im haveing some trouble with getting a good technique for shooting a test load. do you rest it on the vise and let it rip or do you try to hold it down or clamp it? mine groups seem to wonder around more and be inconsistent. what is the right way? the .375 and .300 win jump around quite a bit on the recoil unchecked. does this effect the group if nothing is holding it down? thanks jeff

The right way is hold identically every time. It would take a book to cover it all and there are books available. Try Sinclair.

Friction on the bags and their placement is extremely important. For calibers over 338 I hold the forend with my left hand. For 338 and under the forend lies only in the rest and bag. The same pressure on the pistol grip and against the shoulder is important. However you do it, the same pressures on the rifle with anything that touches it are important.

Alaskadude---

LAY the rifle on the sandbags with no part of the gun touching the bench. To hold the front down lay a bag of shot or sand on the bench and loop your belt under it and over the barrel with no tension on it. On recoil it'll keep the rifle from jumping off the bags.

Hold it against your shoulder exactly the same way, aim at the same place, and keep the gun LEVEL.

Bob, your comments about ensuring consistent "pressure" are really useful.

Jack, you've done it again - pointed me in the direction of something I did not know!

Let me just get this right, you have the belt touch the barrel, but no tension. Only once the gun attempts to recoil, will the tension build up. Yes?

Your comment about keeping the rifle level is to stop it "sliding" against the belt tension under recoil, or what? Or was this comment a part of "general bench shooting discipline"?

How heavy does the sand/lead bag have to be - I suppose it depends on how heavy the recoil is, or what?

Do you use this method even on heavy recoilers, or do you start hanging onto the foreend at some recoil level??

I have been wondering for a LONG time, how to shoot heavy recoilers off the bench. I don't like to hang onto the forearm unless I absolutely have to, as it screws up my sight picture (less influence on the gun, less movement). My friend who shoots heavy recoilers a bunch better than I do, tightens up his upper torso and holds onto the forearm. I try to mimick him, but I'm not sure I'm all that good at it...
- mike

[ 04-04-2003, 22:05: Message edited by: mho ]

thank you for the advice i'm going to give it a try today. i think ill buy a book on it, i didn't realize there were books on that particular subject. thanks again