What is your favorite rest for shooting your best, most accurate groups? I do know from shooting spring air rifles that the rest can have huge impacts on accuracy. Asking because recently I have been shooting my .243 with a bipod getting decent results - took it off and shot off a semi hard plastic rest (front) bag back with better results, then put a bag rest on the plastic rest and bag in the back and things improved markedly. Has me wondering if one of the big X type bags may be one of the better rests overall. What do you prefer? Thoughts?

I have been using a Caldwell butterfly type bag with a small bag rest for the buttstock with good results. Besides being very stable and forgiving on the bench, it is very portable and I don't feel bad if I set it on the hood of my truck for those impromptu shooting sessions.

The material in a bag has a lot to do with it. If slick, like teflon (BR shooter use teflon tape on theirs, and talcum powder, etc, so the rifle will slide easily).the rifle can slide and not hang up, even for that nanosecond, which effects accuracy. The leather or plain cloth bags can make the rifle hand up. I used a Doktor back bag, with a slick plastic like material on the wings. The front bag is leather with a plastic seat. I'm now using a Eagle brand rest, that I just got. Used to use a, shoot forget the brand, one I bought in 1965, but it was outdated. But the bags make the difference. As you noted, can go from okay to real good, just by changing out the bags. BUT both the front and rear bags should be slick where the rifle rests.

I shot benchrest for years and used a Baldeagle front rest and rear leather bunny ear bag. Still have them and use them on a regular basis.

tisha,

Do you think that putting duct tape over leather shooting bags would be adequate?

Thanks,

Steve

Flour or talcum powder slicks a leather bag right up. ED K

I have never achieved a discernible difference in accuracy in any of my hunting or varmint rigs. Regardless of whether I use a pack, bipod, or front rest.






Travis

Hart Rest 17 lbs
Bunny Ear rear bag

Use Suave Antiperspirant with Talc to get the powder on the bag. Lot easier to apply in windy conditions than dry powder.

Be sure to remove sling studs. Or, at least make sure they don't get into the bag in recoil on either end.

I use Caldwell bags most of the time but i'm sure there are better ones available

glad you asked i have been wondering same thing.

With round slim fore arm rifles I don't like the bench rest type rest -those type stocks don't ride the bags well.
I do like bench type rest when shooting a rifle with a wide flat stock.

I have a small size bulls bag -Caldwell I believe- it keeps the slender fore arm stocks from canting . That and a rabbit ear caldwell rear bag are my favorite set up.

Caldwell green canvas front bag, leather bunny ear rear works for me.

This what I have used for a long time with great results.



YMMV

I worked in a solder factory for years and acquired a set of coin bags. I filled them with kitty litter, tied them off with electrical ties and . . Viola! ( How'd she get in here?)

When I made bags for my deer blinds, I used the legs of old blue jeans and closed off an end with a sewing machine, filled them with kitty litter and then sewed up the other end.

Caldwell 15 pound front w/ 2 tops. 1 for flat, 1 for rounded. Bunny ear rear.

I rarely use a front rest anymore, most of my shooting is done off a bipod. I use various rear bags and sometimes no rear bag. Depending on gun. I have an old Hoppes front rest a with leather front bag ,when I do use a front rest.

Maybe you might try one of my Front rest tops on about any heavy base. For a front bag I prefer a Protector bag with slippery cloth. I use a tall rabbit ear bag on the rear.
Shown is a shot of our early model rest top on a Bald Eagle base. Our new models have a longer joystick. It is a coaxial rest and offers 22" of vertical and horizontal movement.

Dumb question about bipods, but do you put the legs trailing or forward?
I use shooting sticks a lot, and I always "trail" them so the front doesn't jump.
Does it matter?

I'm not real picky:

WTF are you guys gonna do, if'n ya have a flat on the way to the range? my rest can do double-duty to jack up the car.....

Dang Don, I wondered where my jack was, I've got two flat tars.

One of the biggest help to better shooting is to square and level your targets, and don't use a circle shape for an aiming device.

My scope lens is a "circle shape". Can't I use that as an "aiming device"???

Magnum Metal.

dave

circle shape at 100 yards

circle shape 5 shot group at 100 yards.

circle shape at 300 yards.

circle shape at 500 yards.

