i look at it differently than apparently everyone else on the board. when i am sighting in from a bench i am aligning the rifle to hit a target at a particular range. i try to do this with as little human error as is possible. i figure that if the rifle is sighted in then it is thereafter up to me to get it on target and pull the trigger.

however, if you try to sight it in from shooting positions, then you are accounting for your personal and situational inaccuracies which vary hugely from shot to shot. as far as i am concerned, once the rifle is sighted in, it should shoot the same place whether you shoot it or i shoot it. to adjust the rifle to account for individual lack of marksmanship skill is like trying to adjust a hammer because you miss the nail. do you see what i mean?

i sight in the rifle from as steady a postion as possible. i agree that you can use rests to simulate field conditions though. for instance, don't rest your barrel on the front rest. i ususally rest the stock of the rifle on my hand and just barely set it on the front rest, which is used for steadiness only, not to hold the rifle. this method attempts to duplicate the external which will be exeerted on the rifle when i shoot at game. at the same time it eliminates my personal lack of marksmanship skill. then it is up to me to practice until my marksmanship skill improves. until then, if i miss the target, it means i need more practice.

anyway, that's my take on this. hope it helps you some.

If you sight in with the left hand holding the forend of the rifle from the bench, it'll work from any normal shooting position without additional adjustments. The important thing is that once a load is worked up and sighted in that you get your butt away from the bench and practice from real positions, since this is how game is shot.

exactly. get the gun set up and then work on your skill level. i agree......