how do I mill a rail for a pump rod?

[rawbutter]

I'm getting a pump kit, and I already have a pump milled body, so the only thing I'm missing to complete the build is a pump milled rail. Fortunately, I have a mill, but unfortunately, I've never seen a pump-milled rail in person, so I'm not sure what to do.

The way I understand it, a pump mag has a shorter bolt return spring, so the bolt doesn't fully reset after firing. (And the wave spring helps with this, right?) When you pump the handle, though, the pump rod reaches back through the rail and pushes the bolt back. When you fire again, however, won't the bolt hit the pump rod? I'm guessing the pump rod has to be pulled down somehow when it's in the forward position.

So do I need to just mill a channel for the rod? Or does the back end of that channel have to have an upward slant?

How good are my chances of screwing this up completely and ruining a perfectly good rail?

[cougar20th]

Check your messages

[captian pinky]

please send it to someone that knows how to mill it. It is not as simple as milling a straight slot. It is a compound slot that requires either a cnc mill.

[Dawg047]

please send it to someone that knows how to mill it. It is not as simple as milling a straight slot. It is a compound slot that requires either a cnc mill.

Exactly what captian pinky said. The slot "slopes" up which allows the pump rod to come forward and down to clear. Luke I believe slots rails for pumps.

[knownothingmags]

you can do it on a manual mill easily, but Im guessing the appropriate people have been in contact with you already.

[luke]

You can definitely half-ass on a manual mill.

[knownothingmags]

If you don't take your time.[emoji23] Carter use to do them all the time for us in CA. They work flawless

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[luke]

I stand by my original comment.

[knownothingmags]

I stand by my original comment.

[emoji106]

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[rawbutter]

You can definitely half-ass on a manual mill.

Hmm.... I am the king of half-ass.

So, if I try this, I would have to do a straight channel first, and then slope it up toward the end? Doesn't sound too hard. I've got plenty of scrap aluminum that I can experiment with, and even a few FUBAR rails that I can hack up first. I just need to know where to start sloping.

Can I go straight and then just angle the channel up by 30* or so for the last inch? Or does the slope need to be more....curvy? Are we talking about this, or this?

[captian pinky]

The fact that you are even asking the question means you shouldn't do it. It is not a straight cut. Last thing i want is another botched pumpmag rail that myself or someone else needs to try and fix. Save yourself, the next guy and the next guy the trouble and send it to luke. I send everyone to luke for the pump milling because he is set up for it and its correct.

You can definitely half-ass on a manual mill.

I agree with this.

[luke]

Last thing i want is another botched pumpmag rail that myself or someone else needs to try and fix.

Nah, chew it up and spit it out, we'll make more. lol

[captian pinky]

Nah, chew it up and spit it out, we'll make more. lol

As long as it isn't sold, he can cut them in half for all i care.

[luke]

As long as it isn't sold, he can cut them in half for all i care.

LOL.

I hear you, it happens all the time, I know first hand.

[rawbutter]

The fact that you are even asking the question means you shouldn't do it.

But.....how does anyone ever learn to do anything without asking the questions? I'm sure there was a time when Luke and everyone else didn't know how to mill a rail. Someone had to teach them. They had to learn. I want to do that too.

And don't worry. If I botch it up, I promise I won't send it to you for fixing. I'll just ULE the rail and sell it for a profit.