A feature article has been readied for today, but then an email came in from another Popular Airsoft reader, Bumblebee, about a blog post at Military Times Gear Scout written by Stickman. Titled "The mother of all rail articles", it was also written based on reader questions, and goes beyond such questions.

Bumblebee wonders if this would be an appropriate article of interest for readers of Popular Airsoft. And for us, it's a unanimous yes, so our Feature story for today gets moved, to accommodate this request, and we put int some few words about rails.

Rails are made for the convenience of the warfighter to be able to fight effectively with accessories. However, for purposes of airsoft, there's a tendency for some airsoft players to overdo the use of rails, putting various accessories that would rather put much weight on the rifle, and some are not even necessary at all given certain missions objectives. Some are just for the looks, which we know some close friends in airsoft are much guilty of it. If you have ever heard of a "transformer" airsoft gun, then you know it means: an over accessorised airsoft gun with all the accessories crammed into the rail system --- and a heavy airsoft gun that would bog down any airsoft player who may just be the ultimate camera-hugger.

Now which rail should you pick? It depends really on you, which is the most convenient and stable should be something that you would personally choose by trying various rails and see which you think would work for you best. Some may look awesome on the rifle, but who knows? You might just find using the regular M4 handguard, without any rail system at all, would be best for you. Optimus Prime uses a barebones AKS74U and is not bothered by the lack of optics on it at all, and he just loves it the way it is.

Still, rails are now considered a necessity as more and more new models of real steel rifles coming out have integrated rails, and rifle parts manufacturers are making different rail systems so you can pick the best for you, just like picking the best-fitting clothes.

We highly suggest that you read the blog post. It'll give you a good understanding on their use, and tips on how to choose which will be best for you.