Shooting revolver off a rest?

P

Prof Young

New member
Okay, so when shooting a long barreled revolver using a rest I've always assumed one put their hands on the rest with no part of the gun touching it. Is that the best technique or . . . ?

Talk to me.

Prof Young
 
Well, I don’t know the best technique, BUT just 2 days ago, I rested a Ruger GP100 directly on a foam block (my brother’s) and fired off 6 rounds of .38 Special. Tore up the top of the block from cylinder gap gasses. I shot better (and with no damage) resting my hands on the block.
 
Prof Young said:
Okay, so when shooting a long barreled revolver using a rest I've always assumed one put their hands on the rest with no part of the gun touching it. Is that the best technique or . . . ?



Talk to me.



Prof Young
Click to expand...



Best way to do it is to use a range bag to support the elbows and forearms, not using a rest for the revolver.

I have put my 454 Casull, 500 and a 460 on a rest, and have blown up the rest (shooting bag rest with corn meal or something in it) from the flames.[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Prof Young said:
Okay, so when shooting a long barreled revolver using a rest I've always assumed one put their hands on the rest with no part of the gun touching it. Is that the best technique or . . . ?
Click to expand...
That is the accepted technique, yes.
 
I like to rest the revolver frame on the rest and the barrel free from contact. A consistent grip is very important, especially with more powerful, long barreled revolvers because the recoil is moving the gun before the bullet exits the muzzle.
 
When shooting one of my handguns (either SRH or T/C Contenders) from a rest, the barrel or forearm is supported by the front rest and the grip is supported by the rear bag.

SCoUoIS.jpg
 
since I am more interested in what the gun and load will do in my hands than what the gun and load will do "on their own", I hold the gun in my hands, and use the rest to support my forearms.

DO allow enough room between your hands and the bags to avoid being pinched between them and the gun. A S&W .44Mag will do a painful bite, and that's assuming the cheese grater checkering on the factory stocks doesn't remover some skin. (and yes, this is the painful voice of experience here...:o)
 
If the barrel is rested it will shoot lower than when it's not. 4" lower at 50 yards for my 357 with red dot.

I rest my wrists/forearms on my range bag.
 
I rest the barrel when testing for accuracy but use my wrist on the bag when testing to see what the gun would do while holding it an shooting from a standing position. Now I just shoot with no rest and am happy with my off-hand groups.
 
I rest the frame on the front rest. I rest my hand on a rear bag. I will sacrifice something to protect the front rest material. Fire hazard and all. The front rest is a screw elevation rifle rest with a factory bag. I spend a fair amount of time getting everything lined up and me comfortable. This is accuracy testing and bragging right shooting, not necessarily how I zero the gun.

With a scope mounted you can see the difference a good rest makes and also see exactly what works and does not.

I never rest the barrel.
 
I don't have a steady bench available to shoot from, so usually just use a good two hand hold.

If available, I at times will brace my shoulder against a sturdy tree trunk.

Here I'm using a camera, but the idea is the same:




Bob Wright
 
I've used a rest a couple of times and it's kind of a matter of figuring out what works best for you, your gun and the rest you're using. I have a smith 929 with Hogue big butt grips and you can just sit the grip on the rest which is nice. I've heard of others resting the bottom of their hands/pinky fingers on the rest, placing your wrists on rest, using a bipod usually is a matter of placing just the barrel on the rest and I'm sure countless other options.

In other words, you'll need to experiment and figure out what works best for you. It's kind of like asking what the best grips are for a gun - it depends on the size of your hands, the grip you use, etc.

Using a rest is nice for starting out with longer range shots. Lately I've been practicing at 25 and 50 yards targets and 100 yard gongs. The rest really helps when starting out with these shots.
 
A great deal depends on what you're doing. Not having the firearm itself on the rest isn't exactly solid. If you're testing loads it'll matter. Resting on the bag just forward of the cylinder works for load testing. Any kind of support helps with a hunting shot.
Cylinder gap gasses will do that to foam with any cartridge. Even a .22.
1200 x 675 pixels is too big.
 
Never could get good grouping off sandbags; I found that I couldn't keep a uniform grip was the problem...and too, the group center was not the same as my two-handed, offhand field shooting positions. It varied from them as much as 2-3" at 25 yds.

I use, instead, Elmer Keith's old long range shooting position. In it, you sit on the ground or at most, a very low sitting beach chair, with back support. A tree or even fence post or rail will do as well. Knees are pulled up and the gun is extended between them, two-handed, finger on finger/thumb on thumb grip. Using it, I get better, tighter groups, and their point of impact coincides with my hunting, field positions.

I have used this technique since the mid-60's, and it's good enough to evaluate hand load accuracy. I'm 72 now and I can still get ~1" groups with open iron sights, from my guns when the loads right and the sun's behind me. Give it a try...it's handy in the field for deer or while squirrel hunting, and any old tree will support your back giving you the accuracy of a bench rest. Best regards, Rod
 
I shoot my revolvers with the frame resting on the sandbag I had made in the early seventies. It's a smooth chaps leather bag that holds an old canvas 25lb shot bag which contains the sand. One side of the bag has a very thick piece of leather covering it to withstand the cylinder leaks. Best $20 I've spent.
 
Another one who rests the revolver on frame just in front of trigger guard, with wrists supported on bags. Am never resting the barrel, or the letting the grips touch anything. And yes, am using sacrificial leather when doing this.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top