Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Shooting bags vs. rest

Here is a nice rest at a decent price...........

http://www.rwhart.com/store/proddetail.asp?prod=RWH-N-JB100

Still need to purchase a top rest for it though.

This is the one I have, it comes with a top rest............

http://www.rwhart.com/store/proddetail.asp?prod=RWH-N-H10

Hey this setup even works for wrong handed rifles :

I think it would be interesting to shoot the same rifle off a combination of different set ups and see if there was much of a difference in group sizes.

The bench rest crowd seems to run off the leather/sand..but these are heavy, flat bottom rigs that basically slide back and bounce very little in free recoil. A 6PPC in a 14LB gun moves very little!

So, soft baggers, do you get itty bitty groups with your light and sporter weight guns? That big Caldwell with the 4 sections looks good to me and supports a lot of the forend.

I used a variety of sand filled front bags for years, and while they worked ok, they were a pain to lug to the range.

A while ago, I bought a Caldwell Rock front shooting rest.



For zeroing and load development, it works well, although it could be a little heavier.

Quality wise, I have no complaints, and while perhaps its too basic for shooting competition, it work works fine for me..

For the rear support, I use a Caldwell rabbits ear bag. Not the quality of some of the leather bags shown earlier in the thread, it still works fine for me and I consider it good value for money..

Benchmaster.

Small bag on an adjustable front rest with bags in the rear.

I roll the same way as this...but it's from Stoney Point:

http://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/Stoney-Point-Marksmans-Bench-Rest-Shooting-Bag/5258602/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&mr:trackingCode=9C177AAB-B4C3-DF11-98FF-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA

I tend toward versatility.

None of these will totally eliminate my heart beat from the scope picture, but I am not shooting in competition.

Any of the three will show me where the gun is shooting, and get me inside minute of ground squirrel to a couple hundred yards.

I fail to remember the brand name on the front rest. I picked it up from Sportsman's Whse one day for about $40.00. The rear bag is from Allen and was purchased at Walmart, then filled with sand blasting media.





I had rotator cuff surgery to repair a separated tendon 18 months ago. A buddy asked me to work up a load for his 340 Wea last summer. I learned to appreciate the Lead Sled.



But for most of my load workups, and scope chores I just shoot over the bags which live on the bench full time. These were sewn by my lovely wife from nylon canvas and filled with sand blasting media. I have about ten bucks into the whole pile. They have endured over ten years exposure to the elements with no ill effects, except they are admittedly ugly.



Or in this configuration.



Which is good enough for me to shoot groups like this at 132 yds.

The people who use the metal stands above and who shoot off wooden top benches, has anybody considered removing the spiked feet and bolting the stand to the bench top?

It would'nt take a minute or two to bolt it down each shooting session, so that wouldn't be too much hassle..

Any reasons not to do it?

Front tripod rest with a rear bag is standard for BR work, and what I use for everything when I get serious about accuracy.
Cat

http://sebcoax.com/
http://sebcoax.com/GALLERY/custom%20paint%20rest1.JPG

NEO Rest:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zFF4kQrUPc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCsyjQr0Yrc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cMFhsoluU&feature=related

These are expensive, but very nice rests.
Although not a tri-pod front rest, it is amazing what you can do with a good bi-pod and a rear bag.

This works well for competition. For testing hunting rigs, I replace the Hoehn windage top with a non-windage Sinclair 3" top and attach a Sinclair 3" fore end adapter to the huntin' stocks.



Same rest, different gun, same dirt clod pressin' the trigger. The elevation you can get from a good rest is obvious, here. This is at Painted Post, N.Y. where the 200 yd. targets are 'way uphill.

This is the coaxial rest top that I manufacture and sell. 700 are out there at this time. Pays for my shooting habits.


www.shadetreeea.com
The rifle belongs to Michael Kavanaugh. I would say he is the premier custom glass stock painter. Kav is now an officer in the Navy and will be going back to Afganistan again soon. He is a very fine young man.
Butch

Thats a good idea Pet E, but I also use my shooting bench in my garage for a work table too . I did however drill some holes in the top of the table to make the rest more secure and it doesn't slide around at all.

That's a thing of beauty butch

Any body ever use one of these?

http://www.mtmcase-gard.com/products/shooting/shooting-rests-sgr.html

My walnut stocked 375 jumped off of the front rest and hit the sharp edge of the 'fancy' rest. I don't use it any more.



Back to the old soft bags.

Same here

In my experience, lightweight rests and hard packed bags cause problems with hunting rifles. The rest moves, and the hard bag causes the rifle to bounce. These setups originated in the benchrest game, which is different in that it involves heavy rifles with light recoil, and stocks designed to ride the bags.

About bolting the rest down, I did that when I had a light rest, and it worked, but it was inconvenient.

Another thing that will cause problems shooting a hunting rifle from a rest is checkering, because it tends to grab the bag. A piece of plastic like a baggie solves that problem.

As any benchrest shooter will confirm, to get optimal accuracy shooting from a rest, the rifle has to move consistently under recoil, and the rest and bag have to stay put.

Paul