what is a rail gun?

[Ophiodon]

This is probably a really stupid question but what is a rail gun? is a rail gun some sort of custom made speargun? and what is the difference between a rail gun and a normal speargun?
im looking for a new speargun to hunt with in the kelp beds, my dive instructor reccomended them, but he was not able to explain what they were.
finally can anybody reccomend a good speargun brand? I have been using a 21 inch JBL speargun and i am fed up it, its too unaccurate and slow. I know that marc valetine makes a good gun and my partner uses his 75cm quite effectively, but i dont want to be a copy-cat.
i've only been hunting about a year now and am still pretty new to the sport, so sorry for all of the questions

 

[MKDVR]

This may be a really stupid answer but AFAIK a rail gun is a very large piece of German artillery back in WW2 that had to be moved around by rail car.

 

[Shadowkiller]

Railguns have an extruded metal or plastic rail which supports the shaft along its entire length. They are generally more accurate than gun which only have a short section of shaft support along the middle of the barrel. The term is usually only applied to Euro guns (arbalet handle), but most wooden guns are railguns by default.

Railguns:

http://www.roballen.co.za/

http://www.rabitech.com

http://superfrog.bur.st/

There are more brands out there, but Im lazy...

 

[Mr. X]

The Rob Allen guns usually/often have "Railgun" written on the side - like a brand name. RA have an aluminium (or carbon) barrel, with a grooved rail along the top. The rail provides support along the spear --- which glides along on a layer of water trapped underneath. The rail reduces spear wobble -- apparently an issue on longer guns & is supposed to make spear length less critical. A metal rail also adds rigidity to the barrel.

They do seem v. accurate (personal experience & bench marked on the forum).

The RA website [see earlier posts] has a good Q&A/FAQ section explaining the features of these railguns.

 

[jimdoe2you]

Ophiodon,

Send me a PM or email if you're serious about obtaining a railgun. I own 12 of them of which ten are brand new and still in their original packaging. I will sell you one of mine to help get you going and you won't find a cheaper price anywhere!

Jim

 

[MKDVR]

Yep, was a stupid answer.rofl

 

[spaghetti]

Resuming: Jimdoe2you already owns 12 large pieces of german WWII artillery. Rumors he's planning the invasion of Poland.

 

[Mr. X]

Or one of those produced at MIT , for Naval warfare(?). Which looks an awful lot like the old floating railway demo by Prof. Eric Braithwaite of Imperial College in the 70's.

 

[Shadowkiller]

Resuming: Jimdoe2you already owns 12 large pieces of german WWII artillery. Rumors he's planning the invasion of Poland.

I knew there was a reason why Jim and I liked each other... rofl

Apologies to all my Polish friends...

 

[jimdoe2you]

Don't look Spaghetti. After your insistant generosity, you may not want to see the following photo!!!

Make that thirteen railguns! I forgot about my Rob Allen 75cm railgun that is sitting in British Columbia at Amphibious's home.

 

[spaghetti]

Don't look Spaghetti. After your insistant generosity, you may not want to see the following photo!!! QUOTE]
Don't worry, Jim, it has been my privilege to become a contributor of such a fine collection of artworks. The second on the left, in particular, is a real jewel.

Back on topic, the superior accuracy of railguns compared to non-rail guns is only partly true. Rail just helps to have a straight trajectory initially , and to prevent shaft flex, especially with circular bands working obliquely to the stock. But other important factors for accuracy are recoil, balance, rigidity of the stock, solid assembling of the handle to the barrell, trigger action, inclination of the handle and many, many more. Plus another factor: you must aim right on the target. Which is significant, because in some cases non-rail guns (classic french type tube barrell) give less drag in water, so being easier to track on fast and nervous small fish. To make it short, you'll find many non-rail guns which are accurate too.

 

[ajwaverider]

Jimdoe2you, Were you able to pick up those rabi from mikko?

 

[jimdoe2you]

Yep. I also just bought a bunch of high quality 59" long teak 2"x2" pieces from an importer in Miami to make a limited production of my own guns. I am in a very preliminary reseach stage right now, but I have some ideas that I hope will make these some very special guns!!!

 

[ajwaverider]

So are you going to keep all of them or resale them?

 

[jimdoe2you]

I've got major wood....

These are hand picked pieces of teak, and dare I say the piece sitting closest to the Cobras is just plain flawless!!!

My plan is to produce three 110cm guns, five 90cm guns, and two 120cm hybrid guns (A La Wong style). Then I will offer a few of them up to some Deeperblue members. I have a bunch of people in mind that I will offer first dibs on these at my cost. It will be fun knowing that I built some guns that are sitting on boats all around the world, .......like Perth, Italy, or British Columbia.

Jim

.

 

[BatRay]

:inlove :inlove They're so beautyfull!

 

[Dobs]

Re: I've got major wood....

These are hand picked pieces of teak, and dare I say the piece sitting closest to the Cobras is just plain flawless!!!

My plan is to produce three 110cm guns, five 90cm guns, and two 120cm hybrid guns (A La Wong style). Then I will offer a few of them up to some Deeperblue members. I have a bunch of people in mind that I will offer first dibs on these at my cost. It will be fun knowing that I built some guns that are sitting on boats all around the world, .......like Perth, Italy, or British Columbia.

Jim

.

A nice 90 or 110 cm teak gun will look awesome at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast too!

 

[Shadowkiller]

And the east coast of Australia is just crying out for a student priced version of J-specials! :martial

I'm in the process of writing a book on spearfishing (got a backer to provide money for printing afew days ago, in negotiations with printers at the moment), so.... if ya want a good review...

Imagine the following: I wish I had more hands, so I could give Jim's guns 5 thumbs UP

 

[spaghetti]

Re: I've got major wood....

It will be fun knowing that I built some guns that are sitting on boats all around the world, .......like Perth, Italy, or British Columbia.
Jim

.

Did anyone say ITALY? Did anyone say 90cm luxury wooden railgun handmade by a famous floridian architect at a special ridiculous price for Deeper Blue active forum members next to be shipped on the way to ITALY?
If so, you'd be glad to know that our "Welcome Committee for Handmade Spearguns" is preparing the celebrations for the event:

 

[Ron Bakker]

Here is a half rail gun, and here is the reason.
http://www.ronsseacorner.co.nz/article_halfrail.htm