REVIEW: Geissele SMR HK416 Rail

DEVGRU is the HK416 not good enough. And before the Germans start sulking because of this, we have to ask: the whole HK416? - No, only the rail may possibly be replaced. Currently, two different rails are being tested. One candidate (he was already seen in pictures from the Red Team) is the Remington RAGH. The counter-candidate is the Super Modular Rail HK416/MR556 from Geissele. Our friend Steyrman has taken a look at the Geissele Rail for you.

The Geissele Rail, when mounted on an HK416 in the most modern configuration. It is in a sand color and comes from the factory in this color (or in all black). What stands out is that the rail has relatively little rail. But strangely, everything that belongs on a deployment-ready HK416 still fits - here an AN/PEQ15, a Surefire Scout Light, and a front grip, which in this case is a REACT Short from Mission First Tactical. In the middle of the weapon, there are QD mounts on the right and left to attach the sling (here a SOB Bitch Sling in AOR1) (in the right image, the sling is mounted in one of the two QD mounts on the rail).

Top and bottom view. On the top, the rail is continuous from start to finish. On the underside, there is no rail, nor on the two sides, right and left. Instead, there are three rails - two short and one long - which can be attached as needed. On the underside of the Geissele SMR, the long Picatinny is attached and holds the grip.

A clear difference from the HK original is that the Geissele Rail is a few centimeters longer and completely covers the gas block (image left). This means there is no flip-up auxiliary sight mounted on the gas block. But a Back Up Iron Sight (BUIS) can be mounted directly on the top of the rail, as is the case with DEVGRU's HK Rail. The Geissele Super Modular Rail is much more comfortable to hold than the original because it has less rail. The Geissele is overall thinner than the HK Rail, but because it is longer, it weighs the same. At the weapon's center, you can see one of the two QD mounts at the top (right top) and the mounting at the bottom. For the 10.5" version, the screw fits through the original HK416 barrel nut, while for the 14.5" version, an additional barrel nut is included because it is mounted with two screws.