This allows for picatinny rails to be mounted onto the handguard wherever needed too. Instead of having a hand guard with a picatinny rail attached, the KeyMod was designed differernt so that accessories could be mounted directly onto the rail. It has an open-source design, meaning the design can be used freely by any company to make rails or accessories. They alreayd released the KeyMod system to the public in 2012 in hopes of standardizing universal attachment systems. The KeyMod handguard become as a collaboration between VLTOR Weapon Systems and Noveske Rifleworks. This means a smoother surface and more mounting options. They are based on a slot system rather than the rail system of the Picatinny and Weaver mounts. These shortfalls brought the next generation of accessory mounting: KeyMod and M-LOK. And although both the Picatinny and Weaver rail systems work great for mounting scopes, their shortcomings in accessory attachments left a lane open for improvement.

Adding a Picatinny rail onto a rifle’s handguard or fore-end adds extra weight, and some shooters complain about the extra bulk and “cheese grate” feeling it has on the hand.

For years, the Picatinny rail was the leader in attaching lights, lasers, foregrips, and other accessories, but it had drawbacks.

Attaching keymod accessories