Inside MDT - MDT ARCA Rails

ARCA rails were developed in the 1990s for photography, specifically to affix costly and sensitive equipment - quickly and securely - to stable platforms such as tripods. MDT, among others in the firearms Industry, has built a suite of products to leverage the ARCA attachment system making it easy to adjust or quickly attach ancillary equipment like bipods, tripods, and plates to your chassis system. Let's take a look at MDTs ARCA Products.

ARCA Rails can be used to quickly and easily attach bipods and other accessories along the forend. MDT Ckye-Pod - Double Pull on an MDT LSS-XL GEN2 Chassis.

ARCA EQUIPPED CHASSIS SYSTEMS

The MDT ACC Premier and MDT ACC Elite Chassis Systems incorporate an integral ARCA rail machined onto the handguard. The MDT HNT26 Chassis System can be purchased with an ARCA handguard. The MDT XRS Chassis System has an enclosed aftermarket aluminum handguard that incorporates a mirage/night vision hood and an ARCA rail. What is the advantage of having an ARCA rail on your chassis? ARCA rails allow you to quickly add bipods and tripods to your chassis system and adjust the chassis system fore and aft for a more stable position. Below is a cool video highlighting an MDT XRS Chassis System equipped with an ARCA handguard. The video demonstrates the end user's ability to quickly adjust the position of the bipod to adapt to the terrain.

Suppose you do not have an integrated ARCA rail on your chassis system. In that case, you can still leverage the benefits of ARCA by adding an MDT ARCA rail to your chassis via M-LOK or Magpul MOE bolt interface.

MDT ACC Elite Chassis System configured for night vision applications. Note the full length ARCA rail on the handguard.

MDT ARCA RAILS

MDT makes a suite of ARCA rails that can be attached via M-LOK or the Magpul MOE Bolt interface. Our M-LOK ARCA rail is available in the following lengths. 3.3, 7, 8.6, and 10.25 inches. The small rails are ideal for keeping your chassis system light and perfect for platforms like the M4/Mk18/M16/AR-15 family of weapons. The Bolt-on ARCA rail is only available in 6 inches.

More: MDT Products that will work with Modern Sporting Rifles

Note the small ARCA rail on the bottom of this firearm. This firearm has been set up for hunting feral hogs at night. Photo Courtesy of Anthony Amantine.

For more specialized ARCA solutions, MDT offers a full-length ARCA rail for the ORYX Chassis and an ARCA foregrip for the MDT ESS Chassis System. We also manufacture a very unique ARCA rail for the JAE Chassis System.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

ARCA has become the de-facto standard for attaching bipods and tripods to a chassis system or stock. It's hard to beat the adjustability and fast-attach nature of ARCA. MDT's CKYE-POD and GRND-POD bipods can attach to ARCA via the mounting interface, and pairing these bipods with an MDT ACC Chassis System or MDT HNT26 is simply a joy to use. I am excited to see what other neat products this technology will meld with in the coming years.

ARCA is incredibly versatile. A small ARCA section on this Hog Saddle allows it to attach to the ARCA mount of a Triple Pull CKYE-POD.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM MDT

• MDT Products that will work with Modern Sporting Rifles
• HOW DOES MDT CERAKOTE ITS CHASSIS SYSTEMS?
• MDT Scope Bases
• A Look at our Rimfire Chassis Options
• Shot Show 2023 - MDT Zero Stage Electronic Trigger
• Shot Show 2023 - MDT Training Shot Timer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thomas Gomez is the founder and C.E.O. of High Desert Rifle Works. He has over twelve years of experience in the Healthcare, Tech, and Outdoor Industries, working as an analyst, researcher, consultant, technical writer, and program manager. Thomas has an M.B.A. from Western New Mexico University, numerous armorer certifications, and teaches precision rifle for Q Pro Defense. He spends his free time ranching, farming, fly-fishing, and hunting the high deserts and mountains of his native New Mexico. He can be reached via Instagram @highdesertthomas.