In reading many, many threds about testing and sighting the big bores, I have often seen the advice to rig a way to fire from a braced offhand position, so as to keep ahead of the recoil before it becomes a flinching problem. Then I obtained a copy of Graeme Wright's "Shooting the British Double Rifle" from Huntington's, and there on page 107 is a phot of a fellow from Holland & Holland testing a .577 from what appears a very practical standup benchrest. Has anyone built one of these, and how did you do it? It would seem a very versatile rest for testing a variety of rifles, and the recoil-attenuating advantages over my usual hunched-over-the bench-crawling-the-stock-and-peering-awkwardly-through-the-bifocals style are obvious.
Posts: 16700 | Location: Las Cruces, NM | Registered: 03 June 2000
Bill - Can't help on building one, however, I shoot across one at the club. Great for the big stuff. Ours is adjustable for various shooter heights. If you are building only for yourself (ie - set height), this should be a snap. Not much engineering necessary. Stability is an obvious design factor.
Z
Posts: 10780 | Location: Test Tube | Registered: 27 February 2001
It's on my list of things to do. I suppose the arrival of my 500 Jeffrey will greatly increase the priority of building one. When I was shooting my 458 lott, I'd use a 20mm ammo can to prop up a forend rest on the bench to shoot standing with the forend supported. I could shoot fairly accurately, but being able to support the buttstock will be the ticket. I suppose the first thing I need to do is measure the benches at the range.
I figure I'll do something along the line of the outers rest, but with long legs.
Posts: 7213 | Location: Alaska | Registered: 27 February 2001
My first thought for a portable big-bore offhand rest was to emply the tripod principle, like the offhand sticks PHs sometimes carry for their clients to shoot from. But for really precision work, one needs to anchor the rifle at butt and forend, and even a heavy photo or surveryor's tripod might be a little tipsy with a large platform on top. And after examining that photo in Wright's book, I note the important padding for the elbows in addition to the forend. I don't know why I always seem to forget to protect my elbows, whether shooting a big bore rifle or handgun from rest.
Posts: 16700 | Location: Las Cruces, NM | Registered: 03 June 2000
The best stand up bench rest is a permanent fixture...Just like the sit down version but on higher legs that can be adjusted up and down 12 inches..Several ways of doing this, but most are a pipe (aluminum) within another with through bolts through holes, on all three legs.
I was visiting with the guys from Holland and Holland at this years SCI show and they had a video showing some the things they do building a double rifle. Part of that showed them regulating the barrels. The guy was using a stand up bench that he could lean into a little bit and the deck was sloped down slightly from front to back. The whole deck was also padded.
I shoot about 800-1,000 rounds a year out of my 458 WM's testing my recoil shields and have found a standing bench to be preferable to a sitting bench. But, you still have to put yourself in proper position and use good technique. Hope that's of some use to you.
I too would like to see Photos or a drawing of such a bench. I am on the board of directors at my gun club and I am starting to think the club needs a standing bench. I have read that Elmer Kieth prefered such a setup but I don't recall seeing a pic of one.
