want to attach something, use a wood screw and some hose clamps.

 

MLOK for me. Compared to 1913 tubes, it is a lighter and slimmer system, more versatile as most of the rails allow for mounting at 8 angles instead of the traditional 4, and I can attach gear where I need it without extra bulk and weight.

 

The MLOK also has more surface area contact between the tube and the attachment bolts than KeyMod does, making for a more secure connection and preventing the attachment from pulling through the rail.

And for those who want to stick to one system simply from a subjective standpoint like that is what you already have or that is what you started with. Why?

 

How often do you strip accessories off one gun and attach them to another? You buy a light, it stays on the rifle. You buy a vert grip, you don't swap it from gun to gun at the range, it lives on one rifle.

 

How much stuff are you really hanging on the gun?

White light

Vert grip/handsop

Maybe a sling attachment point

And if you have a specific need maybe a DBAL or VBAL

 

Plus most tubes retain the 1913 rail at 12 o'clock for lasers and BUIS, white light in an offset mount like a VTAC or LaRue LT606, and even some sling mounts.

 

How much of that stuff is getting swapped between platforms?

Sure if you think a more versatile, slimmer, and lightweight design is reinventing the wheel. Railed systems are heavy, clunky, big, and sharp.

 

Say you have a 7" rail on a carbine length gun. That's 28" of rail. If you had a light, DBAL, and vert grip on there you are talking about needing maybe 6" of mounting space. That leaves 22" of rail you don't need. That's over 75% of your tube as unnecessary weight and bulk.

 

Make that a 13" rail and you are now talking 52" of rail for the same 6" of mounting space. That's nuts!

 

And, what if you want to mount something at other than the 12, 3, 6, or 9 o'clock positions? SOL or you have to buy a specialty mount that adds more weight and bulk.

 

Hell, let's go back to wood stocks. If you want to attach something, use a wood screw and some hose clamps.

 

MLOK for me. Compared to 1913 tubes, it is a lighter and slimmer system, more versatile as most of the rails allow for mounting at 8 angles instead of the traditional 4, and I can attach gear where I need it without extra bulk and weight.

 

The MLOK also has more surface area contact between the tube and the attachment bolts than KeyMod does, making for a more secure connection and preventing the attachment from pulling through the rail.

You have great points ....I use a Daniel defense light railwith the plastic inserts so I dont notice the sharpness....

I used DD rails as well - Omega 7s and 9s. I replaced them with Troy Alphas (they had direct connect attachment options similar to MLOK and KeyMod before MLOK and KeyMod were available) and then with ALG EMRs (MLOK tube) as soon as I was comfortable with their reliability.

 

Hell, for most applications of the addition of just a light and vert grip the Magpul MOE is really all you need.

 

And yes, plastic rail covers protect the rails from getting dinged, and your hands from the sharp edges and the heat, but they still add bulk and weight.

MLOK.  Magpul did some pretty extensive testing of the KeyMod system and it has some serious shortcomings namely durability and strength.  MLOK in polymer supposedly has greater pullout strength than KeyMod in aluminum.  Additionally, with enough weight, you will eventually egg out the KM slot.  I had a three cell Fury in an Arisaka mount completely egg out a KM slot in under 1,000 rounds of .308.  Searching around, I found other users experiencing the same.  Some tried Loctiting everything down and that bought them a little more useful life but was only a stop-gap.  Being a retailer, I should probably stock both KM and MLOK but if you notice the newest handguard additions to the catalog, they're only in MLOK and that is deliberate.

Both are the same, both are accepted in the market, both will work. Pick one, it doesn't matter.

 

Glad I could help.

MLOK. Magpul did some pretty extensive testing of the KeyMod system and it has some serious shortcomings namely durability and strength. MLOK in polymer supposedly has greater pullout strength than KeyMod in aluminum. Additionally, with enough weight, you will eventually egg out the KM slot. I had a three cell Fury in an Arisaka mount completely egg out a KM slot in under 1,000 rounds of .308. Searching around, I found other users experiencing the same. Some tried Loctiting everything down and that bought them a little more useful life but was only a stop-gap. Being a retailer, I should probably stock both KM and MLOK but if you notice the newest handguard additions to the catalog, they're only in MLOK and that is deliberate.

What rail did you have the issue with? Was it a KMR?

I'd go Mlok, I think it looks far better, and there are many more accessories made for it. I've also heard of some people have their accessories back out a little but that probably won't happen to top of the line brands.

What rail did you have the issue with? Was it a KMR?

Nope, not the AlMg alloy issue.  It was 7075 Al.

It seemed to me Mlok was the way to go, I just grabbed the aero precision M5 in Mlok. I liked the fact accessories don't slide into and out of the ears. On the Mlok rail system they have positive locking and cannot slid no matter how hard an accessory takes a beating. Second, the way they lock in is IMO superior. While keymod works and certainly isn't a bad design, the Mlok seems to cover any short commings

have both, like both. can't say one is better, although to me it seems keymod has the nicer grips and rail guards, mostly thanks to bcm. can't go wrong with either

BCM was the only reason I was considering keymod for my current build. Decided to stick with Mlok though.

Next handguard will be mlok. 

 

Probably the most persuasive argument is it looks less stupid. Lots of people's buying decisions are made on looks. 

 

However I've read the stuff midwest PX does and it jibes with some of my suspicions after having handled both keymod and mlok accessories. Keymod looks like it was thought up by someone who knew a lot about something they wanted to fix/improve and a decent amount about engineering and machining. mlok looks like it was thought up by someone who knew a lot about something they wanted to improve/fix, a lot about engineering and machining, and a pretty good deal about a manufacturing pipeline, and what people find appealing visually. 

i got the handguard i wanted, the zhukhov, wich is mloc. honestly whatever it was wouldn't have mattered as long as it took my light and sling point. i had a afg on it but ditched it as the rifles more comfortable without. IHad the zhukhov not come out and i went with the MI rail i was originally looking at it would have been keymod so i ghuess i really dont have a preference 

MLoc for me. Checked out both for my first build and the MLock design appeared to me as the stronger of the two. So far, so good.

 

Probably the most persuasive argument is it looks less stupid. Lots of people's buying decisions are made on looks. 

 

 

 

idk i think i like the look of keymod better. more personality and badass-ery. anyway what's that saying? two sides of the same coin?

 

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