[Leeboy]

I am thinking about buying a SBE 2 when they become available
in England but I dont understand why the rib is raised or stepped ? I know there are alot of guns in the States that have this style of rib but I think it makes some really nice guns look butt ugly and really spoils the look of the piece. What purpose does it serve/how does it work ? Nobody seems to know over here.

 

[bridgeburner]

It's a secret and it allows us to shoot better than Limies.

 

[Leeboy]

You Yanks really have got a geat sense of humour !! laughing aside, can someone be helpful and let me into 'the secret'

Leeboy (Limie) :lol:

 

[Baron23]

I'm not sure what you mean by "raised" rib...all vent ribs (or solid ones for that matter) are raised to some degree above the barrel. However, I do know what you are referring to when you say "step" rib...or it's close cousin the "ramp" rib.

Depending on your game, I suppose the purposes may be different. That is, I believe that trap shooters use rib/comb height configuration to make their guns shoot high in order to be able to keep a raising target in sight and still be able to hit it. Some serious trap guns have height adjustable ribs where the whole rib can be moved up or down.

We skeet shooters (that would be me), we tend to go for flat shooting guns. Amongst us, those that like step or ramp ribs do so because; when the comb height is appropriately set so that the shooter sees a "figure 8" configuration with the fore and mid beads, then the receiver is lower (further out of sight) in your view.

That is, no matter how high the rib is, with a Monte Carlo or adjustable comb you can get it to shoot flat (granted that you don't have anything going on with POI from barrel hangers, etc). If you do this with a ramp or step rib, the result is your face is higher above the receiver giving you a better look at the target.

I would be interested in hearing why others favor ramped or step ribs. I have been told that Kolar has recently quit making flat ribs in favor of ramp or step, perhaps an indicator of their burgeoning popularity.

Stephen

 

[HuntNshoot]

I imagine the two most common reasons for raised ribs are: a straight sighting plane and barrel-heat dissipation. I'm not a fan of ribs either, and I agree that (for me) they spoil the look of a gun. I'm a fan of small gauges, and the pencil thin barrel is part of the appeal. That said, it's almost impossible to find a currently manufactured gun without a rib. I expect the gun manufaturers have a reason for putting ribs on their guns--mainly that most folks want them! With stanadard stock deminsions, I always see a bit of barrel without a rib. I'm guessing this distracts a fair number of shooters. I'm not a clay shooter, so barrel heat is normally not a problem in hunting situations. There are lost of guys on this forum that could probably write a good treatise on raised ribs, especially clay shooters. I'm just kick-starting this tread for you, even though you are a Limey. Good hunting and good luck.

 

[eugene molloy]

It's a secret and it allows us to shoot better than Limies.

And how many Septic Tanks will finish in front of Mrs. Digweeds little boy next year do you suppose?. Ante up!

For hunting and especially coastal wildfowling I consider ventilated ribs to be unnecessary potential rust traps. I've never heard anyone (and don't expect to) say "I'd never have stopped that goose if it wasn't for the rib on my gun".

Eug

 

[bridgeburner]

Leeboy,

OK, I'll spill the beans. The raised (high and step) ribs are mainly used for our USA trapshooting. The benefits are a straight sighting plain and reduced heat shimmer. The raised ribs are also a way for a manufacturer to build trap, skeet and field guns with the same monoblocks and bbls, adjusting rough points of impact with different ribs. It also allows you to shoot with less fatigue because you can shoot with your head in a more natural upright position so you don't need to force your head down. Our ATA shoots tend to be long days and weekends and less fatigue is a good thing.

eugene molloy,

Septic Tanks? How is it that Little Lord Digweed doesn't shoot where the money is? :wink: He's a good shooter, but he's a good shooter among sporting clays shooters, which for the most part doesn't say very much. :wink: Each to his own game I suppose.

As to ribs being rust collectors... I don't know about that. I shoot a lot of ducks and geese and spend a lot of time in salty wet and nasty weather and never had a rust problem due to a rib. Guess that's because I clean my guns. Ribs are ribs... you either like them or you don't. Most people like them.

Now it's time for everyone, me included, to shut up and shoot!

