Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Long Range Hunting Your benchrest technique...?

What's your method for getting small groups...?

I'm curious whether people are primarily using front/back rests (Caldwell, etc.), bulls bags, bean bags, sandbags, bipods, slings, etc.

I'd also like to know if most grip the forend or tuck the off hand into the rear bag?

Thanks,

Eric

I use an ancient Wichita BR front rest, and I use a Protektor leather sandbag on it and another at the rear. Front grip or not depends on the rifle.

Let the rifle tell you how to hold it...

I haven't shot on a bench in damn close to a year. I find laying with your dick in the dirt and a rear bag under the butt will turn out some pretty stellar results, and keep your peepers on the target a lot better than shooting off a bench.

YMMV...

If I were to shoot prone I'd be wearing pants.

I know, I mean what a distraction.. right?! lol.

Eric

You haven't lived yet!!

Nuthin' like dusty balls� Little guy never has liked the bench

I always wondered where the phrase "going commando" came form.....

Great explanation of technique. What if it is a CZ mfg rifle and you don't speak Czech?

Seriously, a good front rest and rear bag plus some time devoted to practice is the way to go off the bench. Dry firing & 22 rimfire practice is good way to define your individual technique.

http://youtu.be/lVn0s8lbIrA

Then water board it's ass and make it speak English...

I broke down and bought a proper benchrest setup to get more consistency.

Sand bag front and rear. I sit as straight up as possible to simulate the same upper body stance as if shooting standing - I figure this should give the same recoil characteristics and therefore point of impact between the two positions. My benchrest shooting has the same point of impact as my off-hand shooting.

Having said that, I never hang on the the foreend when I bench shoot - I use my supporting hand instead to hold and align the rifle butt stock into the rear sandbag. I feel I get better accuracy this way and it doesn't seem to affect point of impact oddly (compared with off-hand).

Also, with the heavy kickers (eg 458WM), the rifle recoils straight up and back down onto the front bag. This is important because my front rest has metal "ears" and I don't want the rifle deviating sideways and landing on them after the shot (I put a blanket over the "ears" just in case).

I will try a standing bench rest for my 500NE but will likely hang onto the foreend.

If I am shooting from the bench and am using a gun that is set-up for a front rest and a rear bag then I use my NEO or MAX Coaxial Front Rest (Joystick Rest) and the appropriate rear bag. 5-shot group at a 1K match last June.




Shooting off of a bi-pod with a rear field bag at 100 yards (This is a 4-shot group)



You can shoot tight groups a variety of ways. It is of course much easier to shoot small groups with a high quality front rest and rear bag with a gun that is designed to track well.

Nice shooting, Ernie!!

I'm getting a Joe Cowan front rest and am looking at the Protecktor DR or else a Speedy/Edgewood rear bag. Not sure which is better for use with a sporting rifle.

Eric

Lot of good rests out there and front and rear bags.
IF you need some front bags for use with sporter forends I have both a narrow and a wide sporter front bag in stock.
Also carry SEB's rear bags as well (standard and the Bigfoot that is pictured).
Edgewood makes a good bag.

Holy crap Ernie! I've seen you post some cool stuff before, but please leave me a little self respect, geez!

I agree with Tanner.Let the gun tell you how it wants to be held. I have a few regulars that like light holds and a few that need to be held really tight. I would consider them all finicky in the how you hold em department.

100's of rounds of practice on live targets in the wind, I mean Pdog hunting

Just head east and you can do some cool stuff to with these SP's

I'm with Tanner on this.

I shoot prone with a Harris Bipod and a leather Protecktor rear bag filled with rice. The hold depends on the rifle, but I mostly hold hard into the shoulder with my off hand/arm curled.

It's good practice for the field where you probably won't have some 25 lb benchrest tripod handy.