Picatinny vs Weaver rails....

Far from an expert but I believe the difference is in the width and spacing of the grooves. Often "interchangeable" but not always if I recall correctly.

From Warne Optics site-

Picatinny rails have slightly wider and deeper slots than Weaver. Picatinny rails have standardized spacing along length of rail and Weaver rails can have slots anywhere on the mount (not necessarily standardized spacing).

From Target Barn site-

Weaver accessories will fit on Picatinny but Picatinny accessories will not fit on Weaver.

Seems Picatinny grooves are wider than Weaver by a few hundreths so sometimes things can be made to fit with grinding.
 
Anyone planning to buy either rails or accessories should do yourself a simple favor before you purchase. READ. Due to the different dimensions and standards, they two MAY be interchangeable in some cases but often ARE NOT. Seems Weaver accessories will USUALLY (not always) fit on Picatinny but Picatinny WILL NOT fit on Weaver. Stating "both are the same" or "applied functionality would be the same" is misleading.


https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/weaver-vs-picatinny/

https://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/learndetail.aspx?lid=10724
 
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I had a weaver rail on an old hunting rifle when I was younger, not only was the spacing narrower, they were really shallow. The weaver rails didn't seem nearly as strong because of the shallow depth. With picatinny rails everywhere, in almost every imaginable configuration, why even mess with Weaver rails unless you have some already.

Stoti
 
Bandg is definitely right on both points, they are not the same, and read. Just save yourself the frustration and time and assume that they won't fit interchangeably when ordering something. I have a dedicated file for fixing this problem and haven't used it in a while doing this. You can Google the specs for mil-spec 1913 Picatinny and Weaver, I have been down this route in the past, hence the file. There was an excellent article on this in American Rifleman a while back with all the specs and schematics too. To answer the original question, there is no good reason to go Weaver over Picatinny, unless you own stock in the company or have a legacy application.
 
Anyone planning to buy either rails or accessories should do yourself a simple favor before you purchase. READ. Due to the different dimensions and standards, they two MAY be interchangeable in some cases but often ARE NOT. Seems Weaver accessories will USUALLY (not always) fit on Picatinny but Picatinny WILL NOT fit on Weaver. Stating "both are the same" or "applied functionality would be the same" is misleading.


https://www.gunsamerica.com/digest/weaver-vs-picatinny/

https://www.brownells.com/aspx/learn/learndetail.aspx?lid=10724


I'm sorry but you obviously don't understand the statement! as I said PIC has a standard, however when utilising a weaver and picatinny set-up that do interface without issue then excepting use in a military application where positional marking or repeatability can be affected, there is no reduced function of the rail and ring lock-up strength or inherent risk of failure.