Talk:Picatinny rail/Archive 1

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)

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)


 * Thanks! I added it to the article. — Lumbercutter 16:53, 8 April 2007 (UTC)

Date of introduction
It would be useful if the introduction date were in the article. ⋙–Berean–Hunter—► ((⊕)) 15:17, 17 April 2009 (UTC)

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)

The slots cannot possibly affect expansion and contraction as such forces would be 100% transmitted by the underlying solid piece. This leaves only one purpose, to anchor the attached device in place and prevent sliding forward or back. --Solidpoint 10:40, 8 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Huh? Can you explain this statement? What solid piece are you referring to? Maury 11:58, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I think Solidpoint is saying that the slots cut transverse in the rail won't alleviate the problems associated with thermal expansion. The metal that has not been milled out will still expand, and because of the slots, it is likely to bend. The slots are merely there to provide a positive stop for an accessory. Grimlock1 23:46, 11 October 2007 (UTC)


 * All of the doubters above are 100% right. The slots have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with thermal expansion.  They are there to serve as fixing points for the cross-bolts or recoil shoulders of the device (sight, laser, night-vision device, etc) fitted to the weapon.  Few, if any, of the portions of weapons where M1913 rails are mounted are subjected to any significant heating, and such slots in the rail would have no effect on thermal expansion in any case.


 * Where does this nonsense come from? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.175.220.149 (talk) 21:45, 26 February 2012 (UTC)

Suggestions
Recoil pin is mentioned, but is not adequately explained for a lay person.

Also the H&K picture does not adequately illustrate the rail. Images focused on the rail, both without and with accessories are indicated.

--J Clear (talk) 14:52, 8 July 2012 (UTC)