Well, 2 months later in the maritimes... I finally had a bit of time to finish it and tweak a few things. It's got quite a few things I"ll change if I make a 2nd one but for a 1st try it works rather nice and very smooth.
Did run into a couple initial issues in the co-ax unit and how to keep it stabilized(issue was one material being too soft), finally got it for about .002-.003 radial play at the far end of the top plate for the bag. Still gotta get a higher grade of bearings for it.
One thing I thought I could get away without was a rack & pinion coarse elevation adjustment, although its not too bad to set up manually, when the rifle is on there is it a bit heavy. So I'll probably add a rack&pinion or something like that to it next.
Also planning to try a few other materials and options for the co-ax system and do some longevity tests. I made it to fit the protektor bag but its all adjustable for other types I think(will get some eventually) didn't bother cutting off the tongue pieces on the bag yet, they don't get in the way anyhow. I'm still hoping to come up with a good way to make a solid coax for around $600ish, was initially hoping for less but some bits cost more than expected, so when time allows I'll do some drawings of a more final unit and do a cost analysis on it.
So here's the proto/working unit, mostly made from left over materials in the shop(would prefer a 1pc base in a different shape...), if I never bother to make a 2nd it'll do just fine for me as it is though.
This one has both counterweight and also spring loaded compensation for rifle weight which would also be made more adjustable on a 2nd unit and maybe not need counterweight at all(though it does really smooth things out vs springs)
I also moved the 1st bearing outboard for very easy disassembly, and also to gain a fair bit more movement of the unit, it still has room for some more as it is but currently I think the plate/bag moves about .480" vertical and horizontal(70% of that at 45°) Weighs around 27lbs with counterweight.
It's a bit rough, finish is as machined, scratches are from parts of it being on the table in the shop for nearly 2 months until I could get back to it.
