Bench shooting on glass

[MidRoad]

Glass topped tables tend to not be solid enough. Lot of 'em have been breaking for no apparent reason lately too. Mostly Chinese made I think. Buy your self a picnic table. They come as kits or ready made. Wally World will sell you one that has Mossy Oak camouflage padding on the benches for $129. They ship for free too.

Or even one of those white table with the fold up legs at Walmart for 35 bucks. They have smaller ones that don't fold in the center I believe . Quick and easy to setup and store.

 

[GAF]

A bit of 1/4 inch plywood over the area of the glass you are using as a shooting bench.

 

[FL-NC]

Likely you will break it. Many variables in play. If you break it, not only will the table be broke, it may result in your rifle or other equipment being damaged, or injury to yourself due to flying glass, etc. A friend broke his truck windshield many years ago- shot from the bed over the top of the roof at a critter with a hunting rifle.

 

[CapnMac]

sometimes less than a foot from the windshield

Windshield glass is laminated.
Side and rear glass are just tempered.
Windshiled will take way more abuse than tempered glass, especially at right angles to face.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Didn't end up trying it, had some other things to do and didn't get a chance.

After reading this thread and thinking about it some more I'm gonna save the glass table for plinking with the 22 and eating/drinking. If I want to shoot something with more "boom" from the porch I'll just bring in my plastic shooting table I use in the yard.

It's been an interesting conversation nonetheless....

 

[Merle1]

Windshield glass is laminated.
Side and rear glass are just tempered.
Windshiled will take way more abuse than tempered glass, especially at right angles to face.

good point!

 

[C.R.]

I have one of those Black & Decker work mate 225 workbench/vice unit I made a table top that it clamps onto big enough for a rest,and a couple boxes of shells maybe something along those lines? its handy for other jobs too,that helps.

 

[hdwhit]

Good Ol' Boy wrote:
Probably seems like a stupid question but I figured I'd ask anyway.

Not at all.

If the glass on the tabletop is tempered and more than about 3/8 inch thick, you should have nothing to worry about as far as the impact damaging or shattering the glass. I suspect the problem will be that unless the paperwork that came with the table said something about it, you have no idea whether or not it is tempered.

Without seeing a picture of the table it is hard to say, but if you put a 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood underneath it, even non-tempered glass should be fine. The plywood will provide structural support for the glass and the glass will protect the plywood from the elements. I would varnish both sides of the plywood first.

 

[bassjam]

I actually broke one of those glass topped tables last January. It was an 8 seater wicker table with a glass top insert. I was at a (rented) house in Florida having some fun the day after a buddy’s destination wedding and about 12 of us were playing some drinking game where everyone had to slap their hand on the table, and one person had to guess who had the quarter hidden under their hands. After about 10 or so rounds the table made a loud POP and shattered! Since the table top was fully wicker under the glass, the glass stayed in place for the most part and everyone could see the spider-veins of the crack originating from under my left hand, specifically my ring finger. My tungsten wedding ring had tapped the glass just hard enough to end our fun. Coincidentally, I also know you can get a replacement tempered glass top for about $250 (luckily everyone playing chipped in so I didn’t have to pay the full amount.

So if you do ever decide to shoot from the table, I’d at least put a sheet of plywood over the top. Probably even ¼” would be enough to disperse any impact.

 

[bgw45]

Glass is funny stuff. All it takes to shatter it is the right frequency. I've seen several kitchen appliances have glass breakage when no one was using them or even close to the appliance. A little spooky to me.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

Make no mistake I know the difference between regular glass and tempered or laminated.

The cheap table in question likely isn't even tempered and only 1/4" thick. I figured it isn't worth the possible mess.

I do have a piece of furniture, coffee table, that I built around a skylight repurposed from a job. Glass is 3/4" thick tempered AND laminated that I have no doubt would handle whatever was shot on it.






Just saying I'm not that unfamiliar with glass...

 

[pauli]

After reading this thread and thinking about it some more I'm gonna save the glass table for plinking with the 22 and eating/drinking.

I wouldn't even do that much. "Don't shoot where you eat" - isn't that how the saying goes?

 

[JeffG]

I wouldn't even do that much. "Don't shoot where you eat" - isn't that how the saying goes?

 

[If1HitU]

I live in a Metro area,I can only wish I had some land to shhot on.

 

[Demi-human]

That is a nice table, @Good Ol' Boy.

 

[redbullitt]

I would stick to the smaller guns with less concussion, especially if muzzle brakes are involved.

Wood table all the way here as it is just more sturdy!

 

[foxmeadow]

Put a piece of plywood over it.....

 

[Guitarmike]

Normally I'd set up in the back yard. The back porch is very nice for plinking with the 22 but I've been itching to try out my new 308 and the whole east coast is getting snow this weekend.

I'd just like to take a couple shots tomorrow to try it out, not necessarily a normal shooting spot for guns with boom.

I may just take Hokies advice and try it and just see what happens. The wife never complains when she gets new stuff anyway.

I ‘d hate to have to clean up all of the glass, especially in the snow.