Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Okay then, a Lead Sled Poll

Man, that ole Jeffery really did kick your azz...

DF

Yup, because I didn't respect her... "Baby" and I know each other better now. Took her to the range today and hit the 10 ring with each of five shots at 100 yards offhand. Didn't shoot it once from the bench lol ...

1)Nope
2)Nope

An RSM stock split with one rifle and a nice Diavari went south on another. Stock was replaced and the Diavari was repaired. Quite frankly though, I don't see lead sleds in use too often outside of maybe some accuracy testing or load development. Most I know would not use the lead sled for zeroing or practice because odds are holding the rifle down into the device would effect your resulting POI compared to other techniques and it is not realistic for trigger time. I don't think the device itself is the issue, but I do think its misuse can be a problem when too much weight is added to quell recoil. It becomes pure physics if you lock down and restrict the rifle too much as the forces are dumped back into the rifle. If you don't think this can damage a stock, scope or mounts, try shooting your rifle with the butt rested against a tree and report back on the results after a few hundred rounds.

As for the 500 Jeffery, I don't see any elephants in my future but I do see a Cape Buffalo or two left in me before its done. For those, recoil from the Jeffery makes me feel good about my choice to use a 9.3x62

Gary, Thanks for the video..!

I agree with you Gary, anything that bears against the stock as it recoils will increase, (by way of physics) stress/compression to the materials...

....much like a short stocky shooter laying prone behind a bi-pod laden rifle would add more stress/compression than a tall lanky shooter would while standing and firing off hand.
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Very good to finally hear of a scope failing, whether the Diavari's failure was due to the Sled is questionable though, isn't it.?

I'd like to hear about how the physics of a Sled vs a Shoulder would be more stressful upon a Scope... curious about this dynamic.
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As for the RSM (a wooden stock), I remember you sharing with us earlier that;

"...keep in mind that most will crack in the thin webbing between the mag box and trigger inlets. This thin webbing is the only material holding together the stock sidewalls between the front and rear action screws. You may consider adding either a hidden internal cross pin reinforcement, or a through and through external cross pin reinforcement at this location. I've yet to see an RSM without this added reinforcement survive long before this webbing area split from the forces of recoil pushing the sidewalls out."

Based upon your experiences, it seems that stock was bound to fail without any help from a Sled

I read this entire thread. Swampman and bigsqueeze seem very anti-lead sled and I'm not sure why even after reading their posts which to me are based on their perceptions more so than their experiences. I'll base my words on my experiences. I have used a lead sled extensively for initial sight in of slug guns. They kick like a mule and the sleds help alot when you're sighting in several. You may have to fine tune the scope slightly when shooting from the shoulder after but that is very infrequent. I have a DFT version and it is overkill. The original lead sled would be fine for most folks application. It saves a person from the bruises shown in the photos in this thread. How that cannot be beneficial is beyond me. I have heard or more distinctly, read, of scopes breaking and stocks cracking from a sled. Very possible. Neither has ever happened to me and I have had some guys use some pretty cheap scopes on slug guns that you would think may be a good candidate for breakage. Not all gun stocks are well laid out and many are anaemic in the grip area. Had a gun stock maker call that to my attention recently on a rifle the folks are asking $4500 for. He said if it were ever dropped it'd be a custom "two piece stock". I was looking at the beauty of the wood and his experienced eye went directly to the weak spot. If it can happen to be laid out that way on a rifle of that stature, I'm sure it happens with every big name manufacturer. My experience with lead sleds have been positive, they are a tool that when used as intended, is an asset not a liablility.