Precision Rifle Gear Does anyone make a ARCA rail hand cover?

[TacosGigante]

Does anyone make a cover for an ARCA rail to make it more comfortable to grip? If you have a rail on the bottom of the rifle it can be annoying to hold. I’m thinking something like the rubberized covers you can put on Pic rails that can be pulled off quickly if you want to use the rail but otherwise can be used for a more comfortable experience.

Thanks

 

[acudaowner]

https://www.joann.com/

make what ever floats your boat leather plastic or bedazzled fabric if you can't find it make it .

 

[camocorvette]

I haven't seen any made. I could see @Tyler Kemp maybe making something out of polymer if you commission him to make a prototype.

Maybe a larger version of knights rail cover but with magpul panel texture? That might be nice.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

I haven't seen any made. I could see @Tyler Kemp maybe making something out of polymer if you commission him to make a prototype.

Maybe a larger version of knights rail cover but with magpul panel texture? That might be nice.

Could definitely knock this out. With a scan of what it's going on you could make it seamless feeling.

 

[TacosGigante]

Could definitely knock this out. With a scan of what it's going on you could make it seamless feeling.

What would you need for a scan? I’m working with an AI AXSR chassis and the magpul ARCA rails on other guns.

 

[camocorvette]

Could definitely knock this out. With a scan of what it's going on you could make it seamless feeling.

New business venture. Corner the market!

 

[McNamara0851]

Interested.

 

[carbonbased]

I might be interested too. The best place for the Arca rail for tripod use is unfortunately right where the hand goes when carrying. Ouch.

Plus in the winter metal sucks.

 

[shoobe01]

I mean... all for extra rubber bits, likely will be talked into buying one if they get made, but I surely don't find ARCA plates to be sharp at all. Carry the gun by the rail bit, and have on the bottom of cameras, thermals, etc which I handle a lot.

Am I not carrying it hard enough or... what?

 

[carbonbased]

I surely don't find ARCA plates to be sharp at all. Carry the gun by the rail bit, and have on the bottom of cameras, thermals, etc which I handle a lot.

Am I not carrying it hard enough or... what?

How long are you carrying rifles with Arca rails on them?

I too have cameras with Arca rails, but they are comparatively light as opposed to even a light rifle. And I mainly carry the cameras either by the lens or grip (Canon 1Dx Mk III with 300mm 2.8 is my heaviest rig. Never touch the Arca while carrying that).

For example, let’s say I’m stalking for 15-30mins. Carrying that 7-10lbs rifle sucks if all I have to grab is two metal 45° edges. 10x worse if it’s 0°F.

If I were designing from scratch a QR for rifles, it sure wouldn’t be as wide as Arca. If it had to be Arca-width for mechanical advantage, I’d design the stock to bulge around the plate or recess the plate somehow so the hunter’s hand didn’t press up against the edges while carrying the dang gun.

 

[shoobe01]

That may be it. The main rifle I carry around with one is heavy, but the chassis there is also a bit wider than the ARCA plate. All other gear is relatively light and similarly the plate is on the bottom of an area larger than the plate. I can see a narrow one at or past the stock edge, being much more the 45° edge cutting into you over time.

 

[carbonbased]

That may be it. The main rifle I carry around with one is heavy, but the chassis there is also a bit wider than the ARCA plate. All other gear is relatively light and similarly the plate is on the bottom of an area larger than the plate. I can see a narrow one at or past the stock edge, being much more the 45° edge cutting into you over time.

Yeah, that explains it. The hunting stocks I’m thinking about are slim and the plate sticks out.

One stock I’ve seen that is designed around an Arca plate is the Manners LRH (long range hunter). Here are some pics, it seems like maaaaybe the rail is recessed enough for hand comfort?

@Tyler Kemp I was thinking of some sort of cover that snapped on/off fast, and that was U-shaped, covering the bottom of the plate too. It would be cool to be able to heat-mold it like that hand-splint wonder-material. Maybe the heat mold material would screw to a 3D printed piece that you design that snaps on the Arca rail.

The heat molding stuff would be neat because it wouldn’t be specific to any one stock.

A man can dream…

 

[UpSideDown]

A cover for the short Arca on the Manners LRH, a cover for generic Arca rails, and a cover that wraps some of the handguard by the magwell on the Sig Cross would be winners. Hunting with a block of aluminum in your hand sucks.

 

[Tyler Kemp]

If someone wants a perfect seamless fit for their rifle, I need either the forend of the chassis with arca rail attached if it isn't integral, and for a stock I'd need the entire stock.

