Tramlines Who?

[bordergun]

Paul. Where are you from in Manchester? I grew up in Reddish, Dumbarton road, near Reddish Vale Country Park shooting everything from air-rifles to a home made cannon that we made from a scaffolding pipe. The "propellent" was a sodium chlorate weed killer and sugar mix, the "charge" was bits of lead pipe that we chopped up with my dads axe. We used it to ambush ducks on the Jacksons Brickworks "brickie" pond. I got caught at 12 years old poaching pheasants on Tatton Hall Estate in Knutsford. Happy days!!!

 

[Robden]

I have absolutely no idea what the rib on my gun looks like. I’ve shot 17000 cartridges through it. Once you’re happy you are lined up and slightly above it you should never see it again. All focus in your sight picture is out there on the clays.

But surely your sight picture includes the rib/barrels/front pip, or there would be no reference point in relation to the clay/target, you would just see a clay disc on it's own?

 

[Will Hewland]

But surely your sight picture includes the rib/barrels/front pip, or there would be no reference point in relation to the clay/target, you would just see a clay disc on it's own?

Just to finish on this topic (it would be rude to not reply before I step back on here).

Robden, of course you are correct. It’s actually not possible to only see the clay. You NEED to see the barrels, but you would FOCUS on the clay. The barrels are so big and close you can’t avoid knowing where they are but if you focus on them you could almost lose a distant clay visually. But the biggest reason to avoid looking at barrels is actually because often the eye can shift from clay to barrels and back again and this often causes a messy shot process and a staccato movement of the gun.

 

[vmax1010]

Have to agree with will, focus on clay, barrels in the peripheral vision

 

[aynesie]

Caesar Guerini sporters have tramlines and mid beads as do most Browning sporters. Funnily enough I've looked into this for the opposite reasons as I tend to avoid guns with mid beads and tramlines as I find them too distracting.

 

[PhilR]

My 1970 Browning A1 skeet gun has tramlines, as does my 1989 Beretta 687 sporter. I understand there were several ribs fitted to various 68X models. The wider rib with tramlines was called 'La Strada'!

 

[westley]

Perazzi sporting barrels have tramlines as did a lot of the Nikko/Winchesters of the past.

I think wisemanshave been known remove the wide motorway trap ribs that were popular 40 years ago on Browning B25's and replace with the now more desirable narrow game rib.
They may be able to fit one with a tram line.

I could just imagine John's reply if you rang and asked him if he had "Any spare ribs" !

 

[bordergun]

Robden Although we should never look at the barrels or bead as we trigger a shot there is no doubt that the rib influences the acquisition of the muzzle in relation to the shooters eye as the gun is brought to point of aim. I think this is the area where some shooters are confused. The sole purpose of the rib of the gun is to act as a guide for the eyes in the peripheral vision, not as an aid to gun mounting proficiency. A correctly fitted shotgun and a pattern plate should take care of that.

 

[PhilFedUp]

I own a Mk38 Sporter which has tramlines that run down the top rib, which i find helps with gun mount and making sure im centred along with the mid bead of course. What other manufactures use tramlines on their top ribs, as I'm struggling to find alternatives?

My Beretta Silver Pigeon sporter [recently failed proof and it's still in the gunsmith's hospital] has a tramline rib. Much good it is to me at present.

 

[Daz W]

My Browning XS and 525 SL have tramlines, my DT11 and A400 don't. Up until 10mins ago I didn't know. Had to open the cabinet up to look.

 

[k80ben]

Just to finish on this topic (it would be rude to not reply before I step back on here).

Robden, of course you are correct. It’s actually not possible to only see the clay. You NEED to see the barrels, but you would FOCUS on the clay. The barrels are so big and close you can’t avoid knowing where they are but if you focus on them you could almost lose a distant clay visually. But the biggest reason to avoid looking at barrels is actually because often the eye can shift from clay to barrels and back again and this often causes a messy shot process and a staccato movement of the gun.

The way your describing a messy shot is how I plan to take mine and speaking with a lot of the worlds best they’re exactly the same

 

[sich1]

i think the winchester pigeon grades had a tramline, good luck finding one of those.

 

[Martinj]

i think the winchester pigeon grades had a tramline, good luck finding one of those.

I have a Winchester 101XTR that has a single tramline, it might be of some use when checking the way the gun comes up to your shoulder and point of aim but I certainly don't see it when aiming at a "target" in my bedroom or indeed, when shooting

 

[Luke_(NL)]

I think my 686 special sporting, being a good 40 yrs old has a pronounced tramline. Not something I focus on when shooting, so I'd have to take it out of the safe to be sure Great gun still, although I use other guns for clays.

 

[westley]

i think the winchester pigeon grades had a tramline, good luck finding one of those.

Sold a pigeon grade Trap last year ! It made less than £500. It seems the " Yer can't get parts" brigade have been playing a blinder.

 

[Paul120]

Sold a pigeon grade Trap last year ! It made less than £500. It seems the " Yer can't get parts" brigade have been playing a blinder.

If a decent Gunsmith can weld/make parts to keep a 100 year-old one off sxs going the same should go for any gun.

The problem is finding a decent gunsmith.

 

[Martinj]

Sold a pigeon grade Trap last year ! It made less than £500. It seems the " Yer can't get parts" brigade have been playing a blinder.

It's partly true, all the spares were bought up by an American company where you CAN buy them but their export taxes are crippling. I wanted a firing pin for my Winchester 101XTR and located an American company with what I needed. It would have cost £90 for the part with import/export duty.
In the end I had a new one made from scratch AND fitted in the UK for £60. It might be costly but that's the way to go unfortunately.