History
The Picatinny Arsenal's role with the rail was to test/evaluate it and to create a military standard for it. This was Mil-STD-1913, dated 3 February 1995.
Specifications for the M16A2E4 rifle and the M4E1 carbine received type classification generic in December 1994. These were the M16A2 and the M4 modified with new upper receivers where rails replaced hand guards.
The rail itself dates from work by the A.R.M.S. company in the early 1980s.
Read more about this topic: Picatinny Rail
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