Rail Guns

S

Skip 1032ax

New member
I am building a rail gun from scratch and using all the great pictures/information found here on BRC. I am located in the South Plains of Tx close to Lubbock. Swapped lies years ago with Frank Wilson of Lubbock and a few rounds at the range. No one here in our area has a rail gun and few have ever heard of one . I sure could use some professional help with this project if your out there and would care to point me in the right direction. First I would want to use the gun for testing purposes of components for customers/self as well as competition. I have most of the machine tools necessary for such a project and have machined out most of the components and its assembly time and I have no specifications or dimensions to follow to make it work. I tried to follow the work of Mr. Young, Hall and others. Best ever, Stub
 
Lot's of railgun activity in your backyard

Our region has 2 railgun matches each year at Midland and Seymour. Here's is a link to the NBRSA website with contact information.

https://www.nbrsa.org/gulf-coast-region/

I suggest you reach out to Mike Conry, our incoming director, or Kelly Morman, the incoming alternative director.

Also, there are railgun matches in Raton, NM. There is a railgun match in Pencil Bluff, AR each spring. This year, because of a scheduling conflict, there will be a railgun match Oct 9/10 in Luther, OK. Raton, Pencil Bluff, and Luther are all in the Mid-Continent region and their contact info can be found here...

https://www.nbrsa.org/mid-continent-region/
 
Rail guns

Thanks fellows for all the great information and who could be contacted on putting together these guns. What are the top calibers/size that are found in these guns?? I see most in the 6mm BR but wondered if something in .308 Win is practical? Best ever, Stub
 
Interested in Rail Guns

Skip, if you want to meet some folks that shoot in your area you are in luck. The Llano Estacado gun range is just south of Lubbock and they will be holding their registered match early next month. Sept 3 will be a practice day and probably the best day to visit, the 4th and 5th will be two days of shooting Light and Heavy Varmint rifles. I shoot out of Midland and we have a few very active shooters there and most all do have a rail and like shooting them, might be worth the trip down there one weekend and if you let me know, I can have my rail out on the bench so you can check it out.

I very much doubt that anyone will have their rail gun out that weekend but you can meet a lot of guys who have and shoot one. Most everyone shoots the 6ppc, you can go bigger but I have heard that the additional recoil plays havoc with even rail guns. I would guess that you would have to check your aim point after most shots or have your shots walk across the target. With the ppc you just keep on shooting as fast as you can until you see a change in conditions.

I plan to be at the match so feel free to look me up to show you around and introduce you to others.

Thanks
Scott
 
Rail gun

Skip 1032ax said:
I am building a rail gun from scratch and using all the great pictures/information found here on BRC. I am located in the South Plains of Tx close to Lubbock. Swapped lies years ago with Frank Wilson of Lubbock and a few rounds at the range. No one here in our area has a rail gun and few have ever heard of one . I sure could use some professional help with this project if your out there and would care to point me in the right direction. First I would want to use the gun for testing purposes of components for customers/self as well as competition. I have most of the machine tools necessary for such a project and have machined out most of the components and its assembly time and I have no specifications or dimensions to follow to make it work. I tried to follow the work of Mr. Young, Hall and others. Best ever, Stub
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If this is going to be a one off build for a Rail Gun, Design possibilities are almost UNLIMITED. Most people I know chamber their Rail in 6PPC. Same as their Bag Gun(Benchrest Rifle). If you’re going to use your Rail Gun as a test platform ,6PPC makes a lot of sense.

If I had the Skills to build my own Rail Gun,I would let my imagination be a guide for a design. There’s nothing that says you cant be different. The way I see it, the search for extreme accuracy never ends. Frank Wilson would agree,



GLENN
 
To answer your actual question Skip 1032X I don't think the animal you request exists.... I spent a number of years trying to set up a "test fixture" for rifles other than BR rifles and learned of one one-off rail system where the rifle is cradled within an apparatus which is hung underneath a set of rails. From the pictures posted I did not believe it to be accurate.

There is a poster here on BRC who uses a sliding railed system for testing primarily military prototypes but again, NOT BR accuracy IMO. I will leave comment to him if he chooses.


During my search for a railed universal test fixture I met a wonderful fellow named James Pappas (RIP James) who schooled me purdy good on the subject. From these and other discussions I started out to make an underslung rail (by underslung I mean the rifle bore is below the rail system) setup and was hustle-bustling along when a 65lb box arrived in the mail....... well, let me back up.


I came home from work one day and while setting down my bindle my wife nodded toward an opened box on the counter and asked "NOW what did you buy?? How many kids we gotta' sell for THAT??


???


let me back up again....



My wife grew up in a tool and die shop making parts for companies like Pettibone, Ford, Cal-Tech...... she's got a clue when it comes to prototyping parts...ALSO understand, she was joking. She supports my follies like Loretta Lynn and was more admiring than admonishing.....



So I peeked in the box.


!!!!



James Freaking Pappas..... (sorry, this has turned into a bit of a eulogy for a sweet man) .... had sent me over "just a box of random parts of Pappas Rest protoypes and experiments, in case I could use them". Shiney gleaming AL and delrin and high durometer graphite/rubber sheets and bearings and wheels and and and....

It was like getting great gleaming box of man jewellery...... the first part I pulled out was about 28lb of aluminum without a hunk of scale anywhere....made the wife grin ear-to-ear and come over to ogle....

And use them I have. A BUNCH..... but I haven't come up with anything useful.

