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Bill Gruby
Guest
Thank you Wilbur. It has a ways to go yet though. Probably another 10 to 15 hours work.
"Bill"
"Bill"
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Bill Gruby
Guest
I really apologies for no updates but it is because there are none. I am at a standstill to the chunk of Aluminum for the base gets here. It is 9 days past due at this point.
"Bill"
"Bill"
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Bill Gruby
Guest
Weight means rigidity which in turn yields accuracy. Am I correct? If so what do these bad boys weigh in at average?
"Bill"
"Bill"
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Bill Gruby
Guest
Is anyone here ???
"Bill Gruby"
"Bill Gruby"
I don't know if weight means anything in terms of accuracy as there are light varmint rifles that shoot as good as rail guns. What you're looking for is being able to shoot very quickly.....and accurately. A lighter rail might shoot well but be difficult to keep it in the same place while shooting.
Came back to add what you asked for...in general. My rail is made from plates of aluminum that are an inch thick and the "parts" are not small. I don't have a scale but it seems that each half weighs about 25 pounds...barrel included. If you hammer the "feet" into the bench, blow the dust out of the holes, reset the base, and bump the top forward a time or two....it will stay where it is. Don't know how it would act with Super Feet!
I will say this...if your rail is nailed into the bench and you allow the recoil to hit the back stop...you have to re-aim and re-settle the rail.
Came back to add what you asked for...in general. My rail is made from plates of aluminum that are an inch thick and the "parts" are not small. I don't have a scale but it seems that each half weighs about 25 pounds...barrel included. If you hammer the "feet" into the bench, blow the dust out of the holes, reset the base, and bump the top forward a time or two....it will stay where it is. Don't know how it would act with Super Feet!
I will say this...if your rail is nailed into the bench and you allow the recoil to hit the back stop...you have to re-aim and re-settle the rail.
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Bill Gruby
Guest
Thank you Wilbur, that's pretty much what I needed to know. FYI the base on my rail will be 1.5 inch 7075 T3 Aluminum 27.250 long and 10.000 wide. About 55 lbs.
"Bill"
"Bill"
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Dusty Stevens
Hollow Point Dispenser
Id say more than 99% of them are 1" but a few are 1.5 like the kensler rails. Man theyre heavy.
Jay Young
Member
Bill, I build them with 1-1/4" and 1-1/2" thick plates, I have only built 1 that was 1" and 1 that was 2" because the customer wanted it that way. 1-1/2" is plenty, Good luck...
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Bill Gruby
Guest
Thank you all. I thought I was going to thick for the base. I fell better about it now. I can't wait for that chunk of Aluminum to arrive. 1.5 X 10 X 36. I haven't machined a piece like that in years. LOL
"Bill"
"Bill"
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When you get the rail built and work out the bugs, you can cut off what you don't need. You might believe the heavier the better, and that's OK for now, but at some point you'll wish it wasn't that heavy. I think there's some point that's heavy enough and anything over that is just weight that has to be carried for nothing. I'll also say that I don't know where that weight point is....but somebody does.
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Bill Gruby
Guest
Jerry H
Different Drummer
For a 6PPC, the minimum weight of a plate type moving top is 25 pounds to control vibration bounce on the rails while the bullet is still in the barrel. The base weight is just to keep it in place on the bench. A base as little as 15 pounds can be used if it is stiff enough (2 inch vertical beams) for vibration control but you would have to forgo the use of bump stops with that little weight. A common BR rumor has it that the base should be twice the top weight.
JerrySharrett
Senile Member
And, it doesn't hurt to add a couple of 25# bags of shot to the base to help hold it in place.
One thing that needs to be checked when setting up a rail is the rigidity of the benchtop itself. Several years back rail shooters discovered those heavy bench tops set on massive pillars at St Louis would MOVE if not much pressure at all was put on their sides.
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One thing that needs to be checked when setting up a rail is the rigidity of the benchtop itself. Several years back rail shooters discovered those heavy bench tops set on massive pillars at St Louis would MOVE if not much pressure at all was put on their sides.
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Bill Gruby
Guest
In watching videos of some matches I see a lot of railguns using everything from elastic bande to surgical tubing to do what looks like trying to tame the recoil. How come no one has added springs for this purpose?
"Bill"
"Bill"
Dusty Stevens
Hollow Point Dispenser
They have bill. Ive seen a few spring returns
Catch the recoil and push the top to battery with your hand. If the top ever strikes the base (the stop) on recoil you have to stop and make sure the rail is where you started and will hold there. Alternatively, you can use springs and do that every shot. Again, each to his own. Keep in mind that the sole purpose of a rail gun is to shoot fast.
By the way, I thought some more about how benches would sometimes move and remembered something I learned along the way. There was a range that had wooden benches and everytime we shot there my ribs would be sore starting sometime Monday night. I finally realized that it was because I was pushing on the bench with my body while aiming. OK, sometime later, I shot a match from concrete benches and the same thing happened Monday night. When I returned to that range, I checked to see if the benches moved when leaned on and they did just a little bit. Sooo, if you ever end up with sore ribs, you'll know what happened - and it ain't a good thing.
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