Will this work? Check out this homemade Rifle Rest

[777funk]

I decided I don't care for recoil so I built this. I designed it so that I can clamp it to the bench lightly (two squeeze clamps) get it on target then clamp tight and be right on the money for the shot and let the rest and the bench take all the recoil.

The butt of the stock sits in a V notch and behind the butt rests a stretched piece of tire inner-tube (actually two thick) like a slingshot so that as the rifle recoils it'll strech that and have a little give. Behind the inner-tube is a piece of styrofoam and beind that as the final catch a piece of masonite (1/4" thick). The idea is to stop any recoil so I can shoot 20 rounds without a sore shoulder and also have a very steady/stable rest to let the gun's mechanical accuracy shine at the range.

The front V support has 5/8" heater hose to trap the forearm and hold it secure (also supports the gun to some degree to stop recoil).

Is the design idea ok? Have I broken any established rules for accurate bench shooting?

EDIT: By the way... what good's a homemade project without duct tape! That's to hold pipe insulation over the rear plate 1/4" masonite. It feels more comfy for the cheek, neck, and shoulder

 

[777funk]

by the way, feel free to point out anything thing I may be overlooking. I'm NOT a bench shooter... I'm a hunter but I do enjoy bench shooting and would like to improve.

 

[Jackal]

You need some way of adjusting elevation.

 

[777funk]

There are 4 bolts through the front plate and wing nuts fastened to the bolts so the forearm fixture can be adjusted vertically.

 

[jmr40]

It will work. Not a horrible idea to get your scope zeroed and for load development if you handload, or if experimenting with different ammo. It takes all human error out and reduces fatigue when lots of rounds are being fired in a short time.

Not a good way to develop skills for hunting though. I shoot from a bench when doing those things, but when practicing for hunting only use improvised rests that I would actually have in the field. Don't forget to practice offhand as well.

Such a rest may, or may not cause your bullets to have a different point of impact than when fired from improvised rests you would actually use while hunting, so I'd check that before hunting and after zeroing with your rest.

The workmanship looks good and it appears well thought out. Probably just as good as store bought versions costing much more.

 

[777funk]

I agree 100% JMR... I think a sling is a much better way to practice for hunting situations (unless I can find a way bring a bench along with me into the woods... lol).

Curious what you do for improvised rests if you don't mind sharing your experience.

When I'm not in a stand, I usually use my hand to trap the forearm between my hand and a tree. I don't put much pressure on the forearm other than keeping it there. It's not a GREAT rest but it's much better than off hand standing. If I'm in a stand that has a rail, I usually use that to hold the forearm. Still leaves the butt of the gun stock unsupported but it's better than nothing.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

I would encourage you to get used to the recoil rather as this avoids unintentional / unnoticed flinching.

I developed a flinch with my 30-06 which I cured with a .375H&H. Yip you could have knocked me over if you had told me that would be the result. What happened was that the amount of focus and concentration required to bench shoot 300gr bullets as 2500fps changed my approach to recoil, follow through and shot visualisation. My shooting has improved as a result.

The stand should work but I would not "wedge" the forearm into the stand which I think will happen.

 

[rondog]

Caldwell Lead Sleds are worth the price, IMO, and mine is the crappier early version. Later versions are even better. Wonderful for zeroing scopes.

Ain't nothing wrong with homemade though, keep fiddling with it and tweaking it. Might want to change from the V front piece to more of a U-shaped cradle that holds the forearm rather than grips it like the V will. Might want to consider putting weighty objects on the board to hold it down and absorb recoil, rather than clamping it down solidly. Might work better if it's more resilient and not so rigid.

At least that's how my Lead Sled works, it's weighted down yet free to move, and the rifles just lay on it gently cradled. They're free to jump around when fired, but repeat quite well in the Sled. It sure holds them far steadier than I ever could.

 

[BCRider]

With the long taper and heater hose your front position is going to change radically from shot to shot.

Also what the guys before were saying about elevation is that you should have a way of dialing in the elevation with an easy turn screw instead of wing nuts that lock and release the front plate and where you have to slide it up and down and then hold it in place as you re-tighten the locking screws. That's simply no way to make sub MOA adjustments to your sight picture.

Still, I commend your chutzpa in making your own sled. I'd suggest you consider this one a Mark I learning trial and study some of the other commercial and bench rest sleds to see what they use for rifle support saddles and the dial screws used on all three contact points to use for leveling and making elevation changes. Then plagiarize like crazy and incorporate the ideas adapted to suit your means and tools.

As a start on this research towards your Mark II do a google search for "benchrest sled images". There's some interesting stuff to get ideas from.

 

[777funk]

Thanks for the comments guys. So Andrew, you're saying I should just get used to something bigger then drop back down. That sounds painful, but I know what you mean. I've tried my hardest to NOT develop a flinch and I think I'm doing ok so far but at the same time, I don't care for a bruised shoulder or a anything that feels like getting punched hard by a clenched fist. Maybe I should sight them in then reserve any other shooting time for the deer stand. Maybe a limbsaver would help.

By the way the guys who mentioned shots stringing or the front bracket affecting point of impact... I think you're right. I posted this thread to help me diagnose what was wrong. I actually used it before posting the thread, I didn't mean to be tricky, but I didn't want to give anyone any pre-disposed ideas or bias. This thing didn't work well at all and the harder the recoil the worse the groups were (actually worked decent for light calibers). I'm guessing the grip from the front bracket was the problem. It was actually pretty stable before and while getting a sight picture. Also it was easy to dial up or down an MOA at a time. I'd just bring it a hair high and fasten the wing nuts lightly. Then I'd tap it down to my mark. Then I'd torque them tight when I was all set. But immediatly after the trigger pull, the kick put the sight picture about 3-4 feet high. I'm guessing the amount of force applied by the front brack wasn't consistent.

