At this time, the guide rail system came into being. Picatinny accessory guide rail system (US military standard MIL-STD 1913) invented by Picatinny Arms Company of the United States enables shooters to assemble weapons as required to meet the requirements of different environmental conditions. At first, the guide rail system was designed for large-caliber rifles, so that they can be equipped with optical precision aiming devices. However, people soon found that besides the sight, many accessories can be installed on the guide rail system, such as laser pointer/sight, flashlight, tripod, bayonet fixing parts, spare weapon sight and customized handle for melee.
some western companies are now producing sets of guide rails for military weapons, such as gg&; Company G introduced a complete set of guide rail package for M16/M4 in the market, which includes five guide rails to replace the handle and hand guard of M16/M4. Knight Enterprise has designed a floating barrel weapon system (RASII). In this system, the guide rail is hung on the barrel, so the barrel is less disturbed when shooting, which can improve the accuracy. There are also some companies that mainly develop accessories that can be installed on the guide rail, such as various sights, night vision devices and laser pointers.