page_title: Dovetail rail
section_title: Other uses
hierarchical_section_title: Dovetail rail / Other uses
caption_attribution_description: My Beretta 92FS 9mm up-close. This gun is only used for bullseye precision shooting (International Sport Shooting Federation disciplines). I'm a pistol shooting instructor affiliated with the Flemish Shooters Confederation (VSK / Bloso). More information: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_92F/FS en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9_mm_Luger
context_page_description: A dovetail rail or dovetail mount can refer to several types of sliding brackets found on firearms primarily for mounting telescopic sights. Colloquially, the term dovetail rail usually refer to any straight mounting bracket with an inverted trapezium cross-section running parallel to the bore for mounting a scope or diopter sight to a rifle. These are sometimes also called "tip-off" mounts, and allow the user to easily take on or off the sight. Dovetail mount can also refer to a dovetail track running perpendicular to the bore.
context_section_description: Dovetail mount can also refer to a dovetail track running perpendicular to the bore, often used for smaller front sights posts and rear sights blades found on handguns and some rifles. This mounting method is meant as a semi-permanent friction fit mounting solution where a slot is milled, for instance in the slide of a pistol, and a sight with a corresponding dovetail is punched or drifted into that slot.
  Rear sights are offered in many dovetail cut profiles which are non-compatible, and some well known (and incompatible) cut profiles are those from sight manufacturers such as Novak, BoMar, LPA/TRT, Kimber or the 1911 mil standard ("GI"). Additionally many pistol manufacturers have their own proprietary dovetail cut profiles.
caption: A Beretta 92FS pistol with a dovetail mounted rear sight.
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