Has anyone done any testing of POI from the bench compared to field positions? It seems that I have two rifles that shoot quite a bit lower in the field than off the bench. Particularly when shooting sharply down hill. My suspicion is that holding the fore-end keeps the rifle from recoiling upwards while the bullet is still in the barrel. This as opposed to the bench, where the rifle does as it wants.

I'm contemplating starting to sight in my hunting loads while holding on to the fore-arm. Tight groups are worthless if you don't put them in the right spot! Dutch.

When shooting off of a bench, I rest the forearm in the palm of my hand, I do not grip it tightly, and rest my hand on the rifle rest. When I shoot in the field, my shots go where they did when I was shooting off the bench.

It is always good to check your "offhand" zero just as Robert suggests. Guns with very slender forends or some bedding anomoly can shoot to quite differenct points of impact fired offhand as compared to resting on sandbags. For such guns it is best to place the front sandbag as near the action as practical, right under the front action screw if possible. Rests near the forend tip can accentuate zero change.

My rifles shoot 2 to 4 moa higher from the bench than in the field. A few years ago, I adopted a method similar to Robert's. I hold the rifle just like I do in the field and merely rest my wrist on the bag to steady me. This has solved it completely for me.
Scott

You got it Dutch.

I wouldn't expect your in-the-field POI to show that much of a difference though. It sounds like this is a problem of not maintaining the proper/consistent eye-relief and/or cheek-weld from bench to field - and I would think eye-relief, given the noticeable shift in impact. Pressure to the fore-end shouldn't effect accuracy all that much within hunting distances.

Check to see that you have a clear FOV through your scope both on the bench, and from likely hunting positions. If you're shooting from sandbags - you're normally fighting to bring the recticle in line with the target and/or creeping up on or away from your scope - which sometimes results in a partial black-out(improper eye-relief). Your view should always be totally clear. Try quickly shouldering your offending rifles and see how fast you acquire a clear picture. If you have to shift at all, it's the eye-relief.

This is like perfecting your golf swing.

Maybe one of these Bench Rest guys here could give some good advice - on the shooting, that is.

Well, I'm glad I'm not "seeing things".

Aquavit, I've gotten to the point where I can leave the gun on the bags without touching, and still leave the cross hairs on the target. Been taking advice from those bench rest guys, and this minimal contact "free recoil" technique does tighten groups quite a bit.

Just seems to put them about 2 or 3 MOA higher than when I'm holding tight with both hands, firm cheek weld, etc.

Like I said, just glad I'm not seeing things! Dutch.

Dutch,
The POI of my rifles is slightly different from the bench to field possitions as well. I found this out one day while shooting at 500 metre steel rams. On the bench I had to hold over, X amount. While shooting at the same targets in field positions I had to hold over a little more. At 100 yds, the difference was minimal. If it were not for practicing field positions, I would have not known.
I 'sight in' off the bench initially, then the majority of my shooting is from field positions.

Daryl

Dutch,

hope you didn't read me the wrong way. I wasn't questioning your skills, I just tend to subscribe more to an Eye-relief theory

I've seen enough of those half-moon eyebrow scars to wonder whether it's a question of consistency, or whether we're putting the cart before the horse.

Happy shootin'

Aquavit, no offense taken, whatsoever! I need all the suggestions I can get, that's for sure. This is a subject I had never before seen show up, but judging by the answers here, that's probably because it is obvious to everyone but me. My only excuse is that I have had to learn all this by myself the hard way.

Dutch.