Planning building a railgun

I am still here and learning, and agree with many of you putting a valid point on the table.
Yes, I am really enjoying shooting my airgun at 100 beside a fact usually I am noticing a fun look on people face passing by me, (one guy even asked me what was that farting sound?) ... until they see my cards ... then they just turning around and I never saw them again :)
Shooting MOA consistently at 100 meters in an average day is not really a challenge any longer unless the elements kicks the game. This why I am looking to extend the distance.
Shooting 200 with slugs may work, mechanically my FX Impact is capable to deliver it, I know people even compete that distance with airguns South of the border.
300 meters ??? only with jump up with calibre to .30 or .35 because only those calibres have heavier amo (mass production) for that distance.
But that shooting is for you-toobe fans only.
And at my club the 200 and 300 is a shared range. So this is a main reason I would invest into a powder burner.
Otherwise up to 100 meters the PCP airgun technology can perform well, and it is also dirt cheap to shoot.
 
Last edited:
One advantage to a regular gun vs a railgun is the ability to shoot it from practical positions (standing, prone, etc) which would transfer to your airgun. I wouldn't think a rail gun would provide much in the way of transferable skills?
 
Rail gun is a tool that aids in proving load development, barrel performance, scope holding POI, flag reading, and for bullet makers testing and developing bullets.

Not everyone is into position shooting, F-Class, PRS etc. The BR guys that have and shoot railguns love shooting them in competition.

The key in building a rail gun for a PCP, can you build it in a manner similar to a rifle rail? Rifle rails attach the barreled action to the rail via a barrel block. The air rifle the way I see it would have to be bolting the barreled action to the rail via the receiver.

Regardless what your plans, research BR railguns to see they look like and get ideas for constructing one.
 
bigHUN said:
This will be my winter project, hoping to finish before the next year season start.
Currently I am shooting airguns only in two calibres .22 and .25, target rings, BR 50 and 100 meter, in a gunclub (SGC). My two airguns both are customized for most possible precision, and I am very anal with tuning. Last winter I built myself a one-piece rest, because I am not satisfied shooting from bags or bipods.

In my gunclub we have a 200 and 300 meters range these are mostly empty whenever I visit at least two times a week.
I am planning investing into a dedicated gun for 300 meter rings.
Because I don't hunt, I would build a railgun, and I have access to friends CNC machine shops. Also I am a mechanical designer (semi retired), just looking at online railgun pictures I can do that.

My memories faded about shooting a firearm, and based on conversations I had, I cannot decide between 223 and 308. Reloading? I understand the value but probably not interested in a near future.

As a side note, I spoke to some guys offering me guns, but I don't need a whole gun to throw away the furniture parts, I "just" need the metal.
I have no source for parts, prefer to save some money on cosmetics but not scarifying the quality.

My mind is open to suggestions.
Click to expand...

Make it a 6mm BR with a .272" neck and use Lapua brass (no neck turn) ... more accurate and a great 300 yard cartridge relatively cheap to load for... but if you want to use factory ammo only - make it a .223, test a few different ones then buy 5000 rounds of that lot number that shoots best ...
 
You will be in the same disappointed boat building basically a fixed gun in 22lr or 223/308 whatever.
Same reason you gave up on the 22lr build, limited accuracy due to the factory ammo also applies to center fire cartridges.
No way around it, want the best accuracy, you need to reload.
 
...One advantage to a regular gun vs a railgun is the ability to shoot it from practical positions (standing, prone, etc) which would transfer to your airgun. I wouldn't think a rail gun would provide much in the way of transferable skills?
Click to expand...

My gun range 200-300 distance are only shooting from a bench, PRS in my club is shorter I guess 70-80 meters only but cannot confirm I have not shot there yet. There is a a gunrange about 100Km away that accommodates F-Class, it is a army base that sharing but on tight schedules only. So having a off the shelf rifle with a wooden/synthetic stock is just waste of parts in my eye.
The PCP airgun which I dedicated for 100 meters shooting, I have about 10K shots from it and I don't think that I shot it off hand yet in three years.

