Air rifles with Picatinny rail

Weaver/Picatinny rail

— the rifle has a Weaver or Picatinny rail for mounting optical sights. This rail has a specific appearance, with a T-shaped profile and transverse slots for rigid fixation of installed accessories. It is worth emphasizing that in this case we are talking specifically about the upper mount – for the sight; the rails on the barrel shroud handguard perform a different function and are indicated separately (see the relevant paragraph).

Technically, Weaver and Picatinny rails are two different types of mounts, but they are often joined into one category. This is due to the fact that accessories for Weaver can be easily mounted on Picatinny; the opposite option is not always possible, however, sights with Picatinny mounts are mainly used for military/police purposes and are quite rare on the civilian market.

In general, in airguns, such mounts are noticeably less popular than dovetails; they are found mainly in PCP rifles (see “Type”), as well as in AEG airsoft drives that copy real weapons (mainly from NATO countries). Moreover, in the latest version, the upper rail can be used not only for optical and red dot sights, but also for mechanical ones – the rear sight, and often the front sight.