The short ARCA rail idea...

I tried it and found for short lengths it did not work. The torque applied while in a RRS rail clamp caused the entire metal of the rail to flex and deform like a tin can where the ARCA rail was connected. This needs to be a much more substantial connection like part of a solid chassis or rail or SEVERAL bolt connections to spread the load on an MLOK rail. One or two slots just WONT cut it. Then it gets in the way shooting offhand if you do longer rail to spread the load.

IMO a short ARCA feature needs to be built into a rail or you just get a crazy amount of flex from rotational torque. That or a 4+ MLOK section long unit to spread the load to multiple bolts and accept the big flat section will suck bad for off-hand shooting.

If you want to retain offhand shooting ability I would suggest a hog saddle clamp type device over a RRS ARCA clamp would be a better choice. It will be more rigid than a short bolt on rail and work for all your non ARCA rail weapons.

Just seemed to see your end goal and thought I might save you some headache I already went through.

The Magpul tripod shoe works well

https://magpul.com/m-lok-tripod-adapter.html?mp_global_color=118




The M-LOK Tripod Adapter for metal M-LOK compatible hand guards or forends mounts directly onto any tripod head equipped with the common Manfrotto RC2/Q2 interface. This adapter allows the user to mount their rifle directly to a tripod head without the use of any additional saddles giving them a secure shooting platform.

What is a pinch tab?

One way to secure a freefloat rail is with through bolts and a pair of squeeze tabs

some makers include a keystone that engages a groove on the barrel nut








The bottom tab interferes with having a flat rail close to the mag well

Thanks. Yeah, that is what STNGR uses.  I have a couple of their VLCNs.

Attached File

18" WOA 3 gun, Nero brake, & Nile grip panels (both from Walker Defense)

Now I'll get paranoid and start looking for cracks.

Geissele mk8

Or possibly a monolithic design like the lmt specwar

I wouldn’t be paranoid about it. It’s a low effort design but I still wouldn’t say cracking is something that’s common.