I did end up buying a state-of-the-art Kenzler Railgun and have fired up to about ".308 Win with 150's" when it starts jumping the rails. IMO it could be made to shoot 308 Win but it would be a kludge.


IF I ever build a "rifle testing rail" it'll be shaped like a set of gymnast' parallel bars with a dude crab-hanging ankles-n-wrists..... the bore will be at or up to 2" below the centerline of the "rails"...."bars"....sliders".....


I know I've been no help but your post sparked some memories of my own thoughts on this line.



and James Pappas.
 
alinwa said:
To answer your actual question Skip 1032X I don't think the animal you request exists.... I spent a number of years trying to set up a "test fixture" for rifles other than BR rifles and learned of one one-off rail system where the rifle is cradled within an apparatus which is hung underneath a set of rails. From the pictures posted I did not believe it to be accurate.

There is a poster here on BRC who uses a sliding railed system for testing primarily military prototypes but again, NOT BR accuracy IMO. I will leave comment to him if he chooses.


During my search for a railed universal test fixture I met a wonderful fellow named James Pappas (RIP James) who schooled me purdy good on the subject. From these and other discussions I started out to make an underslung rail (by underslung I mean the rifle bore is below the rail system) setup and was hustle-bustling along when a 65lb box arrived in the mail....... well, let me back up.


I came home from work one day and while setting down my bindle my wife nodded toward an opened box on the counter and asked "NOW what did you buy?? How many kids we gotta' sell for THAT??


???


let me back up again....



My wife grew up in a tool and die shop making parts for companies like Pettibone, Ford, Cal-Tech...... she's got a clue when it comes to prototyping parts...ALSO understand, she was joking. She supports my follies like Loretta Lynn and was more admiring than admonishing.....



So I peeked in the box.


!!!!



James Freaking Pappas..... (sorry, this has turned into a bit of a eulogy for a sweet man) .... had sent me over "just a box of random parts of Pappas Rest protoypes and experiments, in case I could use them". Shiney gleaming AL and delrin and high durometer graphite/rubber sheets and bearings and wheels and and and....

It was like getting great gleaming box of man jewellery...... the first part I pulled out was about 28lb of aluminum without a hunk of scale anywhere....made the wife grin ear-to-ear and come over to ogle....

And use them I have. A BUNCH..... but I haven't come up with anything useful.

I did end up buying a state-of-the-art Kenzler Railgun and have fired up to about ".308 Win with 150's" when it starts jumping the rails. IMO it could be made to shoot 308 Win but it would be a kludge.


IF I ever build a "rifle testing rail" it'll be shaped like a set of gymnast' parallel bars with a dude crab-hanging ankles-n-wrists..... the bore will be at or up to 2" below the centerline of the "rails"...."bars"....sliders".....


I know I've been no help but your post sparked some memories of my own thoughts on this line.



and James Pappas.
Click to expand...

Folks, thanks so much. This is the kind of stuff I needed to know and should have done it sooner. Yes so much is right here on Benchrest Central and just reading and listing to you guys answers so many questions. You have been there and done it. That's great thanks again. Stub
 
"Been There Done It"

Skip 1032ax said:
Folks, thanks so much. This is the kind of stuff I needed to know and should have done it sooner. Yes so much is right here on Benchrest Central and just reading and listing to you guys answers so many questions. You have been there and done it. That's great thanks again. Stub
Click to expand...



SKip,your comment, “ Been there and done it” is a very important consideration when asking for directions in unfamiliar territory. I Was talking to HOF shooter Mike Conry about Rail gun designs at the last Gulf Coast registered BR match. Mike Conry is mentioned in post #3,this thread.

Mike is an accomplished Rail Gun shooter and machinist. Mike shared that he designed/modified the Rail Gun,that he shoots in competition.
Mike lives in walking distance of the Midland,Tx Benchrest,Range. Try to make it to a Match at Midland,Tx,as previously suggested. Bring camera, take pictures, ask questions. Keep us posted on your “Build from scratch Project”

Glenn
 
Skip 1032ax said:
I am building a rail gun from scratch and using all the great pictures/information found here on BRC. I am located in the South Plains of Tx close to Lubbock. Swapped lies years ago with Frank Wilson of Lubbock and a few rounds at the range. No one here in our area has a rail gun and few have ever heard of one . I sure could use some professional help with this project if your out there and would care to point me in the right direction. First I would want to use the gun for testing purposes of components for customers/self as well as competition. I have most of the machine tools necessary for such a project and have machined out most of the components and its assembly time and I have no specifications or dimensions to follow to make it work. I tried to follow the work of Mr. Young, Hall and others. Best ever, Stub ovo game
Click to expand...

A thorough understanding of physics, engineering concepts, and safety procedures is necessary to design a rail gun. Safety must always come first, and help from experts should be sought out whenever possible.
 
drewbinsky said:
A thorough understanding of physics, engineering concepts, and safety procedures is necessary to design a rail gun. Safety must always come first, and help from experts should be sought out whenever possible.
Click to expand...

another spammer.
one post
no relevent context and an old thread
 
Thank you for your vigilance rsmithsr..... useless cretins will never support your stance, preferring to wind their little lives up by knocking those who stand in the gap.

I'll never understand the sort of smallness required to vilify those who're trying to be helpful..... but I recognize it, and spit on them.

Fbecigneul and sdean, please leave your childish, cowardly, sniping posts up for others to see.... I won't stoop to save them, it's all on you two unless more of your acolytes step in to support your bullying
 
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