Rail Gun?

[Gnomon]

What is a rail gun? Looking it up through shooting websites, I see a strange contraption that looks like a barrel attached to a vise. When I look it up through Google, it tells me about a futuristic SciFi type of weapon that uses electromagnetic fields to fire a ferrous bolt.

Rob

 

[JaysonCraig]

google tells you correctly
uses electricity to propel metal at high velocity. search you tube you will probably find a buncha vids

 

[rpollock]

Rob,

Here are some pictures of rail guns at Rosebud this year:

Rail guns in the context of Benchrest shooting fit into the unlimited class of competion. As far as I know the only club holding unlimited class shoots in Canada is Rosebud, just West of Calgary. Unlimited class is a group shoot, shooting either 5 or 10 shot groups.

Pretty much anything goes in terms of design or construction, except they can't be attached to the bench. In most cases they are a free recoiling rifle, that rides on a set of rails or wheels or bearings that allow the rifle to recoil and then be pushed back into battery for the next shot. They hold perfect point of aim between shots, and there will be some knobs for adjusting aim or holding for the wind. Like all Benchrest matches it is essentially a wind reading contest, except in this case you can use pretty much any rifle you want. ie no weight limit.

 

[bigstickpilot]

then there is THIS kind of rail(way) gun:

ht tp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/18inchRailwayHowitzerBocheBusterWWII.jpg

 

[shredder]

Rob,

Here are some pictures of rail guns at Rosebud this year:

Rail guns in the context of Benchrest shooting fit into the unlimited class of competion. As far as I know the only club holding unlimited class shoots in Canada is Rosebud, just West of Calgary. Unlimited class is a group shoot, shooting either 5 or 10 shot groups.

Pretty much anything goes in terms of design or construction, except they can't be attached to the bench. In most cases they are a free recoiling rifle, that rides on a set of rails or wheels or bearings that allow the rifle to recoil and then be pushed back into battery for the next shot. They hold perfect point of aim between shots, and there will be some knobs for adjusting aim or holding for the wind. Like all Benchrest matches it is essentially a wind reading contest, except in this case you can use pretty much any rifle you want. ie no weight limit.

Very interesting. I wonder what the power source is?

 

[rpollock]

Very interesting. I wonder what the power source is?

Not sure what you mean by power source? For what?

 

[JaysonCraig]

power source is the bullet sitting beside it. this wasn't what i had in mind when i originally posed about rail guns, and the OP seeing right on google.

 

[drache]

So technically that gun is a small version of say a Howizter then with the barrel recoiling then coming back to it's original position?

 

[pie1]

google tells you correctly
uses electricity to propel metal at high velocity. search you tube you will probably find a buncha vids

http://www.powerlabs.org/railgun2.htm

 

[rpollock]

So technically that gun is a small version of say a Howizter then with the barrel recoiling then coming back to it's original position?

In some respects it would be similar.

 

[dan belisle]

We're speaking of two different types of guns here. The railgun in BR circles is the one in the pictures, the other is an an electromagnetically powered expulsion device. - dan

 

[Gnomon]

We're speaking of two different types of guns here. The railgun in BR circles is the one in the pictures, the other is an an electromagnetically powered expulsion device. - dan

Yes, it's the BR one I was wondering about.

Rob

 

[Budweiser360]

delete