Talk:Picatinny rail
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[edit] Purposes of the slots
I may be mistaken but I was given to understand that the slots the article attributes to heat-expansion also serve to help secure accesories. Or perhaps I am confusing Picatinny Rails with Weaver Rails. I was under the impression they were functionally identical, but different enough in shape to be incompatible.
Based on a demonstration I saw of Weaver Rails, you slide the accessory onto the rail until the desired location, tighten a screw until it enters a slot, thus preventing the accessory from moving forward or backward. This screw can also apply clamping pressure to the dovetail, or it may not depending on the design of the accesory. But the my point is, forward/backward motion is not prevented by friction, but by the screw being blocked by the slot.
I may be wrong. Its been a few years since I asked a guy in a gunshop about Weaver Rails. [unsigned]
- You're correct, the slots are also used for screws or other retainers to hold accessories in place on the rail. Weaver Rails have the same cross section, but 3.8mm wide slots, where Picatinny uses 5mm wide slots. Accessories either have to clamp on rail sides, or have a screw or other retainer which clicks into a slot. THe side clamp accessory types are interchangable; the screw-down types may need different screws for Picatinny versus Weaver, since the slots are different.
- Someone at some point should mention that in the article, but I'm busy today. Georgewilliamherbert 20:45, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
- And have a Muli-variable Calculus exam in oh, 6 hours, 7 minutes and 42 seconds, so I'll not me. BTW, I'm the same nameless noob who asked the question the first place.
Would the following changes be sufficient?
...he other. In order to provide a stable platform, the rail should not flex as the barrel heats and cools. For this reason most Picatinny rails are cut crosswise, to give them considerable room to expand and contract lengthwise.
The horizontal slots also serve to prevent certain accessories from sliding along the rail once they are secured. This is done by means of a screw that when tightened, in addition to applying clamping pressure to the T-shaped rail, moves into the voids of the rail. Thus, even if there were insufficient friction to prevent the accesory from moving, T-rail would prevent the accessory from merely "falling" off and the screw prevents the the accessory from "sliding" off.
Originally used only for scopes, the rails were typically found only on larger caliber rifles. With the increased use of ...
It also seems logical that a push button in place of a screw could faciliate a quick release accesory. This wouldn't necessarily be a good idea, in say a scope, for something like a tac light it might be a desirable feature. Since this is just conjecture, it isn't part of my proposed edit. Nkuzmik 15:07, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
- That's an ok first pass. I might want to clean it up slightly eventually, but go ahead and make it that way now. Thanks for coming up with it... Georgewilliamherbert 19:25, 3 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Pronunciation of Picatinny
I would like to put a pronunciation transcription in the article. However, I would like someone who is knowledgeable about guns (for example, a gunsmith or a firing range instructor) to confirm the normal pronunciation. Therefore, will someone who fills the bill described above choose from the following:
"Layperson's format": PICK-uh-tin-ee? or pick-AT-uh-nee?
AHD format: Pĭk′ə-tĭn'-ē? or Pĭk-ăt′ə-nē?
IPA format: /'pɪkəˌtɪni/? or /pɪ'kætəni/?
Note that Piscataway, NJ is "piss-CAT-uh-way" [pɪs'kætəˌweɪ]. Are Picatinny and Piscataway both from American Indian roots? I wonder. Seems likely.
Here's why I want to add the transcription:
Picatinny is a good example of a word that a novice may come across in reading but have an extremely hard time confirming the standard pronunciation. Neither AHD4 nor W3NIDU's online version has an entry for the town/area/CDP of Picatinny, NJ. The only geographical dictionary that I have at home is M-W Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988 edition, but that doesn't have it either. So this is one of those words that if you're an expert in the field, you easily know how it's supposed to sound in speech, but if you're self-taught at home, you won't be sure. Thanks for any help! Lumbercutter 23:20, 15 November 2006 (UTC)
- From first-hand knowledge: Accents on first and third syllables, have heard stronger emphasis on either, but definitely not on second. First 3 vowels are short, so rhymes with offensive word "pickaninny".--MajorHazard 07:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
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- Thanks! I added it to the article. — Lumbercutter 16:53, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Relation to Weaver rail
I put some comments on talk page of Weaver rail article. What is the broader term for these two similar items? "Rail mount"?--MajorHazard 07:35, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
