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Shooting Rest?

Kodiak Cowboy said:
I've always used sand bags on the hood of my pickup, and I rifle shoot from a sand bag rest very often. I've used feed bags filled about 1/4 full of sand or pea gravel. Then roll up the feed bag and take a few tight wraps with duct tape, or you could just buy a sand bag, or bipod In my opinion. If you need a vice or sled or whatever. You need to practice on your marksmanship! "You" need to hold the rifle tight and solid! Not an accessory. Otherwise you will end up depending on the vice or sled all the time if you use it at the bench all the time and possibly develop bad habits. Zeroing a rifle should not be that difficult. A rest simply makes shooting from the prone position or from a bench more comfortable. Don't get me wrong. It definitely helps to stabilize the rifle, but it doesn't take much of a rest to do this. As long as it is not spongy or squishy like a coat or hooded sweatshirt. Also a sand bag naturally forms to any uneven surfaces. This is all just stirckly "my" opinion bud, and everyone has one. I'm sure vice's and sleds have there place somewhere, but not for simply sighting in a rifle. Hope this helps. Shoot fun, shoot safe and shoot strait!
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No sweat Cowboy. I am a bit nerd-like when it comes to performing any task. I will do it to the absolute best of my ability and/or equipment, if it's worth doing. With this sometimes time-consuming and other times expensive habit, I prefer to zero any new firearm as close to its zero as possible (for me). Hitting the 10-ring from 100 yards is not enough, I want to know the rifle is zeroed WITHOUT my skills (or lack of them). Once I know where the rifle hits, then I can concentrate on me. This applies to pistols equally. I have several friends that shoot their pistols without ever zeroing them properly...sometimes for years. That drives me crazy, not knowing if the factory installed sights are even in the ballpark. I don't trust that even a top-end manufacturer spends time zeroing each firearm before shipping them out. The difficulty of shooting a hand gun accurately is enormous...and removing the possibility of sights being off is a necessity for me. Again....very anal, but I'm ok with that.

I don't plan to use a rest for normal range outings...once a firearm is zeroed, then I will shoot variably to test my skills and practice. But until it is zeroed, there is no way of knowing if it's me or the sights (or ammo, environment, etc.).

To date I have always used whatever is locally available for a rest (wood blocks, sand bags, etc.)...I want something a little better.
 
Jfal said:
No sweat Cowboy. I am a bit nerd-like when it comes to performing any task. I will do it to the absolute best of my ability and/or equipment, if it's worth doing. With this sometimes time-consuming and other times expensive habit, I prefer to zero any new firearm as close to its zero as possible (for me). Hitting the 10-ring from 100 yards is not enough, I want to know the rifle is zeroed WITHOUT my skills (or lack of them). Once I know where the rifle hits, then I can concentrate on me. This applies to pistols equally. I have several friends that shoot their pistols without ever zeroing them properly...sometimes for years. That drives me crazy, not knowing if the factory installed sights are even in the ballpark. I don't trust that even a top-end manufacturer spends time zeroing each firearm before shipping them out. The difficulty of shooting a hand gun accurately is enormous...and removing the possibility of sights being off is a necessity for me. Again....very anal, but I'm ok with that.

I don't plan to use a rest for normal range outings...once a firearm is zeroed, then I will shoot variably to test my skills and practice. But until it is zeroed, there is no way of knowing if it's me or the sights (or ammo, environment, etc.).

To date I have always used whatever is locally available for a rest (wood blocks, sand bags, etc.)...I want something a little bette
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Jfal said:
No sweat Cowboy. I am a bit nerd-like when it comes to performing any task. I will do it to the absolute best of my ability and/or equipment, if it's worth doing. With this sometimes time-consuming and other times expensive habit, I prefer to zero any new firearm as close to its zero as possible (for me). Hitting the 10-ring from 100 yards is not enough, I want to know the rifle is zeroed WITHOUT my skills (or lack of them). Once I know where the rifle hits, then I can concentrate on me. This applies to pistols equally. I have several friends that shoot their pistols without ever zeroing them properly...sometimes for years. That drives me crazy, not knowing if the factory installed sights are even in the ballpark. I don't trust that even a top-end manufacturer spends time zeroing each firearm before shipping them out. The difficulty of shooting a hand gun accurately is enormous...and removing the possibility of sights being off is a necessity for me. Again....very anal, but I'm ok with that.

I don't plan to use a rest for normal range outings...once a firearm is zeroed, then I will shoot variably to test my skills and practice. But until it is zeroed, there is no way of knowing if it's me or the sights (or ammo, environment, etc.).

To date I have always used whatever is locally available for a rest (wood blocks, sand bags, etc.)...I want something a little better.
Click to expand...
I totally understand bro. That Precision Turret Shooting Rest that Talyn mentioned looks like a good product for what you're wany to do in my opinion, I would stay away from sleds and vice's, but that's just me bud. To each his own! Shoot fun, shoot safe, shoot straight.
 
Decided to go at this question thoughtfully and deliberately...bought the Caldwell Deadshot front & rear bags (as a set). Good place to start. As we all know in this endeavor....money can be replaced...
 
I have zeroed in alot of rifles. Sand bags front and back. Or good short bipod w/ rear bag. Lower is better. Sand bag fill just needs to form to contour of stock and not be squeasie. I like sand or plastic bead fill. The platform your sitting at must be solid, no movement. Not a vehicle. Or go prone. HAVING A GOOD TECHIQUE IS IMPORTANT! Do not rest barrel on bag. Don't let any thing touch barrel! Where you put bags are important. Front bag should be as far foward on forearm as possible. BUT don't allow anything mounted on forearm to touch bag and not touch during recoil. So you'll have to leave a gap behind things like the sling swivel or whatever is mounted there. Same on the rear stock. Avoid contact w/ swivel. And have heel behind bag so it doesn' digg in. Assumeing you shoot right handed, hold rear bag w/ left hand. This left hand will control minor elevation corrections. Change your front setup for major elev. changes, but goal is to be low and comfortable. Highest magnification setting on scope if your useing one. Adjust for parralax. Another goal is to eliminate body movement as much as possible. If your sitting. Sit low w/ chest again bench. Preferrably in a corner if there is one. Put your knees against what ever you can. You can also place back pack or similar item on your lapp to curl your body around. Next, after your get your body set, then move rifle to you, not you to the rifle. Start with chopping rifle butt into bag a little for good fit, then bring rifle butt and bag to where your shoulder is. Shoulder should feel solid thru butt, bag to table. Then move front of rifle left and right to alien sights to target, don't move your body from its solid and comfortable position. Adjust front elev. of bipod. If useing front bag. Bounce forearm into bag for compressed fit. Add a block of wood under bag for raising. AGAIN, lower overall is better. You should not see reticle moving around if you got it right. Oh, watch out for SCOPE EYE. ENJOY
 
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