Nah, Springfield doesn't need to swipe any ideas from us.
It was likely a case of them realizing they just didn't need a rail that long to hang a light on!
I had three of them in this week - gifts for Rob Leatham's friends (It's good to be Rob's friend), and they all had the new short rails. The difference is that the new Operators have front serrations

and the cuts on the rail, and the corresponding ball cuts on the slide are done at 90 degrees, i.e. a square cut - rather than the more difficult and Oh So Elegant angled and bevelled ones.
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