For a more universal type thing, it sounds easy but with some arca rails being added on vs being integral I foresee a lot of fitment issues. And I get enough people bitching that the Razor G2 throw lever they bought doesn't fit their Burris XTR.

 

[camocorvette]

I got my 2 bushnell throw levers yesterday, thanks! By the way they don't fit my Tasco 3-9....

 

[Tyler Kemp]

HA. Just don't leave me that 1 star amazon review man

 

[deersniper]

Be nice to protect the arca also.

@Terry Cross has seen them damaged enough to be unusable

 

[JBoomhauer]

If you are using the tripod correctly, this is not the case.

 

[Average guy]

View attachment 7866576

Ignore button is your friend

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

View attachment 7866576

You are welcome

 

[E. Bryant]

You are welcome

Thanks for the link. That was way more helpful than your original quip.

 

[deersniper]

Up

 

[acudaowner]

the last hand guard cover you will ever need

it's pink , soft and furry and every little girl will be so jelly of you lol

 

[McMillan]

How long are you carrying rifles with Arca rails on them?

I too have cameras with Arca rails, but they are comparatively light as opposed to even a light rifle. And I mainly carry the cameras either by the lens or grip (Canon 1Dx Mk III with 300mm 2.8 is my heaviest rig. Never touch the Arca while carrying that).

For example, let’s say I’m stalking for 15-30mins. Carrying that 7-10lbs rifle sucks if all I have to grab is two metal 45° edges. 10x worse if it’s 0°F.

If I were designing from scratch a QR for rifles, it sure wouldn’t be as wide as Arca. If it had to be Arca-width for mechanical advantage, I’d design the stock to bulge around the plate or recess the plate somehow so the hunter’s hand didn’t press up against the edges while carrying the dang gun.

Take your arca off then and get an ingenuity adjuster rail

 

[carbonbased]

Take your arca off then and get an ingenuity adjuster rail

So, think of a CZ 527 or wood-stocked hunting rifle (or for that matter, fiberglass/carbon fiber).

How would that IG rail attach to the stock? Inletting?

 

[McMillan]

So, think of a CZ 527 or wood-stocked hunting rifle (or for that matter, fiberglass/carbon fiber).

How would that IG rail attach to the stock? Inletting?

Inletting is by far the best. You can just attach it to the bottom but that's nowhere near as nice.

 

[BurtG]

I might be interested too. The best place for the Arca rail for tripod use is unfortunately right where the hand goes when carrying. Ouch.

Plus in the winter metal sucks.

Shame no one makes a rubberized cover like the magpul pic covers

 

[carbonbased]

You are welcome

Didn’t watch this when you first posted it. Just checked it out.

I dunno, some of the stuff he recommends is opposite of what local resident “aka SH tripod guru” @Diver160651 says to do. And Diver’s given some fricking solid advice in the past.

Especially the standing section. Video dude: don’t bend. Diver: bend.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

Didn’t watch this when you first posted it. Just checked it out.

I dunno, some of the stuff he recommends is opposite of what local resident “aka SH tripod guru” @Diver160651 says to do. And Diver’s given some fricking solid advice in the past.

Especially the standing section. Video dude: don’t bend. Diver: bend.

Yea what does Caylen know right? He just runs one of the BEST precision rifle training courses in the world, was not only a Marine Sniper, but was lead instructor at the schoolhouse for years. He also was a pretty good competitor when he cared to compete. He mostly just shoots for fun in local matches. Even Frank has said a bunch of times if you want the some of the best, up to date traininig then take the MDS courses.

He also provided that training for free, something you would have to pay a bunch for normally like most of their instruction topics.

With all that being said, there are very few people on the planet worth listening to over someone like this. There are always more than one way to skin a cat, but not all ways are equal.

 

[RFutch]

Didn’t watch this when you first posted it. Just checked it out.

I dunno, some of the stuff he recommends is opposite of what local resident “aka SH tripod guru” @Diver160651 says to do. And Diver’s given some fricking solid advice in the past.

Especially the standing section. Video dude: don’t bend. Diver: bend.

Pretty sure lowlight says to bend or maybe has bent in his videos too. Feels better for me to bend a little.

 

[carbonbased]

Pretty sure lowlight says to bend or maybe has bent in his videos too.

Probably. @lowlight and @Diver160651 ’s general idea is to mimic prone in tripod shooting. Frank also talks about mimicking prone when bench shooting by getting shoulders way ahead of hips. In fact he has a vid in which he suggests standing at the bench and leaning way over is the way to go.

I don’t stand at the bench, but I’ve taken both their lessons to heart and found that they work for me for tripod and bench shooting.

But as DBD says, there can be other ways to skin a cat, and I suppose like with everything there are pluses and minuses to the techniques.

