New to this forum so hopefully this isn't a ridiculous question. I do a considerable amount of load dev for my F Class rifles. I would like to eliminate the human factor when testing loads especially on the initial 5 round test. My thought is to use a railgun platform to mount my Rem700 barreled action to. Is this a reasonable idea? What would be the downsides? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Railgun platform for load development
- Thread starter Long Range Mark
- Start date
DShortt
Gold $$ Contributor
Considered this myself only was thinking.a dedicated rail gun and swapping barrels.
To date, I've not had time to try this. Interested in what others will have to say. This is to be the platform with some significant modifications.
Not a railgun by definition. More a test bed.
To date, I've not had time to try this. Interested in what others will have to say. This is to be the platform with some significant modifications.
Not a railgun by definition. More a test bed.
The top shooters don't test with a rail gun. Check out some Eric Cortina videos. They trust their shooting ability to know when the results are valid or when they did a bad job. E-mail Erik he may discuss it with you. Maybe a top shooter on this website will discuss it with you. Ignore the key board experts.
ekcort@yahoo.com.
Your probably talking at least $5000 for a rail gun and the results may not relate to your competition rifle. I read where some guys have used a rail gun to test bullet consistency. Your rifle may not like the same bullet.
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DirtySteve
Gold $$ Contributor
I like the idea.. "That's all I have to say about that." Forrest Gump
Fast14riot
Gold $$ Contributor
I have seen enough variation going from bench to prone in group size that I only do final testing in how I plan to compete with that rifle. I'll do initial testing for f/class on the bench to find my powder window but then move to 600 or 1000y prone for my final testing. I'll take a 100y load to the 1000y line, but never expect it to be completely tuned right from 100y.
Tod Hendricks
Gold $$ Contributor
There’s some things to learn from it, I switched the barreled action between identical stocks, one bolted to the rail gun the other shot conventional. In the end it was an interesting exercise and I may play with it again someday.
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rwj
Gold $$ Contributor
How the rifle is supported affects its natural frequency/damping and how it responds to the firing impulse. The downrange results from a rail gun platform may not translate to other support systems. There is only one way to find out! Hopefully; @Tod Hendricks will share his findings…
hpshooter
Gold $$ Contributor
YES !!!!. Some place in my paper archives I have copies of the USMC rifle version of a ransom rest for the
M14 match rifles from "back in the day". One of the RTE smiths told me that testing in the fixture only was a verification of the rifle/ammo combination potential, once it is slung up in position everything changes,
Mulligan
Silver $$ Contributor
I have a YOUNG testing rail with all the accoutrements for larger cartridge's.
I have tested actions, triggers, barrels, bullets, etc. with it, and it works to prove whether the components are serviceable or not.
One bucket of yuck I stepped into and I will share this in hopes you or anyone else does not step in the same bucket.
IN MY EXPERIANCE
Rails can be more finicky than a bag gun. Table manners really matter!!!!!
Torque on the barrel matters. Lube on the pins, matters.
Consistency is the KEY.
Here is the bucket I referenced above......... "to takes the human element out of the equation".
I was and still am the weakest link in the chain. The rail just magnified my errors so I could see them.
Please keep in mind that I am a nobody and have never even participated in a major registered match. Just a local shooter trying to up my game.
CW
I have tested actions, triggers, barrels, bullets, etc. with it, and it works to prove whether the components are serviceable or not.
One bucket of yuck I stepped into and I will share this in hopes you or anyone else does not step in the same bucket.
IN MY EXPERIANCE
Rails can be more finicky than a bag gun. Table manners really matter!!!!!
Torque on the barrel matters. Lube on the pins, matters.
Consistency is the KEY.
Here is the bucket I referenced above......... "to takes the human element out of the equation".
I was and still am the weakest link in the chain. The rail just magnified my errors so I could see them.
Please keep in mind that I am a nobody and have never even participated in a major registered match. Just a local shooter trying to up my game.
CW
Railguns do not eliminate the human factor.......the shooter still has to make wind calls and pull the trigger at the right time......don't be fooled.
Wind is the great unknown when it comes to shooting and no rail gun will correct for that. Is wind a factor where you shoot? If so, I would get some quality wind flags and learn the art of reading the wind.
Yes..wind is a factor where I shoot and yes,I use wind flags ALWAYS.. Air is always moving due to thermal dynamics. If the flags don't show movement...all that means is that resistance of the flags is more than the force of the air movement.
Good luck and stay safe.
I haven’t played with big bore stuff much but I have spent many hours pulling the trigger on small bore and air rifles in the name of ammo testing. One thing that I found was that testing the barreled action may be an indication of accuracy potential of the rifle/ammo combination but the barreled action was not any where close to being the same as a rifle in the configuration that it would end up being shot in. I was dealing with rifles that were very prone to vibration so they might be different than some of the big heavy barreled applications. I say this because one of the rifles I worked with was a 16” heavy barrel with an extension tube. It was the most consistent between barreled action and stocked. After much frustration at the test ranges and with multiple clamping devices for the action, I ended up with using the entire rifle mounted in a fixture that could slide. The mounting points were close to the sling points. This setup was more repeatable than hard clamping.
I like the idea of using a “rail gun” for development but I think it should be as close to the competition rig as possible. Good luck with your testing. It will be fun.
Chip
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