Firearms users rely on picatinny rails to mount accessories like tactical lights, bipods, and laser sights—but these versatile mounting brackets aren’t only for guns!
At Focused on Machining, we specialize in machining picatinny rails for major OEM firearms manufacturers. We love making these parts and want to share some of the other applications where we’ve seen them in use. Who knows, maybe you’ll come away from this blog with an idea for the next great picatinny rail product.
Image courtesy of bulletcentral.com
Image courtesy of pacifictoolandgauge.com
Picatinny Rails for Firearms
A picatinny rail is a mounting bracket—commonly made from black anodized aluminum—that attaches to the receiver, fore-end stock, or handguard of a firearm. When this simple product hit the market, it opened up a whole new world of mounting possibilities for firearms users. Originally designed to mount scopes, picatinny rails evolved to hold many other accessories, from laser sights and tactical lights to night vision devices and bayonets.
Other Exciting Picatinny Rail Applications
These days, firearms users aren’t the only ones benefiting from the incredible convenience and versatility of picatinny rails. Plenty of other applications require mounting capabilities, and picatinny rails have proven to be exceptionally useful for attaching accessories like:
Flashlights
Cameras
Scopes
GoPro cameras
Lights
Mirrors
You’ll find picatinny rails on everything from cars and bicycles to skis and helmets to drones and airplanes. The possibilities are virtually endless.
Here’s a look at some of the cool picatinny rails applications we’ve seen recently.
Picatinny rail designed to mount a light to the handlebar of a bicycle. Image credit: Scout Cycling Products
Picatinny rail designed to mount mirrors on a Jeep Wrangler. Image credit: Offroad Elements
Picatinny rail designed to mount a GoPro onto a drone. Image credit: Gimbal-Guard
Picatinny rail designed to mount headborne accessories to a helmet. Image credit: Team Wendy
Picatinny Rails Manufacturing at Focused on Machining
At our Denver machine shop, we machine picatinny rails on our horizontal mills. Leveraging our lights out manufacturing capabilities, we run these parts quickly at high volumes of up to 15,000 pieces per year. We’re honored to work with top OEM firearms manufacturers and are looking to branch out and machine picatinny rails for other industries as well.
Do you have an idea for a new picatinny rail application? We’d love to collaborate with you! Request a quote and let’s get the conversation started.