I have mostly lightweight rounded fore end type rifles these days and my Caldwell -The Rock- rest just doesn't work too well .
The small bag just isn't right for stocks that were never intended to RIDE a bag -too easy to cant the rifle side to side.
I have the small version bulls bag type rest that works pretty good ,thinking I'll get a full size model -but thought I'd check here and ask what you guys like for narrow/round type fore end rifles?
Thanks Mike
I have several small sand bags that I wedge on either side of my narrow stocked rifles, such as my Kimber 84Ls. As long as the stock is rested immediately below the chamber and the side bags don't lap over the barrel, it doesn't affect the groups, other than allowing me to shoot much better groups. That 84L stock is so narrow out front and will roll so easily that shooting groups is almost a waste of time without wedging. The Remington mtn rifle stock is similar, but a bit flatter below the chamber. Sometimes wedging these stocks will help.
Once you get the rifle wrung out, another option which I've come to like is to rest the stock on your hand with the hand resting on the bags without butt stock support. I don't shoot as tight groups using this method, but it is good muscle memory training for the field positions I usually use on the elk hunts. Then I graduate to off hand, sit, kneeling, and leaning against one of the range poles.
My rucks cain't care which stock nestles 'em,nor do I.
I have three rests, an ancient orange one by a gun cleaning company, a Caldwell adjustable, might be "The Rock" and a very nice Sinclair, which takes all sorts of different fronts/tops, etc.
Most of my "keeper" rifles HAVE narrow forends, my original Type B, Oberndorf, 9,3x62 is a "picklefork" according to the late "J'0C" and it can be a bit touchy to get these settled well so that the grouping is consistent.
As things on my home front continue to improve and I get back to shooting several days per month, minimum, I am going to have my lady, a superb seamstress, make me some bags from the old lower legs from jeans that I hoard and this will be cut and stitched to have a narrow recess in them for these forends and I will fill them with a mix of 25% fine lead shot and 75% fine, clean sand.
That ought to keep things lined up as I prefer them.
[bleep],
Didja' "forget" that you Imagined to Pretend I was on "Ignore"?!? Pretend you cain't read this. Bless your heart.
You were doing so "well" with Timber.
Laffin'!
For rifles like my Model 71 and others with skinny forends, I do like the Bulls Bags and similar. I did recently just get, via a trade, a true custom made benchrest adjustable rest with all kinds of dials for tuning. Wieghs about 50lbs! The front bag is removeable as with any good rest and I, too am getting ready to have a seamstress make me a front rest bag from suede that has a narrow channel in it and higher sides to properly prop up the skinny snouted hunting rifles I have.
The Bulls bags don't adjust too easily, relying too much on rear bag manipulation for my tastes, but until now they have worked pretty well for me.
I generally shoot my hunting rifles with the forarm in my hand too more closely mimic field shooting conditions. GD
The depths of your mimickery,is routinely [bleep] hilarious.
Bless your heart.
Thanks for the comments -having read about people sewing bags and such gave me the idea to try the rabbit ear rear bag on the Rock Rest --steadied the rifle's up a lot.
Then I put the back of the rifle in the small bulls type bag [10" Allen bag] ,I think it will give a very steady rest now.
Plus I can prop my chin on the corner of the small bulls bag which helps me even more.
Thanks again -Mike
Well maybe I been doing it all wrong but with light hunting rifles the front bag is under the front action screw or thereabouts and the fore end is floating around on its own out there...and under the rifle a gun sock folded once or twice nestles the receiver ring.
Especially so if the rifle has a pressure point out front or is neutrally bedded. With light contours,and rigid fore ends the bounce off firm bags can cause weird things to happen.
I use the hand over the bags as a rest once 100 yard work is done,and I get to 300 yards,checking POI from that and other field positions.
New ruger American is surprisingly slim
I'm surprised.....surprisingly.
'dog,
You remain an EPIC Clueless [bleep],but your Whining is topnotch.
Bless your heart.
A Ma' Nature hunker on a ruck,will reveal much,in short order.
Seen it.(grin)
Anybody got a clue what's going on the background?
Good points BobinNH !
