is there a high quality, affordable shooting rest ?

I don't think high quality and affordable fit together. The Caldwell rest looks OK Sinclair makes nice rests but they are not cheap. I guess it depends on how accurate you are trying to be. I built mine but I do machine work. The heavier the better. I have seen some nice ones posted on here so this thread should be interesting if I get a chance I will take some pictures of mine.

i think the lowest price under $200.00 OK quality might be the Caldwell Rock competition bench rest
here it is at midway http://www.midwayusa.com/product/348661/caldwell-rock-br-competition-rifle-front-shooting-rest
and of course it depends on what is affordable for you ?
and what you want it for

Yeah that's bad ass!

Look at this one.

http://www.amazon.com/MTM-K-Zone-Shooting-Rest-Red/dp/B004N0FFBW/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1444509280&sr=1-2&keywords=sighting+rest

This is just one example of the various rests and vises these folks make in Dayton, OH. They're fine, unless you're into real competition where you need to spend a whole lot more!

I have one of their shooting tables too. While not rock solid like a concrete bench, it suffices for portable use. 

Bald Eagle rest by grizzly.com. you may find it difficult to find it on their website. When you get there, search on Bald Eagle. Great rest for $165. Good discussion about this on rimfirecentral.com

I'll second Alan's recommendation in the MTM.Just got one.Cheap and does the job.And is multi functioal.

I've been thinking about this too. Most benchrest shooters I've seen use sophisticated front rest and rear bag, and adjust hold-off with the controls on the front rest.

I've been using an inexpensive Caldwell front rest to support the fore-stock, and aiming by squeezing the rear bag while watching the cross hairs and wind flags. Where I shoot conditions change quickly, and squeezing the bag seems faster than turning two knobs.

Also it may matter whether you shoot "free recoil" or not. In free recoil shooting the gun sits passively in the rest and you barely touch the trigger (or lightly pinch it against the trigger guard). My gun doesn't shoot as well free recoil, but does better with a light grip around the stock and gentle trigger pull.

At this point I doubt a more expensive rest would improve my shooting.

My accuracy has improved greatly since I have done the same as Kim, a caldwell front rest and a rear bag. It is also easier to move from target to target with minor adjustments to the rear bag. I would agree that a more expensive rest probably would not improve my shooting as well.

Concur with JPS and Michael -- the Grizzly rest cannot be beat on a bang for the buck basis. The windage control has a slight backlash due to the flex cable design, however this is very easy to adjust to. Grizzly makes a couple different front bags for this rest that allow either benchrest/flat bottom stocks or rounded forestocks/bottle guns.

I made the mistake of trying a Randolph Machine rest -- man are they nice! Smooooooth and ultra-precise.............but fail the bang-for-the-buck test miserably.

I installed the 3 inch wide Bald Eagle front sand bag then put a Sinclair 3 inch wide plate in the accessory rail on the gun's stock. That holds everything together quite well. I use a Protektor rear bag.

"jps2486"I installed the 3 inch wide Bald Eagle front sand bag then put a Sinclair 3 inch wide plate in the accessory rail on the gun's stock. That holds everything together quite well. I use a Protektor rear bag.

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That's a good set-up! I used the Sinclair plate with the picatinny adapter so I can quickly switch from bipod to benchrest. Also use the Protektor rear bag.

I use a Rock BR, and it appears to be very smooth operation but like Kim an NMshooter I find it much quicker to fine tune
by squeezing the rear bag. I think the Bald Mountain unit would be a good investment for only a few dollars more.
But I'm pretty sure I would still be doing final adjustments with the rear bag. You get a lot more shooting done that way.
The only time I turn a knobs is for row or column changes.

That Grizzly rest looks good for the money but if it were me I would spend the extra $30 to get the one made from cast iron.

Mike

I have the aluminum rest. Its plenty heavy for airgun use IMO.