Anyone got anything to post? I'm thinking of building one -- either something to clamp on top of the regular benches at my club, or something that can fold up entirely and get stuck in the shed.

John: I believe there might be a photo of an offhand H&H testing bench in Graeme Wright's book. I'll check when I get home from work.

Lemme see...

takedown model I use:

1. need 6 feet of 4" PVC pipe, schedule 80.
2. need two pipe plates (I think that is what they call them. They are a 4-inch sqaure piece of PVC pipe
that is flat on one end and had the flare to screw/glue the pipe into on the other end.
3. 4-inch sleeve of PVC, stepped on one end to glue over the 4-inch pipe and 4 1/4-inch on the other end.
I think they call it a tapered flange.
4. 12-inch by 36-inch of 1/2-inch plywood, and a 4-inch square piece of plywood scrap. 4-inch square of thick
carpet.

Screw one pipe plate onto the front end of the plywood platform, centered left and right. Cut the 6-foot pipe into two pieces, 4-feet and 2-feet. Glue the 4-foot piece onto the 4-inch end of the tapered flange. Take the other pipe plate and glue the 2-foot piece of pipe to it. Set that short end into the 4 1/4" step and note that is too high for Shaquille O'Neal to use. Shorten to fit you. I use an application of Duct Tape wrapped around the short end to make for a snug, don't wobble around, fit. Every so often, replace the Duct Tape to keep the fit snug. If you are well-to-do, substitute 1-2-inch iron pipe and fittings and use a joint to connect the two pieces. You can opt for a 6-inch threaded section and screw it in and out to fit a couple people. Take the 4-inch piece of plywood and screw it to the top piece, then glue the carpet to it for a firm, yet non-stock scratching place to rest your hand while shooting.

The plastic makes for a simple $14 unit that weighs less than ten pounds including the plywood.

hope this helps,

Rich
the Idaho Sharpshooter

There is a cropped photo of a standing bench used by Holland and Holland on page 107 of "Shooting the British Double Rifle."

For portable, look for a heavy duty surveyors tripod or build a tripod out of galvanized pipe. Maybe a 4' or 5' tall stepladder? Less portable, set a post in the ground that has a large enough top to hold a sand bag.