What are the differences between an average Rail Gun and...

I

Ian_Owen

Member
From the Rail Gun Prints thread:

Dusty Stevens said:
I have a set of mcluskey prints. It builds an average rail gun nothing spectacular
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Dusty what is the differences between an average rail gun and a spectacular rail gun, and what are the deficiencies of the McCluskey rail gun design?
I have seen the McCluskey prints and thought it looked very similar in design to the early Young rail gun, which people say are very good, and a lot of people seem to use........Ian
 
Wilbur said:
The faster you can shoot it, the more spectacular it can be....
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And in addition to what Wilbur said, The great rail guns shoot real little groups, regardless of its maker, its design and anything else about it. Its all about a system that delivers small groups with the least distraction from the wind conditions as it is fired.

FWIW

Steve Kostanich
 
And shoots in the same hole regardless of position on the slide and goes back to the same spot from sighter to record and doesnt jump when you lock down adjustments- theres a million that youll have to gain experience in different conditions to realize. I learn a new quirk every match.
 
Dusty Stevens said:
And shoots in the same hole regardless of position on the slide and goes back to the same spot from sighter to record and doesnt jump when you lock down adjustments- theres a million that youll have to gain experience in different conditions to realize. I learn a new quirk every match.
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I'm not sure how to ask this question but with all the different makes of rail guns who builds the one rail that has all the features you guys mentioned? If none are built to this standard, then if you could have one rail built that satisfied all those quirks and setup movements, how would you have it built and who would you have build it?

I ask because I've wanted a rail for some time, knowing nothing about them I'd much rather have one that built that can do all the things you guys say eliminating a wind condition of course or a bad case and or bullet. Just wanting the perfect rail if it could be built.

James
 
The only ones you can just outright buy now is a young and kensler. Both of those are top shelf ready to go with little work. Of course there are many rails that were limited production that are great- don powell and robert dodd to name 2. Then you have the one offs- its a crapshoot on those. Bad thing is usually a good rail isnt for sale. Its like a used LV gun- if it shoots its not for sale. And used guns should be bought with no barrel. If theres one on it dont even plan on using it. No telling how many 400rd wore out barrels ive seen. So if i was in the market for a railgun to end all and not take a gamble id get with lou murdica and order a kensler and get a new kelbly railgun action and a 1.450 krieger and a bix'n andy trigger- bam- done deal and thats a winner.
 
Dusty Stevens said:
And shoots in the same hole regardless of position on the slide and goes back to the same spot from sighter to record and doesnt jump when you lock down adjustments- theres a million that youll have to gain experience in different conditions to realize. I learn a new quirk every match.
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OK, there's a rub....I don't care if the alignment is off from sighter to record and I don't care if the crosshair doesn't stay in the same place when the top slides. And...that's just the difference between me and Dusty. Not sure about what Dusty said concerning the same spot from sighter to record but I've seen folks working hard on that. Not sure why....!

Keith Gantt's rail moved upward at an angle quite badly when sliding backward. He got carried away and shot an extremely large group at Wilmington..but only once. Otherwise he was hard to beat with that stupid rail gun he had!!
 
So you see what i mean there. My rail shoots in the same spot no matter its sliding position. That was mega work. Also think about flipping the sighter cam and its going to a different spot up top than it was. In the mirage youll love that if youre chasing sighter shots. Its gotta be good enough that you trust its going to its spot no matter what the scope says. You know how far a mirage shift will move the image and that murage shift is what sent you downstairs to start with.
 
I'll agree somewhat that a rail would be better if it stayed in the same "place" when recoiling. I disagree entirely that it needs to "point" to the same place on the sighter that it does on the record. I don't use any marking on the target at all when shooting the rail...just the bullet holes.
 
The only reason for that wilbur is if you need to see how far to hold off. If youre a ring away on the sighter but 1.5 away on record its just more time adjusting. No big deal if thats what you got to deal with im just not gonna have it for myself
 
Tim Singleton said:
Wilbur
Do you just reference where you see the bullet poi location in the scope to know where to hold?
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Yes! it's a whole bunch easier to do it that way...faster too. Just crank the "spot" to the middle of the existing group and let fly. As I have said many times, different strokes for different folks, and shooting a rail can be done differently with similar results.
 
Dusty Stevens said:
The only ones you can just outright buy now is a young and kensler. Both of those are top shelf ready to go with little work. Of course there are many rails that were limited production that are great- don powell and robert dodd to name 2. Then you have the one offs- its a crapshoot on those. Bad thing is usually a good rail isnt for sale. Its like a used LV gun- if it shoots its not for sale. And used guns should be bought with no barrel. If theres one on it dont even plan on using it. No telling how many 400rd wore out barrels ive seen. So if i was in the market for a railgun to end all and not take a gamble id get with lou murdica and order a kensler and get a new kelbly railgun action and a 1.450 krieger and a bix'n andy trigger- bam- done deal and thats a winner.
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Good rail guns come up for sale all the time. What you aren't taking in to account is the aging of benchrest shooters. As shooters age, they get to where they don't want to pick the rail guns up and change benches with them. When they get to that point, they put them up for sale. For instance, at the Cactus this year Tom Libby sold his Skip Otto rail gun. The rail gun that currently holds the 10 shot 100 yard record at .097". Tom had gone to a Kensler rail that was simpler to rebarrel and lighter than the Otto rail. It was definitely bargain priced and he sold it. I have a rail gun I built patterned after a Young and a Young rail gun. The Young tracks from front to back and is slightly smoother in return to battery. The difference is that the Young rails are ground in place, mine were milled in place which makes it not quite as smooth. The advantage of a rail that has perfect tracking comes in when you're running a group and don't get it pushed completely back to the stop. Probably the biggest thing with a rail is shooting it enough in matches to where you're completely comfortable with it. A lot of the regions don't have many rail gun matches. In Texas, we usually have at least two or maybe three if you want to drive far enough to shoot it before the Nationals. That does help.
 
james n tn said:
i'm not sure how to ask this question but with all the different makes of rail guns who builds the one rail that has all the features you guys mentioned? If none are built to this standard, then if you could have one rail built that satisfied all those quirks and setup movements, how would you have it built and who would you have build it?

I ask because i've wanted a rail for some time, knowing nothing about them i'd much rather have one that built that can do all the things you guys say eliminating a wind condition of course or a bad case and or bullet. Just wanting the perfect rail if it could be built.

James
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remember perfect rail needs shooter with no mistakes
 
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