Dovetail rail

[citation needed] Dovetail mounts are today mostly found on light recoiling air guns, but can also be found on some modern rifles for hunting and sport shooting using smokeless powder, although other options such as the Picatinny rail, which has a built-in recoil lug, are becoming more popular.

But in recent times it has been changed to Picatinny rail in place of it, as Dovetails were not fit for the purpose of making space for ACOG sighting system, according to the MOD Some dovetail rails have integrated recoil lugs.

[7] The mount is found on the left side of the rifle receiver, with machined cutouts for reduced weight and ease of installation; an example is the PSO-1 optical sight.

[citation needed] The SVD and the AK rifles use slightly different dovetail mounts.

[11] 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").

A dovetail rail on a rifle receiver for mounting a sight (i.e. a scope or iron sights ).
The SIG Sauer 200 STR has an 11 mm dovetail on the receiver for mounting a diopter rear sight or a scope sight, either directly or via a Picatinny rail adapter.
Left: Aimpoint Acro C2 reflex sight laying on its side. Right: Acro rail on a Picatinny riser.
Approximate dimensions of an Aimpoint Acro rail.
A Beretta 92FS pistol with a dovetail mounted rear sight
Pistol sights with perpendicular dovetails