Slow Mo Video

[Die Judicii]

Any of you people seen any Slow Mo vids on case ejection from semi auto or PB (lever release) vids, ??
Do they follow a consecutive/precise path,,,,, or do they spit at random and uncalculated angles ???
Any info advice welcome,,,,,,,,, to help design/build a case catcher.

[Wapiti]

DJ, this might help somewhat.

I have used a few case catchers, but all to some degree can cause malfunctions.
That's because the case flicks off the ejection port, or the case deflector (if yours has one) and can catch in the bag and bounce back or just cause grief.
So I ditched the bag on this one, and made up a deflector from 3mm poly (the kind of big roll sheet that you get to put around sheep/cattle yards.
I used the original press stud bases on the frame of the original one, installing the chrome studs you see from the outside so I could still use the bag if I wanted to.

Here's a pic of the one on this Gel Blaster. It drops the cases at my feet, or in the footwells of the buggies, and works 100% of the time.
Also stops passengers getting very hot brass in the face.
If you handload, or just don't want brass breaking stuff, this is an idea for you to bastardise to the Verney Carron.

[Wapiti]

The thing needs to stand off far enough so that the empty case can do it's spinout completely clear of the ejection port, or it could bounce back in.
This one has the part where the case hits, angled down, which throws the brass down irrespective of whether it hits the front of the back of the unit.

[Wapiti]

This is how it mounts. It uses a small clamp-on bracket that sits nicely on the machined-in pic rail top and has two little spring-loaded ball bearings in it.
They match with the deflector body itself, hopefully you see it in the pic where it just slides on and clips in place.
This way, you can slip it off when you don't need it, but it doesn't dislodge or fall off in use.

[Wapiti]

This is all it is. Very simple, best way to have stuff.

[Wapiti]

Hey DJ, this might work on that VC rifle. I notice you haver a pic rail on top.
This catcher clips on a little mount you screw onto the rail under the scope. Same as the plastic deflector above on the Gel Blaster.
It is supposed to hold 30 223 cases, I've only used it on 308 with up to about 15 shells ejected.
They sit in the bottom and you tip them out.

[Wapiti]

This is another view. You can see how it sits.

[Wapiti]

And here's another kind, also works well. Sure it's on a 22 here, but only as an example. Will fit any rifle.
Straps around the forend/barrel with very strong quality velcro, and has an unbendable wire frame sewn into it.
Has a zip in the bottom.
You can leave it zipped up to catch the brass as you want to, or you can unzip it and the cases fall at your feet.

[Die Judicii]

Thanks for going to all that trouble with the descriptions and pics Mate.
Much appreciated.
I got a sheet of thermo plastic (Kydex) the other day that I'm gonna make one out of.
It will incorporate a special clip that fits a picatinney rail, (on order)
There are plastic "fruit" bags available that are just the right size that have a zip in the bottom, and a draw string on the top. (to put over fruit on the tree)
Should attach easily to the Kydex deflector once made.
I'll get a pack of 50 bags which will last quite a while.

Just getting the Kydex sheet was a drama in itself.
I tried ordering 3mm thick sheet, which was fine until I went to pay for it.
Up popped a flag with red printing saying 3mm Kydex sheet was not allowed "Due to the new Qld Knife Laws"

Yes, there is an association of Kydex with knives as in,,,,, the sheaths are commonly made out of Kydex.
But Kydex itself doesn't make a knife.
Talk about beaurocrasy and stupid, over the top regulations.
Kydex is also used to make custom splints for hands etc after surgery.
The really odd and weird thing was,,,,,,,,,, It allowed me to buy 2mm Kydex with no problems.
Go figure,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I was talking to the president of the Shooters Union (Graham Parkes) yesterday, and I asked him if he knew of the restriction on Kydex sheet.
He had no idea that such a restriction was in place,,,,,, or why.

[Wapiti]

Appreciate your reply mate. All too often here people go to a bit of trouble to put up info and you get no reply at all let alone acknowledge you're trying to help someone. Your point it's no wonder the good posters with the experience don't stick around.

I hope those pics have given you some ideas for your rifle. I don't think you will have any dramas as you never give up solving things that sh*t you, those many self-ejecting firearms so popular nowadays are no different from semi-autos for people trying keep their brass for reloading.
For range shooters it isn't a drama, but bush shooters like me without these you lose nearly every case.
I reckon all those Alcors, Chimeras etc would benefit for the reloaders amongst you.

Hey, on that kydex, I've bought quite a few sheets of different thicknesses off ebay, they came straight out of china. A4 size, they come in any colour of the rainbow, even gay camo patterns, go figure.
Only dramas are it can take a bloody month to arrive. Terrible shipping times.
I've just made patterns out of wood, and let the sheets droop to shape in the oven. Heaps of YouTube vids showing different ways.

[Wapiti]

Hey DJ, just want to make you aware of something,
The brass catcher in the pic I put up with the net was described with this net being made from Kevlar string so it didn't melt from super-hot cases falling into it.

I'm not sure how much dwell time that VC has to act a a heat sink for the brass before it ejects it.
Anyone remembering back to the days of the SKS and SKK's might remember how hugely overgassed they were for reliability with crap ammo and when gunned up, and how the empty cases would burn into plastic floor trims, through buckets etc.
So those catchers had kevlar nets to withstand all the different rifles they'd be able to be used on.

It only takes a fraction of a second longer sitting in the chamber to soak out enough of the heat to probably not burn through orange-bag nylon netting, might pay to check before you go to too much trouble.

[Die Judicii]

Hey DJ, just want to make you aware of something,
The brass catcher in the pic I put up with the net was described with this net being made from Kevlar string so it didn't melt from super-hot cases falling into it.

I'm not sure how much dwell time that VC has to act a a heat sink for the brass before it ejects it.
Anyone remembering back to the days of the SKS and SKK's might remember how hugely overgassed they were for reliability with crap ammo and when gunned up, and how the empty cases would burn into plastic floor trims, through buckets etc.
So those catchers had kevlar nets to withstand all the different rifles they'd be able to be used on.

It only takes a fraction of a second longer sitting in the chamber to soak out enough of the heat to probably not burn through orange-bag nylon netting, might pay to check before you go to too much trouble.

Yeah Mate,, Good pickup,, I hadn't even given a thought to the cases being hot, (its that long since I had semi's,,, damm you to hell Johnnie Howard)

The Verney spits the cases out at the same rate as any of the semi's do.

[Wapiti]

If that rifle does have an adjustable gas system (ones that are designed to run with suppressors do, if they are upper spec stuff) you could turn the gas down one setting from normal I.e. full gas to mid-range.
That slows the extraction/ ejection timing down and makes the case sink way more heat into the barrel. It'll still be hot, but not melting hot.

But if the VC's brake is in fact really loctited on, maybe it's not designed to accept something you need an adjustment to the gas for.