 

[eugene molloy]

Bridgeburner asks

Septic Tanks?

Rhyming slang for "Yanks"; I use it in precisely that spirit of respect and affection that you use "Limey".

Eug

 

[JimfromTrafalgar]

To our friends from across the pond,
You need only to look at your own weapons history for the answer. It has to do with POI. Manton originally put a top rib that tapered in height from breech to muzzle in order gain a little lead on rising pigeons.
I apologize if the Limey reference from bridgeburner offended. If it did, consider it just another time that he has "removed all doubt".
BTW,the rhyming slang does little but create confusion for most here. I've a friend who uses it on me occaisionally, and I still miss it more than not. I think most don't know that it exists, or at least aren't looking for it.
___
To any and all,
I've shot SxS's at high incomers, using black powder loads, so fast and furious that my gun finally heated up and refused to open until it cooled for a few minutes. Through this, I never noticed any heatwaves above the barrels. Have any of you really seen these waves? Do vented ribs really solve this problem?
Jim

 

[Rollin Oswald]

To correct an apparent misconception, raised ribs do not, in and of themselves, change a gun's point of impact. It is the height of the eye, relative to the height of the rib that affects a gun's vertical point of impact.

As was mentioned, raised ribs help dissipate heat from the barrel much the same as do lower ventilated ribs but more effectively.

Guns with raised ribs require the comb of the stock to be raised the same distance the rib is raised. This promotes the gun's recoiling straight back to lessen the upward rotation of the barrel during recoil by reducing the downward angeling of the stock relative to the barrel.

Raised ribs also allow the off eye to look through the rib and is preferred by some shooters while haunting others. http://stockfitting.virtualave.net

 

[eugene molloy]

Jim,

BTW,the rhyming slang does little but create confusion for most here

Excellent news; it's working then!

Back to the topic....I honestly think that raised ribs, whether vented or not have no real function on guns for hunting.

Whole generations before ours hunted very successfully using SxS, pumps, single barrels and the early autos with nary a rib on them. Many folk still do, and don't perceive themselves to be at a disadvantage.

Kind Regards
Eug

 

[bridgeburner]

Hey, I can say "Limey"! I see it as a term of endearment. Besides, Grannie was from Lincolnshire.

The "Septic Tank" stuff is a horse of a different color. :evil:

 

[pheasntguy]

I've shot trap with my hunting gun (o/u) in the summer and had the "haze",and I have a vent rib (of course it was 85*F) But only the few times in summer.
I Believe the rib ranks up there with the barrel bead,that some of us see (and some of us never notice went missing)
I also believe a raised rib looks gaudy (but only my opinion)
AND..in the european school of shooting,one looks over the barrel..not down the barrel as we N.Americans do.we here tend to use the barrel as a sight plain,instead of concentrating on good fit and again looking over the barrel.,thus why most european gun are meant (and sometimes barrels bent) to shoot high.
......"hello from the colonies" Ed

 

[claysmoker]

Hey, I'm an Okie. Where does the term Limey come from?

 

[bridgeburner]

It is my understanding that the term was first applied to English sailors. One of the health problems aboard sailing ships was contracting scurvy. Limes were stored on the ships and were part of the daily diet in order to prevent contracting scurvy. The sailors were thus called limies and I guess the term stuck with all English people over the years. That is my understanding of the term.... again, one of endearment as explained by my grandmother Winefred Woods of Lincolnshire, years ago.

 

[Worc]

Ribs also make the barrel stiffer.
If you are refering to step ribs as having three to four inches missing off the back of the barrel by the receiver. It's more than likely a gun that is long recoil operated. The rib is absent there because the barrel moves back into the reciever after the chambered shell is fired.

 

[Leeboy]

Many

 

[Leeboy]

Many

 

[Leeboy]

Many

 

[Leeboy]

Many thanks for your response fellas. just to clear up any misunderstanding- by stepped I mean the rib being higher than the top of the receiver/action. I have only seen this on semi autos. Benelli SBE and M1 are examples of this as opposed to the sort of rib that you would find on a O/U sporter or game gun which is flush with the top of the receiver.

thanks also to Eugene, cheers mate !

Best rergards to all
Leeboy