[JPN]

Now how do I put a weaver rail on a P3AT? :twisted:

 

[Charger01]

with photoshop, of course
I know, I want aftermarket sights as much as the next shooter.
Mmm, Novak, Ghost rings.....

 

[Flyer]

That's not Photoshop!
The sight's really there above the pistol.
Flyer

 

[JPN]

Yep, it's really there. I just can't figure out how to attach it (without spending a fair amount of time milling some kind of rail that will mount to the frame).

I definitely need to put a small mill on the shopping list, after I finish the garage expansion. Then I will have a way to tinker with all these wild ideas I want to try.

 

[Harley]

I doubt the red dot would survive the recoil mounted on the slide. You would need some kind of bracket to attach it to the frame.

 

[JPN]

I was thinking along the lines of a bracket that would attach with pins that would replace the receiver pins, and extend up to a weaver rail. Something similar to the mounts used on the 1911 race guns.

Another problem just occured to me. The P3AT seems to eject almost straight up and back, instead of the more common (at least on the pistols I've fired) up to the right.

Oh well, reality shoots down another perfectly crazy idea.

 

[cloak]

It would be nice if you actaully mount a sight to it.

 

[JPN]

Anybody familiar enough with the P3AT ejector and extractor to understand why it ejects up and back, instead of up and to the right? Any idea if the ejector could be modified to change the angle of ejection?

 

[Flyer]

The ejection is the way it is because the round exits the port during full recoil... which, in many cases, is when the port's aimed at your face.
Hold the pistol very rigid, and it'll follow the proper ejection pattern.
Flyer

 

[JPN]

I think I'll dig through the scrap aluminum at work, and see if I can bend a sheet metal mockup of the bracket, to test it's effect on ejection. If I can manage it, I'll post ejection test results this weekend.

 

[j.r. guerra in s. tx.]

My gosh, by the size of that dot scope there, the slide would stay where it is and the pistol frame moves back and forth . . . :wink:

 

[BIGIRON]

Tasco makes (or made) a small --maybe 20mm or 1"diameter and 2.5 or 3" long-- red dot for 22's. It might mount far enough forward to clear ejection without protruding past the muzzle. I have one, but it's not available now so I can't measure or take a pic with the pistol.

Recoil would obviously be an issue with the 22 sight.

BIGIRON

 

[marlin336]

Anybody familiar enough with the P3AT ejector and extractor to understand why it ejects up and back, instead of up and to the right? Any idea if the ejector could be modified to change the angle of ejection?

The ejected rounds have the telltale sign of the flattened side. I did notice that the flattened side appears on the right side of the round as fired just below were the extractor grabs it. I originally thought this was caused by the ejector but the flat area's location in relation to the extractor marks makes it appear that it strikes the lower edge of the ejection port during ejection. It looks like it starts out moving to the right like my other pistols but then deflects back and over my head. There are brass marks on the lower edge of the ejection port where the case strikes. This phenomenon occurs more readily when I use rounds with stiffer brass.

Add to this the sharp recoil with the accompanying muzzle flip and you get little ballistic missiles aimed at your forehead.

Winchester Winclean - softer brass - has never come close to my head
Magtech - thicker, stiffer brass - comes very close to my head most of the time

-The yellow circle is the flat spot on the ejected case.
-The blue circle is the extractor mark
-The green circle (not sure) but looks like it might come from hitting the top edge of the magazine during ejection

 

[birdman]

If you're going to mount it to the frame, why not use the same pins that come with a side clip and mount the bracket instead of the clip? You'd have to recess the bracket a little bit to ensure slide clearance...

Allan

 

[JPN]

Hadn't thought about the pins for the side clip. I'll have to think about that a bit.

I haven't had much time to work on the sheetmetal mockup of the mount bracket, but here's a picture of what little progress I've made. Both sides are the same at this point, but will be different after cuts are made for the ejection port, assembly pin, and so forth. I've also got to allow for access to the serrations on the rear of the slide (wouldn't do much good to get a better sight picture, but not be able to chamber a round). The straps running down each side of the grip are only there to help hold the mockup in place for ejection tests, and are not intended to be on the machined version. Since I'm using the TLAR method, the mockup might end up being made 3 or 4 times before I'm happy with the clearances on the various cuts. But it'll probably be a few months before I have a mill, so I've got plenty of time to get the mockup perfected.

I've seen similar marks on spent casings from my P3AT, but haven't noticed any marks on the slide. Doing a little testing with ejecting an unfired round, I noticed that it throws the round to the right. Holding the grip horizontal, with the slide to the left, the round ejects upward (which would be to the right, if it were held normally) and slightly to the left.

This might not be as difficult as I was expecting it to be.

 

[Missouri Mule]

You're gonna need bigger pockets........ :lol: