Kicking around the idea of a new rifle. I plan on using a rail but a question I ran into is aluminum vs steel. Is there any reason to pick one over the other? Any reason to stay away from or the other? Not necessarily a brand issue.
Many of the "High-End" rails are 7075 Aluminum. Seekins, Talley, and some of the Nightforce rails come to mind. I have Aluminum on several rifles and have had no problems at all.
Ive used both with no issues but I do prefer to use steel on harder recoiling rifles like my 45-70 and aluminum on lighter calibers like my 6.5 creedmoor. Steel is harder and provides better overall wear resistance especially if using detachable rings. If total rifle weight is something to be concerned about, nothing wrong with a high quality aluminum rail or better yet...titanium if cost isn't an issue.