Shooting rest - really necessary?

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fe7565

fe7565

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Oct 13, 2015
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VA, United States
For 50-100 yards target shooting is a heavy cast iron shooting rest such as the Bald Eagle etc. really necessary? 

In my quest for consistency I tried sand bags on front and rear; then a metal one-piece $50 shooting rest; a bi-pod mounted under the rifle and sand bag in the rear. "Rifle hold" when using all of these seemed to be a factor as far as accuracy/consistency. The $50 rest vibrated quite a bit during shots and I stopped using it.

I do get fairly regular half inch groups at 50 yards and an occasional 1 inch at 100 yards (mostly 1.5-2in) but hoping to eliminate as much as possible the "rifle hold" factor by using a heavy (20lbs etc) shooting rest. Are the expected improvements only marginal?

I do not plan to buy a $500-700 rest, but would "invest" in a $200-300 rest if it helps squeeze out that last accuracy at 100 yards (assuming the inaccuracy is not with me).

Windage adjustment is not mandatory since I only have access to indoor shooting currently. Thanks for any inputs and shooting rest suggestions.
 
I compete at 25M benchrest, and IMO a mechanical rest isn't necessary unless you compete. Even then some folks do pretty well just with sandbags:

http://benchrest.com/archive/index.php/t-71238.html

If you're shooting 50-100yd - presumably outdoors - the main factor in accuracy will be air movement. Even under seemingly calm conditions there are small wind currents that will significantly affect POI - especially at that range. If you don't plan to compete, possibly a better investment than a front rest would be wind flags. They're not too expensive and some even make their own.

Kim
 
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You need some kind of "rest" on the front, rather it be a bi-pod, mechanical rest or a pile of sand bags. A rear rest like a rabbit ear bag would be nice too.

IME shooters with bi-pods can and are just as accurate as those with nice mechanical rests. If you're plans are for a mechanical rest at some point, save up your money and get a good one to start with. You're going to pay $750 and up for one. If you can try to find a club with airgunners and talk to them and see if they will let you shoot off their rigs. 

If you look at the recent EBR, you'll note that the FX Impact gun that several high scores used, I don't remember seeing anyone with a Impact using a mechanical rest, just a bi-pod.
 
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I watched the competition out in AZ on youtube, & was surprised. Expensive PCP's locked down in some elaborate bench rest machine thing. All they did was load a pellet & adjust knobs on the bench rest. Seriously? Is that really considered shooting? not by me. Removing too much of the human element in my humble opinion.
 
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"unionrdr"I watched the competition out in AZ on youtube, & was surprised. Expensive PCP's locked down in some elaborate bench rest machine thing. All they did was load a pellet & adjust knobs on the bench rest. Seriously? Is that really considered shooting? not by me. Removing too much of the human element in my humble opinion.
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Yep, and that's why the final scores were all 750 with 75x and they held a beauty contest to decide the REAL winner...
 
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"unionrdr"I watched the competition out in AZ on youtube, & was surprised. Expensive PCP's locked down in some elaborate bench rest machine thing. All they did was load a pellet & adjust knobs on the bench rest. Seriously? Is that really considered shooting? not by me. Removing too much of the human element in my humble opinion.

"Sheharyar
I made my own benchrest using Car Jack and some old wood works well for me.I've shot a friends HM Raw 1000x .25 to 200yards using it.and 100yards with a .22 and 75 yards too.

But but but. One drawback is that now I can't shoot without support as I started by simple crouching position upto 50y and now can't get the same results."

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I would like to separate what the rifle is capable and what I am capable...for that I think a rest is a good idea. From that point on (since I do not compete) I could strive to reach that level that the rifle is capable of doing by improving my own skills. At least in theory...
 
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I always sought to improve my shooting by controlling the gun myself. Now I see bench rest bags can be useful tools. But watching the competition, & all those mechanically controlled bench machines...well, my first thought was that much of the human element has been removed. Less skill, it seemed to me, & more automation. After spending near 31 years at Ford, I got to where I could even repair the automation equipment. But it's not always a good thing in the human experience. But that's just my opinion...
 
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I recently shot a benchrest match. I showed up with a 25 year old lyman front rest.. rusty with paint chipping. I shot against a guy with a RAW bm500.....and his table vice probably weighed 80 lbs. I wouldnt be surprised if his vice was 1500 bucks or more. I literally saw him sitting in his chair drinking a coke....just watching the wind flag. When the wind died down he would reach over and bump the trigger. He was literally sitting beside the rifle not even looking through the scope. He would dial the next bullseye.....lean back with coke in hand...and watch the flag. He won the match too.
 
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I really hope that the conversation does not become a bashing of those using a shooting rest. I do not compete in a match, but if anyone who is putting down bench rest shooters should only do it they did participate in matches/practices by using a rest. Until then it's all speculation. Try if first and and then speak about it.

I was hoping to gauge if a shooting rest will help me eliminate as much as possible myself as the variable (if yes, how much?) so I can benchmark how much my rifle is capable of doing. Want to see the gap between my rifle and my capabilities. Then I will work on my techniques to reach that benchmark level, with or without a rest.
 
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"Marksman3006"I recently shot a benchrest match. I showed up with a 25 year old lyman front rest.. rusty with paint chipping. I shot against a guy with a RAW bm500.....and his table vice probably weighed 80 lbs. I wouldnt be surprised if his vice was 1500 bucks or more. I literally saw him sitting in his chair drinking a coke....just watching the wind flag. When the wind died down he would reach over and bump the trigger. He was literally sitting beside the rifle not even looking through the scope. He would dial the next bullseye.....lean back with coke in hand...and watch the flag. He won the match too. Made me sick to see it be honest.
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it seemed like an unfair advantage using such a setup, but works for what I am trying to determine (i.e. the gap between what my rifle is capable and what I can do).
 
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fe7565
"Marksman3006"I recently shot a benchrest match. I showed up with a 25 year old lyman front rest.. rusty with paint chipping. I shot against a guy with a RAW bm500.....and his table vice probably weighed 80 lbs. I wouldnt be surprised if his vice was 1500 bucks or more. I literally saw him sitting in his chair drinking a coke....just watching the wind flag. When the wind died down he would reach over and bump the trigger. He was literally sitting beside the rifle not even looking through the scope. He would dial the next bullseye.....lean back with coke in hand...and watch the flag. He won the match too. Made me sick to see it be honest.
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it seemed like an unfair advantage using such a setup, but works for what I am trying to determine (i.e. the gap between what my rifle is capable and what I can do).
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I apologize if I offended anyone. I try not to post anything negative. Should have left my personal thoughts out of it.
 
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Marksman3006, no need to apologize....you stated what you saw and it actually points to what I hoped to find out: thus if a deliberate shooting rest setup helps in taking out or reducing the human factor. What I was referring to in my previous post is someone comparing bench rest shooting as somehow "borderline cheating" and needing "no skills". I tend to find that argument convincing too with my novice eye...until I would try it myself against the real masters.
 
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