By James Jones
Many gun owners find themselves embattled over which mounting system is best for modular platforms: M-LOK™ or KeyMod™.
There are certain advantages to each system in terms of functionality and even licensing. Although KeyMod™ is open source, manufacturers wanting to use Magpul’s proprietary M-LOK™ design must first obtain a license in order to build and sell items using M-LOK™.
While gun owners were debating back and forth about these two mounting systems, the Naval Special Warfare Center decided to take action and settle the argument once and for all using an empirical approach. They put both systems through rigorous trials including, vibration, drop, rough handling and failure load tests. The tests were designed to “exceed standard field conditions,” ensuring that at least one met the minimum requirements (or failed trying).
The final outcome of the tests left little-to-no-room for further debate. Despite KeyMod™’s clear advantage in licensing and (in this author’s opinion) ease of attachment, M-LOK™ was far more reliable in nearly every aspect of the tests. For example, it had a 0% fall-off rate compared to KeyMod™’s astounding 66% in drop tests. In addition, M-LOK has a distinct advantage in Point of Aim shift (indicating how much optics moved), boasting an average 73% improvement over KeyMod™.
After much dispute among gun owners, the results are in. If you’ve always fallen on the KeyMod™ side of the argument, it may be time to reassess your position. Caleb McGee wrote a detailed report regarding the tests that you can download and read using the link below.
James Jones is a writer for Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership’s “Bill of Rights Sentinel” publication.