And 2 shots at 600 yards.Thats its not in the center, is my fault.


dave

Dave I could like that set up. Neat looking rig. powdr

In the pic its a 243 WCF.
I fried the throat in pretty short order running hot loads of Rel 22 and 115g DTACS.
I switched over to 105g AMAXs and it was a just nasty chuck rifle.Turned little chucks inside out .
Throat was getting rough.
Im not that impressed with the 243 so I turned it into a 6.5x47.
We have shot a few chucks with our 6.5x47 match rifles with 123g AMAXs and if anything it chews them up more than a 243.
Lasts alot longer to..
dave

Most of my shooting from the bench is sighting in hunting rifles and recreational shooting. Sometimes I use a diamond shape target and sometimes a circle or bullseye target with crosshair. I always add a 2" orange sticker to these targets. For shooting at 50 yards and closer I use a black target sticker(s) on plain paper. I aim at one of the squares corners for a precise aiming point. I have shot from many different front rests, most important with the front rest is that the bag's ears fit the shape of the rifle's forearm. For buttstock support I use a bunnyear bag which I like to be well filled to provide good support.

I use an old orange Hoppes front rest and a Protektor (Dr. Bag..?) rear bag with tall ears. Also use sandbags.

Eric

With very light rifles, this front bag with a bunny ear, leather rear bag gives me the most consistent results across multiple rifles & calibers.

Filled with sand, & yes, it is VERY heavy..........

With heavy, stiffer barreled rifles, lighter, smaller fronts rest work OK, but the Bulls Bag is just lest sensitive with everything.

MM

Dave,
Those are made by Scott Hunter of Wichita Falls, Texas. I gave Scott the prints many years ago as I had already made mine. I started with the rest tops in 2006 and have shipped over 800 units around the World.

Butch
I have seen those over the years. Some with the joy stick, some without. They are nice. But if I remember correctly, they are a bit pricey.

http://www.benchrest.com/magnummetal/toggle.html

and

http://www.accurateshooter.com/gear-reviews/seb-neo-co-axial-front-rest/

dave

There are several rests and rest tops on the market. As far as coaxial rests, you Have Farley, Seb, and Scott Hunter's Magnum Metal. My coaxial rest top is the only one on the market at this time.

I use the Bulls Bag X7 System and have had great success shooting handguns out to 300 yds and rifles out to 800 yds.


http://forum.nosler.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=20077

JD338

Like Gunwizard, I use a black square and aim at one of the corners. Usually I use a Leupold sighting-in target. It givers me 4 targets per sheet. "Aim small, hit small." The corner of the squiare with the vertical crosshair bumping the right side(for ME) and the horizontal touching the bottom allows me to be sure I'm aiming at the infantismally-small aimpoint.
If I am working up a load, I use a 20x scope on the rifle of choice, then after choosing a load, installing a "hunting" scope appropriate for the rifle, ie a Redfield 2x-7x Widefield in my .270AI.
Several of my rifles use Lee dot-equipped scopes...whereupon I use a hand-made target with black dots for aiming points. If I'm using a scope with a, for instance, 4moa dot, I put some 4" circles (for 100yd or 8" for 200yd) so the dot and the circle are the same. The bullet lands wherever I need it to in relation to the aimpoint. If I need it to land 2 1/2 higher than the aimpoint...so be it. I'll be sighted in when it does so.
I've also made some targets that have black squares and several different-sized circles so I can shoot a couple different rifles at the same target before I go up to change it.
Yes, I don't shoot at a public range.
Have fun,
Gene

Where are all the Lead Sleds?

Lead sleds actually somewhat detrimental to good accuracy as keep the rifle from sliding back, so it jumps. It's better than freehand from a bench, but not as good as a really good BR set up.

Personally saw a guy with a lead sled carrying too much weight crack the stock on a really nice 257 Roy. 3 years ago.


Week before deer season. Ouch!

Not anymore. They are on sale for <$200.

Bald Eagle Rests on Sale

In my non-benchrester opinion, that is a heck of a deal. Benchresters, am I wrong?

My reply disappeared I guess. That is a good price, but I would shy from the speedo cable windage adjustable one. They are a little jumpy and don't hold well. Other than that, they are top notch.

Thank you, I'm stealing that idea.
Don't wait for royalty payments.

I use the jack also and I found a brand on Amazon that is a lower profile.......for an adjustment knob, I slit a tennis ball, added a bit of epoxy and slid it onto the shaft.....a rifle rest with balls!.....at least one!

That's a really good price. Always thought those were extremely well made. Mine suits my needs or I would jump on it.

Butch,
Hoping you didn't take it wrong, but some of these rests that have been showing up over the years are really, really nice.
Some have the micrometer rear foot, some joy stick and all manner of variations with most going in the area of 750 to 1000 bucks w/o bag. Not dissing. Just out of my range for purpose.

Maybe I need to double or triple my price to get into that range. Most of mine are bought for FClass, long range comps, and shortrange BR.