Theory question - Body

[Toll]

If I were to make an automag body out of steel rather than aluminum, would I need the steel retaining ring/etc or could I just compensate for it with extra material and call it a day? What are the CRITICAL dimensions about this ring? Is it there just to keep the bolt from turning the body into a mangled wreck or am I missing something?



Its not a great picture but this is the general idea.




I've got alot of time on my hands right now to think it over but the idea is an automag that is fed from the underside. In theory this would allow me to use the stock sear and valve while dicking with the body how ever I like. The rail is gone and its a uni-body design thats very boring and boxy but exactly that kind of thing I love to use when dropping into stocks.

[MANN]

The steel ring is there to prevent the alum from getting chewed up by the bolt and spring. If you made a steel body (higher quality steel) you shouldn't have to worry about it. Your machining price will increase due to steel being harder to machine than alum. If it were me I would stick with an alum body with steel washer.

PTP believes that they can eliminate the steel washer with using a higher grade aluminum. Last I heard tho they have yet to produce the bodies so who knows. They may be scrambling to make their design work.

When XTcustoms came out there were a few people who did not believe the steel washer was needed, and a few bodies were messed up. IIRC the same happened back when the IT bodies were released.

In theory your design would work. You will need to find a new place for the frame tho.

[Spider-TW]

You could also look at doing a multi-part body like warpedmephisto's carbon bodies, or the micromag 2009 for that matter. Use a full steel module in the middle and aluminum on the ends. You could do all steel in modules if your machining is limited. You trade threads (or other fastening) for boring depth, so it's more about what you have to work with. Extra time can make some strange designs.

[Toll]

Using aluminum seems like it would probably be for the best.

At this point the frame is going to be an aluminum M14-Ebr style reciever. Alternatively there could just as easily be an RPK version/etc.




But since the body its self is modular (in theory anyway) I can drop it into any sort of stock I want. The body's intent from the get go was to be mil-sim. To lock everything down there's going to be a trigger plate with a slider/cam to actuate the sear. I'd like to make these as bolt on as possible and easy to work around so that I can have the fun of dropping a singular body into all sorts of creations.

[Toll]

My real concern with the steel ring is getting it situated properly.


I don't get to even start learning the machine software/controller software until september but I want to really focus on the design aspect first. Just looking at mastercam makes me want to bank my head off the desk



First time really working with inventor on this project and I'm still pretty green.


Nitpicking is welcome.