Yeah Don Fischer here’s the thing, if you’d read my post you’d know I’m doing load development. when I’m finished I’d like to know, not think, I’ve got the best combination of bullet and powder for my rifle. Anything post lead sled I can at least know, not think, is do to my skills not the rifles capabilities.
Lead sled
- Thread starter ADIDAS69
- Start date
reynolds357
New member
A load in a lead sled may not shoot the same as it does in lesser recoil. If best groups were shot on a lead sled, you might see one in competition. Wonder why you dont? Even on the howling days at the 1k shoots, when the mouse guns disappear and the boomers come out; still no lead sled. (They are legal in this sanctioning body by the way)The only way a lead sled is truly accurate is mounted to linear bearing rails, then it's competition illegal. You are putting it in modified free recoil until after the bullet leaves the barrel.
I own a lead Sled. The posters who have cautioned the OP about recoil are right on the money.
My advice is to use it sparingly; e.g, sighting-in. Do not weight it down or prevent it from moving with recoil.
Of course, I'm talking about big game rifles. With small bore rifles that have negligible recoil, there is (hopefully) no issue with using a Lead Sled. But then again, with a minimally recoiling rifle, there'd be no reason to weight it down or prevent it from moving with recoil.
My advice is to use it sparingly; e.g, sighting-in. Do not weight it down or prevent it from moving with recoil.
Of course, I'm talking about big game rifles. With small bore rifles that have negligible recoil, there is (hopefully) no issue with using a Lead Sled. But then again, with a minimally recoiling rifle, there'd be no reason to weight it down or prevent it from moving with recoil.
Adding weight to sled versus tying it down to a structure underneath, there is surely a difference. I don't own one, but I did use one a few times in the past.
You don't tie down the rifle to restraint its muzzle raise, that's given. The rifle rotates up as if fired from the shoulder. Why use the sled then? It is to reduce the rearward recoil force.
I won't go into the physics details. It is the principle of conservation of momentum. You need to increase the mass of whatever behind the rifle. Leaning into the stock with your shoulder is one way. A sled with lead weight is another.
Tying the sled down to a table doesn't really increase the mass. The sled still slides on the table top, unless the tie down force is so strong that the sled is practically part of the table, in which case the sled takes up the mass of the table. For that perhaps you will do better tying it "down and forward". You may notice tying it down helps. That is because of the braking action of the frictional force between the sled and the table. A sled with weight is like a truck being by a small car. A tied down sled is like a van with a set brake being hit by a small car. A tied down and forward sled is like a van with set brake and its rear end butting against a truck being hit by a small car. Three different scenarios.
Still be careful if the table is fixed or very heavy. It is equivalent to setting the rifle's stock against a wall. Things may start to break. At least the rifle muzzle may jump up higher and higher till it rotate back and over, like in the video.
Bottom line. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, you will find out sooner or later.
-TL
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
You don't tie down the rifle to restraint its muzzle raise, that's given. The rifle rotates up as if fired from the shoulder. Why use the sled then? It is to reduce the rearward recoil force.
I won't go into the physics details. It is the principle of conservation of momentum. You need to increase the mass of whatever behind the rifle. Leaning into the stock with your shoulder is one way. A sled with lead weight is another.
Tying the sled down to a table doesn't really increase the mass. The sled still slides on the table top, unless the tie down force is so strong that the sled is practically part of the table, in which case the sled takes up the mass of the table. For that perhaps you will do better tying it "down and forward". You may notice tying it down helps. That is because of the braking action of the frictional force between the sled and the table. A sled with weight is like a truck being by a small car. A tied down sled is like a van with a set brake being hit by a small car. A tied down and forward sled is like a van with set brake and its rear end butting against a truck being hit by a small car. Three different scenarios.
Still be careful if the table is fixed or very heavy. It is equivalent to setting the rifle's stock against a wall. Things may start to break. At least the rifle muzzle may jump up higher and higher till it rotate back and over, like in the video.
Bottom line. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, you will find out sooner or later.
-TL
Sent from my SM-G930T using Tapatalk
Don Fischer
New member
What is OCW evaluations?
my brother does not like a lead sled. i do. its great for bolts, pumps and lever actions. its not so great(i.e. get that away from me!!!!
) for single shots, like ruger #1, tc encore and h&r. for those i use "the thingy".
while using "the thingy" i use a PAST recoil pad. while using "the thingy" i tried to get my younger brother to use the PAST, he said no. i said ok, but it will be here, so.... he was shooting a marlin 1895 in 45-70 with a Hornady 325gr gummy tip over 51.5gr of rel7(do not exceed load). well he fired, said ouch(he said some things that won't be repeated, young family members you know. then he asked if he can have the PAST.
sorry, i was reminiscing, but the lead sled is a tool to find groups. it is not something that you can sight in a rifle and go hunting.
) for single shots, like ruger #1, tc encore and h&r. for those i use "the thingy". while using "the thingy" i use a PAST recoil pad. while using "the thingy" i tried to get my younger brother to use the PAST, he said no. i said ok, but it will be here, so.... he was shooting a marlin 1895 in 45-70 with a Hornady 325gr gummy tip over 51.5gr of rel7(do not exceed load). well he fired, said ouch(he said some things that won't be repeated, young family members you know. then he asked if he can have the PAST.
sorry, i was reminiscing, but the lead sled is a tool to find groups. it is not something that you can sight in a rifle and go hunting.
globemaster3
New member
Don, search Optimal Charge Weights.
Basically, they are handloading with different weights of the same powder under the same bullet to find which one shoots the most consistent.
Basically, they are handloading with different weights of the same powder under the same bullet to find which one shoots the most consistent.
reynolds357
New member
In full disclosure, I have a lead sled. I hated it so bad that I robbed pieces off of it and used them to build a hydraulic dampened linear bearing rest. I have worked out the hydraulic tension to match my normal shoulder pressure. I remote fire it with a pneumatic trigger actuator. It hits just like it would hit if I were shoulder firing it. It is awesome for load development because it removes me from the equation. My 338 Lapua will recoil 16 plus inches with the brake off.