Echo40
Member
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2017
- Messages
- 4,040
- Reaction score
- 7,867
A subject of much complaints among those who wish to mount an optic on a handgun is that just about every sight out there requires a proprietary mounting plate, ergo every pistol with slides milled for optics requires the end user to order the proper mounting plate for their particular sight after purchase.
This sort of reminds me of how accessory rails on pistols used to be prior to the standardization of the Weaver/Picatinny Rail, how practically every brand had its own proprietary rail.
For example:
In this picture you can see two Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistols with rails. On the left is a M&P40c featuring the now standard Picatinny Rail. On the right is a SW40VE featuring a now obsolete proprietary rail.
This is true of other brands as well, such as this Heckler & Koch USP45.
As you can see, it also features a now obsolete proprietary accessory rail which has likewise been replaced by a standard Picatinny Rail on the newer production Hk45 pistol, which is essentially the successor to the USP45.
Granted, some brands still use a proprietary rail, (namely Glock) but for the most part, the Picatinny Rail has become the standard ever since it was adopted by the US Military.
So the question is, will there ever be such a standard established for rail mounts, thus virtually illiminating the need for proprietary mounting plates, and enabling optics to be directly attached to the slide of any firearm, or at least a standard universal mounting plate?
This sort of reminds me of how accessory rails on pistols used to be prior to the standardization of the Weaver/Picatinny Rail, how practically every brand had its own proprietary rail.
For example:
In this picture you can see two Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistols with rails. On the left is a M&P40c featuring the now standard Picatinny Rail. On the right is a SW40VE featuring a now obsolete proprietary rail.
This is true of other brands as well, such as this Heckler & Koch USP45.
As you can see, it also features a now obsolete proprietary accessory rail which has likewise been replaced by a standard Picatinny Rail on the newer production Hk45 pistol, which is essentially the successor to the USP45.
Granted, some brands still use a proprietary rail, (namely Glock) but for the most part, the Picatinny Rail has become the standard ever since it was adopted by the US Military.
So the question is, will there ever be such a standard established for rail mounts, thus virtually illiminating the need for proprietary mounting plates, and enabling optics to be directly attached to the slide of any firearm, or at least a standard universal mounting plate?
