Posts by Guest

No moving parts. It also works equally well on a very wide gun that can't easily use a standard side release actuated by the trigger mech.

For this gun, yes. But I think the same track might work well for a hybrid with a little more power. This just strikes me as the kind of thing with potential beyond the oringinally conceived application.

I haven't hit it with a hammer, but I did my absolute best to break it off by hand and could not.

Quote from psychobilly

Also if you could blend/fair the ends of the G10 to the muzzle/handle it would look better.

Agree 100%. I will definately fair it on the real gun.

Quote from Dan

Can the track be shaped to provide a smoother profile between the track and the pipe?

Somewhat, but I can't do much without getting thin on each side of the track. I need to start with a 5/8" wide stick because that is the size that Griswold has in black. Keeping it square also makes it much easier for me to accurately hold it in my mill for machining. That is particularly important with a longer barrel, where I must cut, reset, and cut several times.

Quote from Dan

I can shape the round notch on an American shaft.

What is the track made of? If the material is ideal is it available in black? What is used to bond the track to the barrel? Can the track be shaped to provide a smoother profile between the track and the pipe?

The track is G10, which is a high pressure epoxy laminate. It should work like a poured epoxy track on steroids. The standard color is the ghost green, but it is available in lots of colors on a custom order basis. But you would have to buy a whole sheet, which is pretty expensive. Since the G10 is epoxy based, and the carbon fiber tube is epoxy based, I just used West Epoxy to glue them together.

If Hau has trouble finding the right shaft, I could machine a couple of standard Riffe shafts with the proper Euro notch.

Hau - I don't have a 9/32" spear with a Euro notch to check it with. a standard 9/32" Riffe shaft fits nicely, but I didn't try to engage it in the mech.

Where are you going to get a 9/32" spear with a euro notch and shark fin tabs, by the way?

We can make it more complicated by wrapping additional CF around the whole thing, but I really don't see the point. The additional CF would add weight, and would have to be removed at each end to fit into the muzzle and handle. It will take some semi-destructive testing to make sure that the bond between the track and tube is adequate, but I think that it will be.

There is more than one way to do this, to be sure. I like the way I did the CF track on my recent gun, but that is VERY time consuming, and couldn't be done to match existing RA handles or muzzles. On the other hand, I could modify a barrel like this in about 8 hours total work time and put an existing muzzle and handle on for a quick turnaround. So I guess it's all about what you really want from the end product.

Here it is, Hau's new hole gun. The first RA 15 cm. I think this barrel will work very well. It is really stiff, and while the OD is just a tiny bit large, it can easily be sanded down to fit inside the skirts on the barrel and muzzle. The track is cut with a 0.305" diameter ball, leaving nice a nice fit on a 9/32" shaft.

I would need to machine the skirt just a little wider to extend the track all the way back into the handle, but that would be easy to do.

Here you can see the faint lines left over from whatever they use to wrap the outside when fabricating the barrel.

Things went pretty much according to plan on this little test piece. I do not see any "show stoppers" at this point that would keep me from making a longer barrel the same way. I used a scrap of the standard "ghost green" G10 for this test, but Griswold has some black material that i would use for the real deal.

What do we need to change / improve Hau?

Yes Dan, simple round tube. It has an interesting outside texture. It looks fairly smooth, with miniscule lines running around the diameter where they wrapped it during manufacturing I guess. But it has a little bit of a grippy feel to it, like very fine sandpaper. I think that would go away with a single light sanding and a thin coat of epoxy. Might be great on a smaller tube for a polespear, though.

I will try to keep track of the time.

Hau - Everything arrived today! I got your package with the muzzles and handle, and thanks for the extra goodies. The tube looks great, with an inside diameter right at 1", and an outside diameter right about 1.160". I'll get started soon!

Quote from fuzz

I've heard references in a couple places that say that Polycaprolactone isn't UV stable and it needs a UV stabilizer like some epoxies. Can't confirm or deny it, but good thing to look into if used for something load bearing like a muzzle. In a handle, not nearly as critical.

Agreed. I also wonder if simply dying it black provides any UV protection.

Quote from fuzz

As a random side thought - thank you to Jeff & Chad!

Your outside-the-box thinking, testing of new materials, and willingness to share all breathe new life into the industry. I would probably never have heard of half the things you've mentioned & your openness are both respected and appreciated.

Stuff like that just doesn't get said enough.

Thanks Fuzz.

Wow Dan, I remember that!

My trigger is short, but not as short as it looks in that pic. Here it is installed:

Here's a shot of what the internals were doing, and why they interfered with the operation of the line release lever. I inserted a 3/32" diameter pin through the mech at the location of the red dot in the previous photo. The mech now works great, and the trigger cannot move forward enough to interfere with the line release lever.

Your eye for detail is a little scary sometimes . . .

I just need to make that small trigger mod, and then a butt pad. After that, it's just bands and a final coat of epoxy to pretty it up.

Well, I finished the spring resetting line release. This one is a smaller version of the design that I have been using for a while, but I reduced the max diameter to 1/4", and it is just a bit over 1" long. Because there is little room under the line release, I installed a threaded insert and machine screw, instead of using a normal wood screw.

What cord did you use to tie the bands in your pics Dan?

I think the Shapelock is plenty strong enough for a muzzle, if the band slot or holes were closed (without an insertion slot).

I get it from www.shapelock.com. I asked once about lower pricing for larger orders, but they weren't receptive. At one point, I tracked down the material, and found I could get a pretty good price, but had to buy several hundred pounds, so I gave up.

There is another product called "Friendly Plastic" that comes in colored strips. It may be the same stuff, but I have never tried it.