....The key in building a rail gun for a PCP, can you build it in a manner similar to a rifle rail?...
Click to expand...

Last winter I built a one-piece rest for my existing PCP, yes there are custom built rail-air guns and I have access to some parts. I was tinkering earlier to build one DIY.
This is my one-piece rest, salvaged pretty cheap from internet, and it is accurate to my liking.:

View attachment 632726

...The other thing about rail guns is they tend to be very heavy...
Click to expand...

This airgun kit is my 100 meters setup, I need my wife's SUV for it. Loading from home to a BR and back is already a good hour dragging cases only. This I go when I have at least a half day for shooting ;)

View attachment 632727

I have one another semi auto PCP setup that is more mobile for quick visits to my silhouettes range.
 
No offense but a center fire would destroy your current rest, with a thing called recoil. F class is shot prone on the ground. You wont have a solid bench to use your rest. Also if you showed up with it, they would tell you to leave. Military ranges need to be booked for events, you just cannot go when you feel. If you don't reload, like said no point getting into this, as most serious rail gun shooters reload on the range.

Again another firearm thread turned into this is my airgun.
 
Rail guns are generally 2 piece so you would be carrying less pieces but something alot heavier like 25lbs or more per piece. Seen where some were upwards 100lbs but I think that might be the extreme. Here's a couple of examples.

www.benchrest.c om/magnummetal/
Www.benchrest.c om/youngrails/

Added space between the c and o so as to not get in trouble for hot linking.
 
A good .223 should get you onto the target at 300m without the recoil of a .308 or 6.5cm.

Sight in at shorter distance, 25m then 100m then 300m and allow for parabolic bullet drop with distance.

Once you're making holes at distance then tightening group size is the next game, and may require handloading to tune to your barrel. But take it one phase at a time!
 
...a center fire would destroy your current rest, with a thing called recoil....Again another firearm thread turned into this is my airgun.
Click to expand...

This my gun have a forward moving longitudinal recoil as well, and I can adjust the clamp force on sliders also the bumper length depend of what temperature needs what friction between moving parts. The picture cannot show well, this my rest is not a rigid clamp only, also I filled the extrusion with #9 leadshots and attaching extra lead weights to the main body to "clamp it" to the table. Of course that for a higher stress I would build something more serous fixture.
And sorry I didn't meant to pollute a firearm forum with my airgun thread.
I have learned what I need, Thank YOU ALL spending a time with me.
 
bigHUN said:
My gun range 200-300 distance are only shooting from a bench, PRS in my club is shorter I guess 70-80 meters only but cannot confirm I have not shot there yet. There is a a gunrange about 100Km away that accommodates F-Class, it is a army base that sharing but on tight schedules only. So having a off the shelf rifle with a wooden/synthetic stock is just waste of parts in my eye.
The PCP airgun which I dedicated for 100 meters shooting, I have about 10K shots from it and I don't think that I shot it off hand yet in three years.



Last winter I built a one-piece rest for my existing PCP, yes there are custom built rail-air guns and I have access to some parts. I was tinkering earlier to build one DIY.
This is my one-piece rest, salvaged pretty cheap from internet, and it is accurate to my liking.:

View attachment 632726



This airgun kit is my 100 meters setup, I need my wife's SUV for it. Loading from home to a BR and back is already a good hour dragging cases only. This I go when I have at least a half day for shooting ;)

View attachment 632727

I have one another semi auto PCP setup that is more mobile for quick visits to my silhouettes range.
Click to expand...

Your range doesn't allow standing, sitting (without a bench), or prone from the 200 or 300 lines? If so that sucks.
 
Suther said:
Your range doesn't allow standing, sitting (without a bench), or prone from the 200 or 300 lines? If so that sucks.
Click to expand...

One of mine doesn't allow standing.To shoot prone we need to lay on top of the benches. Can thank the idiot who shot a house doing something stupid.
 
if you wish to buy verse build , I have 2 rail guns , i has a barrel block for light guns and 1 heavy , comes with a 6 ppc barrel on a Nesika action

G
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom