Bench rest shooting

C

cptmclark

New member
I hope this hasn't been overdone. I see several likes and don't likes, but I hope for someone who shoots for bench rest accuracy of 1/2 or 1.0 and has tried one of these. Question is about the Caldwell Tack Driver front rest.
Very nice rest and very easy to hold steady and aim with. However, it's heavy and snug on the stock which is against what I've shot benchrest with. I'm used to having slide easily on the bag. This one will hold it a bit lower each time it recoils.
Is this worth using time and ammo on? Rifles are 30-06 and the like for recoil idea. Will be nice if it works.

Thanks a bunch
 
I have the front rest but am more comfortable shooting with a Harris fixed Bi Pod . What rear bag are you using at the bench . At the bench a front and rear rest with the same cheekweld. Working on shooting form with plenty of trigger time using the same rifle . Rifle should be set up between front and rear bag with rifle level to the target will help in recoil .
 
Well I also have a bipod, which I added to my spiffy new 6.5 long range rifle, 26”. Only shot it one day doing break in, but accuracy was bad. 2 inch groups.
 
Benchrest competition shooters use custom made front rests that cost well more than $1000. They make a commercially available rest look sloppy.
One national champ that I know paid more for his bolt than I paid for most of my rifle and scope combinations and I have 3 NightForce scopes. He puts Teflon tape on his stock and his rests where the rifle touches so there is almost no resistance to impede free recoil. He has a 3 ounce trigger. He sets up the rifle and then touches only the trigger when he shoots. He makes his own bullets and they are works of art. He gave me samples of two types with different ogives to try and they were incredible.
The top competitors all clean the ten-ring shots and winners are determined by the number of Xs. To score an X, you have to hit a 0.1 inch dot at 100 yards or 200 yards. Normally 23 or more Xs are required to even be in the running unless it is really windy.

I shoot from the bench a lot but only to get the most accuracy that I can achieve and I don't have competition bench rest ability or equipment. I have tried adjustable competition rests and Harris bipods and still have both.
I have a Sinclair adjustable rest but I don't think it provides as good a repeatable set-up position.

For shooting from a bench, I find that the Sinclair F-Class 3rd generation bipod with the azimuth adjustment knob works best for me (about $225) as long as I have a solid rear bag to go with it. I use a large Protektor rear bag with a built in hand hold. Those bags can get pretty heavy.

Range buddies who have tried my F-Class bipod have also bought that bipod because it gives such a solid base to shoot with and because the set up is so repeatable. You also don't have to front load that bipod like you do with a regular bipod. Last time I counted, there are now at least 7 shooters at our range who are using the F-class bipod when they are shooting from the bench or prone.
 
I've been fortunate enough to be able to have a 100-yard range with the bench rest on my front porch for some 30+ years.

I've never used anything but sandbags. I've been able to do tailored loads and miscellaneous forearm tweakings to enable bunches and bunches of groups of less than one MOA. A fair percentage in the 1/2 to 3/4 range. .17 Rem to .30-'06.

My view is that if you want to use such a tool, go right ahead. They're useful but I don't see them as any sort of necessity.
 
I shoot off of bipod, sand bags, my back pack, a piece of wood with different height notches cut out.
The front rest hasn't mattered as much to me as having a good rear bag, and keeping a loose grip around the wrist of the stock.
 
From what I read her and on the internet, bipods arent the best for shooting off a hard table. They may let the rifle bounce more. I appreciate the advice and information. Think I'll have to get accuracy using my current system, than switch to bipod to check.

Thanks
 
Rifle weight and setup at the bench make a big difference in group size . Easy for me , my one and only benchrest rifle that I only shoot now has a M24 barrel , it a Rem.700 bedded , completely blueprinted , 10 ounce set Jewell trigger . Being I'm only shooting 200 yards all the time . I wish I had better glass , its a 350 dollar Bushnell scope but it's giving me a average 1/2" 10 shot groups . My mount costs as much as my scope , a good solid mount system is also important , have a Ken Farrell set up . My shooting friends are shooting with scopes that are $ 2500 & up but they go into Competition matches . You can only expect so much from whatever setup you have . The thinking is your scope should have more shooting potential the your rifle , wish I had that information before I bought my scope , even though I'm use to it by now and I only shoot 200 yards . Good luck with your setup and get alot of trigger time . Be Well

Chris
 
I use a front bag and a rear bag rest. Both Caldwell I think (the front one is taped up as I made the mistake of shooting with a swivel stud left in a stock)

I can shoot my setup into the 5/8 to 1/2 inch are consistently with good known loads.

Some 3/8 and maybe 5% 1/4.