And the worst part... on the rest and off it were not even on paper. I'm guessing this is because there's NEVER any downward force applied to the forearm in off hand or normal bench shooting like there was in this case with the heater hose holding down by friction. So it turned out to be a pretty useless tool. But there is almost ZERO recoil (just a little vibration). So, I guess it wasn't a complete failure... maybe... well then again... Maybe not lol.

All that said, those are the results, what are some better options? Obviously, I would like better consistency and to closer reflect real life in the woods situations for POI similarity.

 

[Fishbed77]

Two boards, a door hinge, two eye bolts, and a turnbuckle will make an excellent rest that is easily adjustable for elevation. My dad made one 20 years ago we are still using.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

So Andrew, you're saying I should just get used to something bigger then drop back down.

What I was trying to say was being comfortable with the recoil would avoid a possible flinch. Masking the recoil does not fool the brain.

Did you mention the calibre?

 

[rondog]

I can't recall whether it was here or another forum, but a feller recently posted his new adjustable front rest. He went to Harbor Freight and bought a small, cheap scissor jack. Mounted it to a board, welded a T-handle onto the end of the screw. Put a padded rifle rest on the jack pad and PRESTO! - a fine-adjust forearm rest! It was awesome. I'll try to find it, that would work very well on your rig.

Here you go http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?212100-Scissor-Jack-Front-Rest&highlight=Scissor+jack

 

[MachIVshooter]

Caldwell Lead Sleds are worth the price, IMO

Agreed.

I can handle recoil just fine, but I don't particularly like getting the crap beat out of me on the bench when zeroing or testing load accuracy in rifles like my 8mm Rem Mag, .375 RUM, etc. And trying to sight in night vision on something like my 673 .350 mag with a whole 3/4" of eye relief without a lead sled is exhausting (not to mention imprecise).

The one the OP built will certainly work, and I understand wanting to build your own things, but sometimes it's more practical and cost effective to buy when such a nice product as the lead sled already exists for under $100. You'd be hard pressed to build one as nice for less money, even if you have the equipment to bend & weld already.

Metal is expensive these days; the steel that went into this front bumper and roof rack set me back almost $400 this summer:

 

[Kernel]

A rest that's too rigid can crack the stock on a hard recoiling rifle. Some "give" can be a good thing.

 

[twofifty]

When re-designing, consider that it is nice to be able to rest the forestock in different places along its length.

The reason is that some rifles shoot differently depending on where the forestock is supported. Many guns have a forestock sweet spot that groups best.


This implies that for your next model, at least one of the supports must be adjustable front to back.

 

[x_wrench]

I live in Michigan, and normally get snowed out of my woods shooting spot for at least 3 months. so every spring, I have to get used to recoil all over again. my 300 win mag, and 45-70 marlin have no shortage of recoil. I do use a rest for load development, and scope zeroing. but it is only a rest. there is nothing there to reduce recoil. which is the way I want it. I want to feel the recoil, so I can get used to it. it usually only takes one outing to get used to it again. for me, it is all about concentrating on keeping steady, controlling my breathing, and trigger control. I get so distracted doing those, that I do not even notice the recoil by the end of the day. but, I do admit that REALLY GOOD recoil pads are a shooters best friend.

 

[MachIVshooter]

which is the way I want it. I want to feel the recoil, so I can get used to it.

Being accustomed to recoil is one thing, subjecting your body to unnecessary abuse that will result in cumulative damage down the road is quite another. I'm no wimp, and I certainly can (and have) fired my .375 RUM off the bench and prone without any kind of recoil aid, and that's using my own 300 gr/2,970 FPS handloads in an unbraked 7 lb rifle (82 ft/lbs of recoil at 27 FPS, roughly 4 times that of an '06). But to think that I could fire hundreds of such rounds in that fashion without it taking a toll on my body would be foolish. I don't want to be crippled at the age of 50 because I was "too tough" for protective gear in my 20s and 30s. I'm 31 now, and I am already paying the price for some of the things I did when I was younger. Doing everything I can to minimize damage to my body these days. Staying in shape and abusing your body ain't the same thing.

 

[tenthumz]

p3 shooting rest

Google the p3 shooting rest take a look at that rear set-up might get some wheels spinning? That's a fine looking bench rest, I built more of a gun rest:banghead: need one a little closer to yours, thanks for posting! HH

 

[Art Eatman]

I have a smallish one-pound sandbag that I interpose between the buttpad and my shoulder. Adds mass to the recoiling package, and spreads the impact over a wider area of my shoulder. Works well for extended benchrest sessions.

I make a point of always having the front sandbag under the forearm at the same place where I put my hand when in the field. Most commonly, right behind the front sling swivel.

 

[Mike J]

I built a rest to use for scope zeroing. Unfortunately I don't have a pic & I left it stored at the land so others could use it so I can't take one. I basically ripped off the lead sled & built a frame out of 2" x 2" angle iron & some 4" channel I had laying around. I broke up a piece of sheet metal to use for a tray mounted on the underside of the frame & used a piece of 3/4" threaded rod mounted through the frame with a 4" long piece of 3" x 3" angle mounted on the top of it to make a V. I put a sandbag I made out of a torn up pair of jeans stuffed with kitty litter on top of the V. With a bag of play sand on the tray it works really well.