If anyone has plans for such a thing, I'd appreciate knowing about it. Firing from the sitting position off the bench is only fun for a little while. If I could find some practical plans for a portable, standing rest it would be great. I recall hearing that some of the double rifle manufaturers have used them quite a bit.

Thanks for the help.

Try using some shooting sticks. That will give you some practical experience for your hunt.

Rusty
We band of brothers!

HT,

Go to K-Mart, WalMart or whatever you have out there, and buy a cheap camera tripod. I did this for my teenage kids to have a solid field rest in Africa when we go. I soon found out that it is nearly as steady as a bench rest and sets up as fast, or faster, than shooting sticks.

On ours, we took the "V" notch off a Stoney Point mono stick and it screwed right onto the top of the tripod for a gun cradle. The kids shoot as well off this as they do the bench. I use it to shoot my 404 Jeffery with much less felt recoil than the bench.

I think I only paid about $25 for the tripod. It should pay dividends in Africa.

I use a "sawhorse" about 58 inches high, with a padded top rail. (Height of sawhorse depends on your height, I am 6'-1") Just rest your rifle across, supported with your hand on the forend, lean into it a bit and pull the trigger. Much, much better than shooting off a regular bench. It is important to hold the rifle as you would when shooting at game, I rest the back side of the forend hand on the padded top. You do not want to get too fancy with a rest for a big bore, the idea is to be as near to actual field conditions as possible. Influence of the rest and recoil will give a different impact point than field conditions if you support the forend on the rest.

HT , if you want to build a nice one for yourself get a copy of DOUBLE GUN GOURNAL Volume thirteen issue #4, Winter 2002 at Barnes&Noble! On page 117 there is an article on John Rigby &Co, regulateing a double rifle. There are several good pictures of a standing rest used for that purpose. It would be easy to build from those pictures.

This is a very good issue with many double rifles in it!

If you are useing a double rifle on this rest, the rifle must not touch anything but YOU, do not rest it on a sandbag, or the yoke on the camera tripod, as you would a bolt rifle, but hold the forend with your hand so the rifle can recoil the same way it would if shooting off hand! It will not regulate if you do not hold it!

[ 02-24-2003, 21:09: Message edited by: MacD37 ]

I would think a small step ladder would be fairly easy to convert by adding a suitable platform/bench top.... You might be able to make this *really* steady by placing one foot on the bottom rung/step as you shoot...

I used a 6 foot step ladder and just used one of the steps to rest a bag and my hand on that.
George

Thanks to all for the advice. Probably a good point to get the off hand under the forend. The steadier the rest, the better the results will be.

Appreciate it!

If portability is not required then build it just like a sitting bench rest, but higher to fit you standing up...Why we ever made for people to sit is beyond me in the first place, must of been a target shooters hangover, too lazy to stand