I need an Anschutz Rail fitted to my McMillan A5 - Ideas please...

[Tiff]

I'm converting over to Atlas bipods on all my rifles and all (except my A5 stock) have an Anschutz/UIT rail factory fitted. I've been using the QD stud to Picatinny adapter, that while ok as a temporary measure, isn't really built for hard use.

 

Ideally I'd like the rail to be about 10" long and steel, preferably having 3 or 4 fixing bolts and not just one at each end. The pictures below I have borrowed from a thread on Snipers Hide and show exactly what I'm after....

 

I know McMillan sell them fitted and also as an aftermarket accessory, but would like to buy it over here if possible; to speed things up a bit.

 

Any ideas on where to source one over here or even better, know a gunsmith that has them in and can fit it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Many thanks,

 

Tiff

 

[Gunsgobang88]

Hi,

 

There are a couple of blank Anschutz rail suppliers on Ebay. The rails would need radiusing by filing at the ends, drilling for fixing bolts and then anodising or coating. The forend would need to be milled out to fit the rail and then drilled for the bolts and have the captive nuts fitted. Hope this is of some help,

 

Alan

[londonhunter]

Hi I have just done that to ALL my rifles by Alan

 

Yes Harris is going to beon eBay soon and Alan has fitted seekins rails to facilitate that

 

 

[brown dog]

I'm think I must be missing something; Why fit a 10" rail designed for sling shooting when all you're ever going to use it for is is to fix on a little 2" stub of picatinny? Why not just fix on a 2" bit of picatinny? (or stick with the QD stud solution).

[Danpd]

Hi I have just done that to ALL my rifles by Alan Yes Harris is going to beon eBay soon and Alan has fitted seekins rails to facilitate that

The seekins rails are Internet linked are they?

[terryh]

I'm think I must be missing something; Why fit a 10" rail designed for sling shooting when all you're ever going to use it for is is to fix on a little 2" stub of picatinny? Why not just fix on a 2" bit of picatinny? (or stick with the QD stud solution).

 

too easy

[brown dog]

too easy

 

and chicks don't dig it?

 

[ejg223]

I would worry about strength. The A5 only has a half shell of glass like a u profile on the forend. If you cut away the bottom of it

a large ammount of the torsional stiffness is gone. Fitting a pica rail to the outside is a much better idea.

If Anschuetz rail, then as short as possible. When we fit an Anschuetz rail we have an insert in the mould and lay up the carbon around the opening

so we avoid milling and have the strength without a cut through it.

edi

[londonhunter]

Ejg223

 

What's new for 2013 .........

[Tiff]

I'm think I must be missing something; Why fit a 10" rail designed for sling shooting when all you're ever going to use it for is is to fix on a little 2" stub of picatinny? Why not just fix on a 2" bit of picatinny? (or stick with the QD stud solution).

I prefer the options the rail offers, like being able to fit a handstop/front grip and change the postion of the sling easily. Plus I can fit a lower profile bag rider (as opposed to one that fits a pic. rail) when I shoot off a benchrest.

 

However after hearing Edi's comments on stock lay-up and strength, it looks like a Seekins or Bt17 rail may be the best option after all....

[ejg223]

Ejg223 What's new for 2013 .........

Not a lot, we are working on a target stock but not sure if there is a real market for it.

We'll be making decissions after the IWA. Funny enough the last years showed us that

the european market is actually not ready yet and we'd pack up if we would have to rely on it.

We have started to export to the US which could turn out to be interesting.

edi

[Hatzi]

I understand and agree with Edi's comment re: removing the composite skin on a Mac, i think i would leave well alone without further reinforcement as you also increase the risk of creating a crack propogation zone

[baldie]

Mcmillan mill out the forend to accomodate the anschutz rail and fix it with four bolts/threaded caps.

 

I,ve never seen one crack or tear ? I dont think the area is strengthened either. Think about it, you are introducing a rail that is 10" long ? The amount of stress that must be able to withstand along its length must be phenomenal.

 

My .338 /A5 runs this rail system with no problems.

[Tiff]

I called McMillan yesterday and as baldie states, they just mill it out after the stock is made.

 

In my mind if the bolts/nuts etc are all devcon or similar resined in place, it shouldn't structurally weaken it that much.

 

I agree there are some bad McMillian stocks around, I'm just betting/hoping mine isn't one of them.....I'll update this thread once it's done.

 

Cheers,

 

Tiff

[ejg223]

I called McMillan yesterday and as baldie states, they just mill it out after the stock is made.

 

In my mind if the bolts/nuts etc are all devcon or similar resined in place, it shouldn't structurally weaken it that much.

 

I agree there are some bad McMillian stocks around, I'm just betting/hoping mine isn't one of them.....I'll update this thread once it's done.

 

Cheers,

 

Tiff

 

Tiff,

the good thing about composite stocks is that one can quite easily fix them. Just about anything can be repaired.

edi

[baldie]

Want pictures?

Even without bottom milled out.

 

Yes please Edi , i,d love to see some. I,ve never seen a stock split in the forend from any manufacturer. Seen plenty of badly fitted studs pulled out, but never seen one actually split.

 

I had a feeling problems like this might surface with the advent of the huge FTR solid bipods though.

[brown dog]

New thread looking at foam and skin relationship:

 

http://ukvarminting.com/forums/topic/17487-food-for-thought-the-relationship-between-skin-and-foam-on-foam-filled-stocks/

[ejg223]

Might be of interest to some.

We are just putting a few F-TR stocks together. The large bipod and torque of the rifle will put quite a load

on the bipod fitting. Additionally to the normal carbon lay up we add unidirectional fibers from the bedding block

area directly to the rail opening. The forend is also beefed up slightly towards torque loading.

The carbon fibre is moulded around the opening for the rail with rovings in the corners.

On the inside a 6mm x 20mm aluminium plate is sandwiched between carbon to take the threads for rail fixing.

 

 

 

With the rail section inserted.