Accessory assembly
The accessory mounting or assembly is a term of the gunsmith and the weaponry . It describes a component or a whole system for securely attaching accessories to weapons. The first mounted accessories were sights and especially telescopic sights .
The aim of the assembly is, on the one hand, to fix the accessories precisely and to be extremely repeatable when reassembling. This means that, for example, when aiming in, exactly the same point of impact is maintained after the optics are placed on the weapon again. When using accessories, it should be noted that the additional weight of the attachments increases the weight of the weapon, and the center of gravity changes depending on the attachment position.
History and background
Basically, a distinction must be made between permanent installation and universal installation. With fixed mounting, for example, the sight or telescopic sight is permanently connected to the weapon and can no longer be removed without tools. The universal assembly allows the assembly and replacement of various accessories that fit on it without tools.
Types of assemblies
- Fixed assembly
- Hook and swivel mounts, for example the Suhl hook mount
- Bridge pivot mounting
- Bridge assembly
- Assembly with rail systems
Fixed mounts are the original type of mounting. When riflescopes appeared in the transition from the 19th to the 20th century, they were invariably "permanently mounted". Even today, rifle scopes are mainly attached with fixed mounts, especially in the hunting environment. The tensioning of the central part of the rifle scope by means of clamping rings during fixed mounting can, however, lead to tensions in the rifle scope, which have a negative effect on the optical axis and thus the precision of the rifle scope.
Hook and swivel mounts enable the telescopic sight (ZF) to be removed from the weapon. They are the most complex rifle scope assemblies, require very meticulous fitting work and use very precisely manufactured components in order to achieve high repeat accuracy, for example by hooking in and swiveling the scope.
While swivel and prism mounts are practically only used for telescopic sights, other mounts - especially with rail systems - also mount other accessories.
Pistols differ greatly from rifles when it comes to mounting accessories. In the case of pistols, the slide as the upper part of the weapon moves each time a shot is fired. There are therefore two basic types of assembly. With bridge assembly, the bridge is mounted on the lower part of the weapon, the immovable frame, and the optics are attached to the top of the assembly. The slide can move freely under the optics. The bridge assembly is mainly used by sport shooters to achieve better results. Such a construction is too bulky for utility pistols to be carried every day. There, optics, especially reflex sights, are mounted on the movable slide.
Rail systems
Rail systems or mounting rails ( English Rail Interface System , Rail Adapter System or Rail Integration System ) are standardized, usually profiled rails that are used to mount accessories. The rails are firmly connected to the housing of the weapons and aligned and adjusted accordingly. They enable the quick assembly and disassembly of a large number of accessories and should guarantee the lowest possible deviation.
The first rail system that was able to establish itself on the market was the Weaver rail . With her were already in the Second World War the sniper rifle M1903 A4 of Springfield Armory equipped. Due to the changes in the police and military requirements over the decades, further standardization of the Weaver rail became inevitable.
In the mid-1990s, the Picatinny arsenal developed and standardized the Picatinny rail on its basis (MIL-STD-1913 and NATO Standard 2324), with which a large part of the military handguns in NATO are equipped today. The NATO rail (STANAG 4694) was developed from the Picatinny rail and the standard was officially adopted in 2009.
Rails can be found today on almost every modern assault rifle , for example the M16-A3 , G36C and FN SCAR . Due to the rails, it is not necessary to adapt the assembly to the weapon, since it becomes an integral component. The accessories are adapted using standardized clamps that form a positive connection with the grooves that are usually present . Short rails under the barrel are now also used on pistols for authorities and the military (for example on the HK P2000 ).
Today, especially in the military and paramilitary sectors, a large number of accessories are attached to weapons by means of mounting. These include night vision devices , tactical lamps , lasers , grenade launchers and additional handles. For example, a laser light module ( LLM01 ) and an AG36 grenade launcher can be installed on the Bundeswehr G36 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c More problematic than expected. In: jagderleben.de. October 1, 2008, accessed May 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Norbert Klups: Iron connection - hook and swivel assemblies. In: djz.de. Deutsche Jagd-Zeitung , February 2, 2004, accessed on May 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Massad Ayoob: Gun Digest Book of Concealed Carry Volume II - Beyond the Basics, Volume 2 , Verlag "F + W Media, Inc.", 2018, ISBN 9781946267139 , pp. 7-10 [1]
- ^ J. Guthrie: Rail Crazy: Picatinny Rail Basics. Shooting Times, October 23, 2010, accessed October 23, 2014 .