M Lok Rails inlet in the stock...what are your thoughts.

tag_heuer

Lead Farmer and Garbage Collector
Full Member
Minuteman
Jul 29, 2013
135
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NOR CAL
I’ve started to see rifle stocks inlet with a mlok rail. Does anyone have one? What are your thoughts? Do you like it? Has there been anything you didn’t like? Is this more fad than anything?
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About to inlet an MLOK rail section into a stock for my son's rifle build I am doing. Rem Model 7, 22" Bartlein 2b chambered in 6.5 CM, PTG bottom metal for AICS mags. Staying with the original wood stock but will pillar bed the action to it and inlet the forend with MLOK for a bipod or attaching arca for tripod. Should be a lightweight do anything rifle for him where he can shoot NRL with me or use it for hunting. Should be about 9 pounds with optic when it's done.
 
I had McMillan put a long Mlok rail in my A-3, because i thought I’d appreciate the flexibility. It was my first custom build. I retrospect, I would’ve been better off just having a front picatinny section for a bipod. If you want full length Arca, get a chassis. If you want a hunting stock, get one of the modern ones from Manners or McMillan with a short arca section near the mag and a picatinny up front.
 
I ended up with a used Manners EH1FA that had one of those Henderson RSR's already inlet in it, have used it to attach a few different ARCA rails. It's ok. The EH1FA forend has a slight curve front to back (in addition to side to side, of course) so the RSR isn't flush and the ARCA rails are very not flush. After a few matches with a heavy 360 Precision rail on it, all the screws loosened out and I had to pull the action to correct, because the screws go in from above as opposed to the normal T-Nut attachment in stocks like this. Since that correction, it's been fine for another match and a few practice sessions.

For me, going forward, I'll stick with drilling holes and installing T-Nuts so that I can change out/service an ARCA rail without pulling the barreled action. If the RSR loosens up again, it's getting epoxied in place.
 
I have two hunting rifles with Henderson RSR rails in them. They are nice for mounting pic rails temporarily when you want to do load development but don't want a bipod on the gun when hunting. Same for mounting a short ARCA rail on some hunts or going slick for a more comfortable carry on other hunts.

On a competition rifle it makes less sense because an Arca rail will be more likely to be permanent.

The only downside I can see with them is the cost of having it professionally installed aftermarket. If a stock came with the rail as a production item I don't think there would be any more of a con than a chassis that has an Arca rail machined in a long with MLOK slots at 6 oclock