My setup is nothing fancy, Savage action with a Bull barrel - one NF scope 32X, the other one is a Cabella Ak Guide 20X.

Its just recreational and I have not felt the need to get anything above that. I don't think I would benefit.

Once you start getting down into 1/4 MOA consistently, then its all the small things adding up that gets you up into the top class (and costly guns and rests).
 
For the level of accuracy your trying to achieve, you might consider the Caldwell lead sled. I use micro fiber towels to pad it front and rear. It can move a little but recoil is no longer in the picture. It has azimuth and elevation adjustment and although they're not fine adjustments they are acceptable.

When I first got it, I was being pretty heavy on the rifle in order to hold on target. Shots were acceptable but not the best. What I found is that placing my left hand on top of the scope for minor adjustments was the key to staying nearly on target for the next shot.

In order to shoot touching only the trigger, you need to get a couple of 25lb bags of shot and put them on the rest. The rest has accommodation's for this and it really helps. The worst rifle that I shoot off the rest is my Model 70 Featherweight 30-06. The muzzle jumps pretty bad so I do strap that one in with the barrel strap on the front support. All my large magnums push straight back and don't need to be strapped in.

If you are the kind of person that likes to put your hand on the fore grip then wear a glove because the front support can bite you.

Overall, I'd give it a 4 out of 5 stars for an average non competition shooters bench rest.
 
My choice of front rest is the Sinclair.

https://www.sinclairintl.com/shooti...-w-quick-adjust-elevation-knob-prod44699.aspx

And then I use a monopod in the rear. Of course both of these require sling studs on the rifle front and rear. I try to remove most of myself out of the equation when I am benchrest shooting for group. I do put the butt of the rifle into my shoulder. I do not rest my face on the comb and my shooting hand is very lightly on the rifle just to comfortably squeeze the trigger. I try to remove my pulses, etc. off the rifle. The Sinclair and monopod help greatly with this. And I always put a piece of rug down first for the Sinclair and monopod to slide backwards on. I see some shooters laying all over their rifle with an arm draped over the top. To each his own. I know we all do what works best. I'm definitely not a firearms instructor, but just years of trial and error.
 
Today after work I trudged to the range to try again to achieve some accuracy I thought I could reasonably improve. I took off the bipod, and shot off my old bags using the scope at 24 power. No wind. Savage speciefied the ammo this time.

One more group, still stayed in 2moa, but barely. I guess the new rifle finds a new owner or goes back. Some “long Range Hunter” it turned out to be.
 
It may be your choice of bullets that is the problem.
What Twist is your barrel ?
What weight bullet are you using.
I have a 6.5- 284 with a 1-8 twist Lilja barrel, pWith 120 grain bullets I can’t get better than 2 inches at 100 yds. With 140 grain it’s 5/8 at 100 yds.
 
One more group, still stayed in 2moa, but barely. I guess the new rifle finds a new owner or goes back. Some “long Range Hunter” it turned out to be.
Click to expand...

Be good to get it fixed so someone else does not wind up dealing with it.

Certainly frustrating. If you reload you could try other options. I have two picky barrels oddly enough (after market)
 
I shoot different rifles differently. My 6ppc gets shot in complete free recoil. If I were to shoot my ultralite 7 RUM in free recoil, it would not group so well. :D. I would not fare so well either. Probably get a face full of scope.
I actually prefer sandbags for hunting rifles.
I admit, I have adopted the Elmer Keith grip when shooting the boomers. (Hand on top of barrel.
 
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Had a new Caldwell Tack Driver bag once that was filled at the factory. Used it twice to see if my opinion of it changed from its first use? "Nope~ It still sucked."
Too low & way too hard for shooting off of.

I gave Caldwell away that second time at my shooting Clubs bench rest to a young man who filled Shot bags with rice to prop up his well used Mossberg bolt.

A polite & respectful individual he is {honestly the fellow appeared deserving to me.} Boy did that fellows face beam with joy when I handed the Caldwell to him.
Did a little checking what better Bag was marketed. Bought one of these instead (link) Have not been disappointed with my choice.

Rock steady the Bone holds my rifle/s.

https://www.brownells.com/shooting-...od41457.aspx?avs|Manufacturer_1=DOG-GONE-GOOD
 
Benchrest competition is a totally different thing from shooting off a bench. Benchrest competition accuracy is measured in decimals that start at less than half an inch.
A filled Caldwell Tack Driver runs $65. You can have a 4 pound bag of cat litter in Wally World for $6.96 that'll do exactly the same thing. Or you can make a cloth bag and fill it with range sand for free.
Anyway, there is technique involved with shooting off a bench.
"...bipods aren't the best ..." Yep. They're not stable enough for load testing.
 
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