Shooting from a Portable Bench

[Bob J]

My wife bought me a nice portable shooting bench for Christmas. It has an adjustable arm with a "Y"-shaped fork (rubber-coated) to rest the rifle in. My question is; for best stability/accuracy, what part of the rifle is best to rest in the fork? back closer to the trigger guard, the middle of the forearm grip (that's what I tend to do), or further out on the barrel?

 

[jtmattison]

I would say that as long as you rest the forearm of the stock on it you will be good to go. If you rest the barrel on it you can mess with accuracy. Rest whatever part of the rifle you would rest in a hunting situation.

Huntin

 

[Stumpkiller]

Rest whatever part of the rifle you would rest in a hunting situation.

And, if you shoot offhand when hunting, rest your hand or wrist in the "Y" and hold the stock so that nothing but your hand is touching the rifle where you would normally hold it.

 

[Bob J]

Out a Huntin' and Stumpkiller- Thanks for the tips. Now if the wind will just let up (on a non-workday!)... ::

 

[Tahquamenon]

Resting the barrel further out on the rest will affect your accuracy. It will negate the weight of the barrel's ability to control muzzle creep and each shot will cause the barrel to jump more than from the stock or your normal shooting position.

Thoughtful wife and a great gift!

:thumbsup:

 

[kodiakemt414]

Would the same go for shooting from a sand bag, or other flat surface? Or could you use the barrel in those cases?

 

[Tahquamenon]

For rifles with a floating barrel you would not want to support the barrel from a bag for the best and most consistant accuracy, although alot of folks do.

I would think that this would also place additional stress on the barrel to stock mounting and securing hardware and surfaces.

If clearance and balancing is an issue, place your shooting bag as far out on the stock as necessary.