What is your preferred type of gun rest or support when hunting varmints? Bi-pod, tri-pod, Stoney Point steady sticks,......
Has anyone used the Stoney Point Tri-pod setup with the optional tripod rear support? If bipod, what type.....Harris, Versa-Pod,.....?

Shooting prone I like to use the Harris bipod (the midsize model, about 8-13"). But normally I use a portable table with sandbags.

bench rest for ground squirrells
bi-pod for PDs
steady sticks for coyotes.

But I am about to buy a bag and work it into my act.

Teesh

I use a portabale table with my regular shooting rest.

However we also take sporters (walkabouts) and do a lot of freehand shooting. That type of practice equates to much better shooting skills in all aspects of our sport.

Gun support for varment hunting:
[1] Sand bag[s].
[2] Hornady's $20 rest.

When walking, 13-24" bipod

When on a bench, 9-13" harris swivel bipod and rear sand bag

A sitting height bipod with swivel and tilt plus a tight sling works best for me.........

I have a buddy that uses shooting stix and is deadly with them.
For a lightweight bag I can put ontop of a rock or truck hood I use empty shot bags filled with wheat( yes, farm boy here) then sewed shut

unless there is a hay bale close by, i shoot prone with a sling. stix are soft.

shoot prone with a Harris 9-13" swivel bipod, and a "bean bag" or "rabbit ears" rear rest ... it's the only way to fly for me ...

I have used a back pack with good results.

quote:

Originally posted by teesh:
What is your preferred type of gun rest or support when hunting varmints?

My preferred rest is the passenger side mirror bracket on a GM HD truck. The extendable ones. You pull them out and there is just the right amount of space for the forend. My second choice is the door with the window rolled down. I have used the drivers side more than the passenger side and can shoot equally well with both, but I really like the passenger side if I can get it.

Attachments for the above rest should include but in no particular order, air conditioning, an insulated cup holder, a bag of potatoe chips and a center console for my box of shells.

Almost forgot, a big cooler right behind the seat is a must.

Jim

Especially for hunting, I have a bi-pod made out of a pair of old ski poles. They are set at 26"-30" from kneeing to sitting positions.

From where I go I wouldn't be shooting prone. If I had to I would use my backpack for a rest.

Danny

Saturday the best rest I used was the seat of my four wheeler.

Jon from Idaho

No one rest serves all purposes!!! I have an affinity for the UNCLE BUDS 15.5 inch bag lying on the truck cab while standing in the bed of the truck!!! HOWEVER!!! The Harris Bipod BR model coupled with the rear bag usually used on the bench works EXTREMELY well in this situation also!! The HARRIS 9-13 inch bipods have accounted for countless varmints when shooting prone from the ground! The new model "Pro Hunter" sandbag from UNCLE BUDS is tremendously steady being it is TWICE THE HEIGHT of the original UB bags!! And my favorite of all is the surveyors tripod(used to hold a transit) that has had a rifle rest made for it to fasten to it like the transit does) that has infinite adjustments for windage or elevation and is absolutely ROCK STEADY!!!
And truck mirrors work well also!! As do windows in the truck if you have a rest to fit over the window edge!! GHD

Doesn't anyone just use a sling? Prone, sitting, Kneeling or off hand! It is light, easy to deploy, and isn't something that you have to worry about setting up. The only time I use or would use anything else is off a bench or truck and even the sling works well for the truck cab or hood. Maybe 20 years of small bore and high power xcourse is what sold me on it, but it just makes more sense to me to follow the KISS principle

Thaine-I am with you, we use slings/ bipods etc. We also take the sub 150 rodents offhand. To 250 we use the sitting and once we get to 300 we can go prone and shoot off a cheater (aka bipod).

Personally the idea of using portable benches just goes right over my head and no way no how would I ever let one into one of my dog towns.

I go to practice and to get better from the field positions not to work on my bench technique.

Mark D

I have shot ground squirrell off hand, with a 10/22 and 5 to 10 shots at one squirrell. It is more like a shoot'em-up-video-game than the usual benchrest kind of shooting with a .223.

Seafire must be a real wussie...

I love having a bi pod and sandbag when shooting Sage Rats of Prairie Dogs...

Without them, I am so bad, I couldn't hit Texas..

( hey at least I am honest! )

cheers
seafire

tall bipod sitting, sometimes with a forked branch under the buttstock to steady.

I run into a fella at the range that made his own set up. It was about the nicest rig I've seen. An Aluminum adjustable 3 leg cradle rest, folded up nice and neet and weighed about 3 lbs. I might try and copy it, if I see him again.

We try to use a portable table and front and rear bags. The ranchers want us to kill as many prairie dogs as we can. With the solid rest we can keep our kill rate up over 90%.

Love to have happy ranchers!

Hawkeye58