good bench set up

[castalott]

I need a better bench set up than the $15 bags I got at a gun show. I would like mechanical adjustment up/down and some sideways too.

School me as if I were a newbie... Good/bad/costs...

Thanks in Advance,

Dale

[Shiloh]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQOsJN9NDEo

You ought to be able to do this in an hour or a little more. Plus the material acquisition if you don;t have it.

Shiloh

[Menner]

I use the Caldwell Rock Solid very good rest especially for the price.
https://www.bigsupplyshop.com/Caldwell-The-Rock-Dlx-Shooting-RestRear-Bag-Combo-383640_p_44015.html?gclid=COqf7Or6ldICFYlWDQodOScO gA
Here is a review they say Top 8
https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-shooting-rests
Tony

[Blackwater]

I built my bench long ago out of treated wood, so that it'd fit in the loadbed of my truck, between the wheel wells. That let me take it out to other places where I could shoot longer ranges than in my back yard. Very useful.

All I did was get the dimensions between my wheel wells, and make the bench just a tad narrower. Length can be as short or long as you want it to be, but longer is generally better. I built mine with an integral seat, and took my measurements from back of chair to a comfortable distance to edge of table, and used those to design and execute the bench. Treated 2x4's for legs (I used 6 - 4 for the table proper, and two more to support the seat), cross bracing with more treated 2x4's. I used 3/4" plywood for the top, but leaving it out in the weather, that needs to be REALLY well sealed, or covered to protect it. I've seen linoleum used for that, and it makes a fair top for a bench. Those little pointy legs on the Rock rest cited above, tend to work well on it, but it'll mark up the linoleum top, so if you're a stickler about that, you'll want to go another route. Bldg. supply stores have all sorts of materials to cover the top with, and be sure to use a waterproof and heat proof glue to glue it on. Keep a few bricks or concrete blocks on the top while glue is curing, so top will be good and level.

I like very much to carve in a curved cutout into my benches so I can rest my body against the edge of the bench. It tends to reduce movement from heartbeats and some other sources of movement more than just having a flat front.

All sorts of ways to go about it, and the main thing is that you plan it all out ahead of time. Get the dimensions right by checking out the dimensions at your kitchen table. Bench rests, IMO, need to be about 2" or so taller than a dining table. Just sit at your dining table, and pretend it's a bench, and decide what height to build yours. Shorter folks will likely want a lower table level than taller ones.

And BTW, I never found 6 legs to be difficult. I always rocked it back and forth when I moved it anyway, so it'd dig in and seat level in the dirt, and any high spots get worn down pretty quick. I don't quit until the bench is sturdy and steady as a rock. It matters. And BTW, the old bench I built probably 20 years ago, was given to a friend who does a lot of shooting and sighting in for others, and he re-topped it and kept it going for a very long time. It's amazing how long a well built bench will last. I put mine together with 1/4" and 5/16" dia. bolts, not nails. Nails have a very nasty habit of coming loose over time. I'll always use bolts for something that I want to last. And with the price of treated wood now, who DOESN'T want a bench to last .... and last and last and last?

That's just what I did, but there are many ways to skin this cat. Main thing is to just plan it all out before you go get the lumber and bolts, etc. to build it. It's really easy, if you just figure a few things out, and do some measuring. And it REALLY makes a BIG difference, when you're trying to shoot really well, and take all of the human elements out of it, as far as possible. That kind of bench and a Rock rest from Midway, and you'll be cooking with GREASE!

[trails4u]

+1 on the Caldwell......it works quite well, and is not expensive.

[country gent]

A solid bench is a big plus. I have made them from a solid frame and concrete top 4" thick. On a fixed bench legs set in the ground on concrete pads below the frost line then heavy legs 6" pip or 8x8 timbers set in concrete. A heavy poured concrete top 4" thick with reinforcing wire in it is then set on top of these. As to rests. There are many good solid front rests that are mechanically adjustable for height and windage. The question is How much you want to spend. A rear bag for the stock to rest in and its a rock solid set up. Then come the accessories for the rests plates to make sporting forearms flat for more stability, stops to position the rifle accurately every time. Its all in what you want for rests look at sinclairs web site. A simpe rest can also be made from a sicciors jack or from scratch.

[Yodogsandman]

I just upgraded to a Caldwell "Rock" front rest after using a Lyman rest for many years. I like it. That along with the Protektor leather bags front and back, works real good. I cheat a little and dust the bags with mica dust from Frankfort Arsenal to reduce sliding friction.