Torch mount for scope

[Captain Starfish]

A mate helps a farmer friend of his out by heading up some weekends and shooting vermin: foxes, kangaroos and rabbits. Because they all come out at night, so does he. He had a spotlight mount which clamped onto his scope but, in the dark, couldn't easily locate the (removable) slide which locked the lamp onto the clamp ring.

I made up a new clamp and slide for him with a really wide mouth on the feed so he could mash the two together pretty much any old how and it would self align and lock into place.

Didn't know how a 3D print would go on top of a rifle that was kicking about - he reckons it's fine on this .22, but we'll see how it goes on his .308 in a couple of weeks when he transfers it over. A bit more kick on that one.

I'm still amazed at the uses we keep finding for these printers. This is as close as I want to get to printing a gun, I figure I'm safe with a mount to the scope but anything closer to the action and there's a world of pain in Australia for anyone deemed an "unlicensed gunsmith".

[img]http://www.simonlockwood.net/linky/3dp/ ... untdwg.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.simonlockwood.net/linky/3dp/torchmount.jpg[/img]

[Generic Default]

Is that ABS or PLA? I'm surprised it can take the recoil with that big light attached on top. Usually rail mounts are aluminum or steel because they're so much stiffer, but since the optics are mounted on a normal rail I guess this works.

Nice print.

[nitewatchman]

That looks like a great solution, would you be willing to share the file.

nitewatchman

[Captain Starfish]

It's ABS. The torch is a super lightweight LED job but, agreed, there's some decent leverage going on there and I was also pretty surprised that it held together. Like I say, I'm waiting to see what happens with the larger rifle.

Drawing file attached, @nitewatchman. I printed at 0.35mm layer height with a 0.5mm nozzle, orientation is important - the two clamp halves were printed (after a few failures) laying on their sides so the strength was around the hinge pin. The top was printed upside down so the flat piece at the top was against the bed and to minimise support.

I printed the first trial one in the green ABS as a joke because I suspected, being ex SAS, this guy would want it in tacticool black. But he laughed when he saw it and said "brilliant. I can now see the f&#king thing at night when I go to attach it! Also, as soon as you turn that light on you've gone 'noisy' anyway, so no point in it being black."

[nitewatchman]

Excellant - I have just the optic craving for it now.

nitewatchman

[Captain Starfish]

Photos when you're done, please?

[McSlappy]

Yes post pictures!

Nice use of printing Cap'n and yes I'd be nervous even printing that part here... I can see front page title '3d printed assault-rifle massacre narrowly averted' with the image of the rifle and light that you posted.... :/