 

[Bluedog82]

I would also be interested for my Cross…as someone else mentioned, the mounting locating for the Arca plate is right where I like to carry the rifle from, and due to the thin handguard it gets uncomfortable quickly, especially in the cold.

 

[Crews]

Rifles Only Carbine Sling

 

[Rodney65]

?

 

[BurtG]

C’mon magpul

 

[Tyler Kemp]

@Lil' Tone when the TPA MJF comes in, Arca covers

 

[BurtG]

@Lil' Tone when the TPA MJF comes in, Arca covers

Ideally a material that has enough flex to go on and off from the side

 

[Tyler Kemp]

Ideally a material that has enough flex to go on and off from the side

This would be roughly 80 durometer-imagine weather stripping on a car. Flexible but tough. We plan on recoil pads and other doodads such as this.

 

[BurtG]

 

[hlee]

Call me crazy, but if the arca rail is uncomfortable to hold while carrying the rifle, that is a part of the rail that is not being used for an accessory. Remove the rail? Replace it with a smaller rail that doesn’t overlap the part of the rifle you are holding?

 

[TacosGigante]

Call me crazy, but if the arca rail is uncomfortable to hold while carrying the rifle, that is a part of the rail that is not being used for an accessory. Remove the rail? Replace it with a smaller rail that doesn’t overlap the part of the rifle you are holding?

I think the issue is with chassis that have a built in full length rail.

 

[R_A_W]

Replace it with a smaller rail that doesn’t overlap the part of the rifle you are holding?

Some (all?) of the JTAC guys do this. A 6" brass ARCA up while maximizing bag contact @ balance point

 

[shoobe01]

Friend of mine (whose service/industry bonafides you'd like a lot but I'll let him decide what he wants to share if he joins) has gotten a series of increasingly nice 3D printers over the last months, for hobby stuff. Already this morning got him excited for this so:

(May be radiused more than this, etc).

And... it's printing now. I say someone other than me will use this a lot harder so PM me to say you want to be the prototype user and I'll have him ship it to the first one with a good enough story or big enough bribe

Retention is a concern (so it can be slid on to install but doesn't slide OFF under general use) so we'll discuss that once it's installed; expect that is the biggest thing to tweak in prototype phase.

 

[R_A_W]

Maybe I’m missing something but that looks like you’re just adding an oversized ARCA rail to your ARCA rail

 

[carbonbased]

Call me crazy, but if the arca rail is uncomfortable to hold while carrying the rifle, that is a part of the rail that is not being used for an accessory. Remove the rail? Replace it with a smaller rail that doesn’t overlap the part of the rifle you are holding?

The problem is the ideal balance point for all rifles on a tripod that I know of is right in front of the magwell.

I used to poo-poo balancing the rifle on a tripod but it really does make the whole unit way more stable with less wobble seen through the scope.

This is also the ideal point to carry the rifle with one hand.

Get it?

 

[R_A_W]

@carbonbased

Larue way ahead of you on this one

 

[carbonbased]

Some people are just not understanding the problem. The solution is to flare out the section that the upper hand grabs so the lower hand doesn’t contact the sharper Arca angle.

Above is a solution that works. I own one; it’s for an AIAX. The upper ridged section is wider than the Arca rail below. It’s leagues more comfy than a better-looking and competing product made by Sawtooth (below). I really hope you can see why.

I own the Sawtooth as well.

If all you do is replace an uncomfortable jutting piece of metal with an uncomfortable jutting piece of plastic, you are not understanding the problem.

 

[carbonbased]

Friend of mine (whose service/industry bonafides you'd like a lot but I'll let him decide what he wants to share if he joins) has gotten a series of increasingly nice 3D printers over the last months, for hobby stuff. Already this morning got him excited for this so:
View attachment 8352031
(May be radiused more than this, etc).

And... it's printing now. I say someone other than me will use this a lot harder so PM me to say you want to be the prototype user and I'll have him ship it to the first one with a good enough story or big enough bribe

Retention is a concern (so it can be slid on to install but doesn't slide OFF under general use) so we'll discuss that once it's installed; expect that is the biggest thing to tweak in prototype phase.

Rounded edges and a 90° angle is what this needs for hand comfort.

 

[R_A_W]

might as well print some sort of texture or grip on there too

 

[kkroger]

Huh seems I'm a member over here from WAY back... surprised password still worked... Anyway YES I was asked about a cover... not knowing what this is I designed what is seen above... and I can apply a texture to the thing as well, printing from TPU shore 95A if you understand durometer readings.. I can add to it give it grips etc and change length width etc... but I do have to make sure it fits the rail intended in the first place...