And now I know how to spell fore end -no wonder that stupid spell checker wouldn't leave me alone ....LAF.........
Well maybe I been doing it all wrong but with light hunting rifles the front bag is under the front action screw or thereabouts and the fore end is floating around on its own out there...and under the rifle a gun sock folded once or twice nestles the receiver ring.
Especially so if the rifle has a pressure point out front or is neutrally bedded. With light contours,and rigid fore ends the bounce off firm bags can cause weird things to happen.
I use the hand over the bags as a rest once 100 yard work is done,and I get to 300 yards,checking POI from that and other field positions.
bout time someone brought that point up. I don't think you are the one doing it wrong Bob..
Anybody got a clue what's going on the background?
Distant Dastardly Deeds,as per whim...is what happens in the background.
Bob, as usual, makes a sound point here and I have noticed this more with synthetic stocks, than wooden ones.
I have shot VERY small, rounded groups with the Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbines, in .30-06 and 6.5x55, ( NOT a typo-1961MCA model) that I used to own with the long, thin, forestock rested on the frony just behind the sling bow.
I also found this with the Brno 21/22 rifles, 8-10 in number, I have owned over the years and also my original Type B, Oberndorf,all with typical Euro."splinter" forestocks.
Change to synthetics, and "bounce" happens, especially with my relatively light, thin, Dakota 76-.338WM, shooting 250s. I have usually used my hand under the forestock to aleviate this and this rifle WILL shoot and then there are the other benefits in wet BC, of the Micky "Hill Country" stock.
I also found, long ago, that the various lever actioned pieces I had, Mod. 94s, 71, .336, 64, 1894, Savage 99s, would shoot better and more consistently with the front support under the front edge of the receiver and zero pressure on the front psrt of the rifle.
The most finicky in this respect was the Miroku SRC, 1886-.45-70 I had for about 14 years, one of the first to sell, when I started my serious gun selloff in later 2011. This rifle would NOT shoot and I dicked with it for some time until I found that a minor forestock issue and the placement of the front support would change it to where I wanted it.
A friend, at home in the Kootenays, now has it and is VERY happy with how it puts 405 HC-FN bullets "where he looks". I am not the greatest fan of leverguns, but, these are particularly nice examples of what gunmakers CAN do now, IF, they want to......
[bleep],
Given "all" your "experience" with wood...I'd be impressed if you could discern a buttstock from a forearm.
Laffin'!
Bob, as usual, makes a sound point here and I have noticed this more with synthetic stocks, than wooden ones.
I have shot VERY small, rounded groups with the Mannlicher-Schoenauer carbines, in .30-06 and 6.5x55, ( NOT a typo-1961MCA model) that I used to own with the long, thin, forestock rested on the frony just behind the sling bow.
I also found this with the Brno 21/22 rifles, 8-10 in number, I have owned over the years and also my original Type B, Oberndorf,all with typical Euro."splinter" forestocks.
Change to synthetics, and "bounce" happens, especially with my relatively light, thin, Dakota 76-.338WM, shooting 250s. I have usually used my hand under the forestock to aleviate this and this rifle WILL shoot and then there are the other benefits in wet BC, of the Micky "Hill Country" stock.
I also found, long ago, that the various lever actioned pieces I had, Mod. 94s, 71, .336, 64, 1894, Savage 99s, would shoot better and more consistently with the front support under the front edge of the receiver and zero pressure on the front psrt of the rifle.
The most finicky in this respect was the Miroku SRC, 1886-.45-70 I had for about 14 years, one of the first to sell, when I started my serious gun selloff in later 2011. This rifle would NOT shoot and I dicked with it for some time until I found that a minor forestock issue and the placement of the front support would change it to where I wanted it.
A friend, at home in the Kootenays, now has it and is VERY happy with how it puts 405 HC-FN bullets "where he looks". I am not the greatest fan of leverguns, but, these are particularly nice examples of what gunmakers CAN do now, IF, they want to......
Thanks for the tips! I will try your method with my Model 71 the next time out.
Have any good ideas on how to make full bore reloads in that rifle topped with 250gr Barnes Originals not make a guy want to yell out OUCH! Every time it goes off?
