Bipod, rests and bags?

What do you guys use that allows you to aim dead nuts on every time?
I just acquired a Remington model 700pss .308 rifle. It is wearing a Nikon Monarch 4-12 scope with crosshairs. I shoot off of a large steady heavy plywood bench at one hundred and two hundred yards. I have loaded several different loads with jacketed bullets. I will get to the boolits when I am satisfied with the grouping with these. The groups I have shot to date are three shots in one hole and two flyers,several times. About 3/4" at one hundred yards. I know the gun will shoot.
My bipod is an el cheapo that tilts sideways against springs, lightweight aluminum. It seems very solid. I just made a beanbag out of a pants leg. Sand seems too heavy to tote.
What's your ideal setup?

Life was good

One thing to check for is how the rifle recoils off the wood bench vs. the ground. I use to have a bi-pod on my Ruger No1 in 22-250 for shooting wood chucks and never shot it off a bench, but I did notice that hard vs soft ground did make a difference in point of impact, jumped more off harder surface.

I built this bench a few years ago. It's still in service. I had 2 pieces of carpet cut and bound so that if one got dirty, I could swap them out. The front of the top is 1 1/4", and the rear is 1" thick. I have always had plans to take a hydaulic cylinder from an office chair and put a nice folding boat seat on it, and add a foot rest to allow for both feet flat, but never done it.

I use an Uncle Bud's Bull's Bag for most of my bag shooting from it, and I also have the Bald Eagle front rest and "Owl Ear" rear bag.

I had it powder coated at GRT race cars, in Greenbrier.

I love Nikon scopes and Harris bypods.

http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/a...GUNZ/bench.jpg

I use a bipod and rear sandbag when shooting F-Class matches, but I use a "Rock BR" (Midway USA) benchrest and sandbags when shooting groups to test ammo.

Try making TWO sandbags from that pants leg, or use empty shot bags. Yeah, they're heavy, but that's part of the requirement for stabilizing your rifle.

Regards,

Stew

is it always the 4 and 5 shot ?
always the 1/2 shots ?
the more stable the rifle the possiblity of more consistant shots.

i use a front rest and a rear bag( benchrest stuff)

mike in co

What is the ideal height for the bench? I'm using a couple saw horses and a piece plywood, sits a little too high for comfort.

Larry

I use the old canvas shot bags filled with used walnut media! Stand them on end and 7 fit well in a 5 gallon bucket to carry to your shooting bench. You can put a staple gun and load blocks in the top of the bucket and still get a lid on it to keep out dirt, dust, rain, etc. The walnut media is not nearly as heavy as sand, but is still manageable like sand. It's not something that will expand like rice or beans will do when water soaked, either. Might mold though, but I periodically let them lay out in the sunshine, and store/keep them dry in the air tight bucket!

You could make one long sand bag (about 30 inches) from the pants leg, tie it off in the middle, and throw it over your sholder to carry, too. Old blue jeans are very good for these kind of bags.
It makes a good head rest, too! Summer time, laid back in the shade of a cool tree on a hillside, with a canteen of ice water, watching out over a fresh cut hay field for groundhogs......zzzzzzzzz! :grin:

In the field, I sometimes use Harris bipods- I have one that I can lay prone or sit behind, and another shorter one that is for bench or prone shooting. Otherwise, it's off hand, or the closest tree, fence post, rock, etc. :smile:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Charlie Sometimes

...It makes a good head rest, too! Summer time, laid back in the shade of a cool tree on a hillside, with a canteen of ice water, watching out over a fresh cut hay field for groundhogs......zzzzzzzzz! :grin:

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Damn! I wish I had a hay field full of groundhogs! :( :(

Regards,

Stew

Quote:

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Originally Posted by excavman

What is the ideal height for the bench? I'm using a couple saw horses and a piece plywood, sits a little too high for comfort.

Larry

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My reason for wanting to make the seat and foot rest adjustable stems from what I read in a series of 4 books on precision shooting I got through "Precision Shooting".

You want to have your thighs horizontal, and both feet flat on the ground.

So, I guess if you wanted to build a bench, you could just use those guidelines to establish a height, if you feel the thorey is sound. I tend to adjust the seat with cushions for different shooters, which doesn't always allow for the rest of the body geometry to be optimal.

At times when I do not want to use my Sinclair rest I bought some nylon kneeling rolls from Champions Choice that were filled with shredded rubber and replaced it with plastic poly beads like the kind you find at a fabric store to stuff dolls. The thing I do not like about sand is when you hit the bag to make a groove to hold the rifle you can see sand dust come out of the bag and if it gets wet it weighs a ton. Some people use uncooked rice or beans but if they get wet they look like a chia pet which is why I use the plastic poly beads.

I've used all three and find a Harris bipod the best solution for me.

I was thinking of trying vermiculite, encased in a plastic bag, then in the pants leg, Should be light to carry, and that means alot on these old bones........steg

When I am bench resting and shooting Sage Rats I use a portable bench I made from plans I got online. 1" plywood top and 30" X 1 1/4" pipe legs. The 3 legs screw into pipe flanges that are angled outward slightly to give stability. The bench top is covered with soft shag carpet to protect my elbows. I use a sturdy metal fold up chair as a seat.
In the front I use Caldwell's " The Rock" bench rest and leather bags in the rear filled with manufactured, read clean here, sand. I like the leather for durability and the sand for weight. I bought some cheap leather at a yard sale and had them sown at the local upholstery shop for a nominal fee....dale

Those fliers might go away if you play with the overall length a bit. Sometimes it can make a big difference.
I've got a plastic Caldwell front rest (with some very slippery tape covering the rubber pad) and an old Hoppe's bunny-ear rear bag that live in my range bag. Not great, but a lot easier to carry around than the cast iron monsters and long rear bags of heavy-sand that I see some of the local benchresters using (and I don't forget any of it).

I am pretty much convinced that my hold is bogus. I sort of remember slapping the trigger when the crosshairs go by the dot on the target. I have been using the cast three legged adjustable rest on the front and bags under the butt.
The trigger on this gun is really quick, about the best I have ever experienced. Two pounds eleven ounces.
Most of my loads with 165 SGKs and 168 SMK are too long to fit in the magazine already. Also have ten loads with Berger VLDs. I am going to have to do a chamber cast to see if I can seat them out enough. The shorter bullets don't have a chance. All my loads are now in once fired neck sized brass and I am using Varget, 4064 and 4895 powder and fairly mild loads I dredged up on the net from pet loads. Got about six loads to shoot next range session. Waiting on weather.
My technique is very suspect and I am taking steps to change. Preliminary test sighting out the window from the kitchen table with the bipod on the rifle and the new bean bag under the butt are quite steady. I may have it.
I will take all your suggestions under advisement.

Life was good

It sounds like it might have a fairly long throat. Check your jam length vs. your current loaded length. Strange stuff happens if you try to make J-words jump too far and it's usually worse with cast.
Size about 1/16" of the neck (for cast, I use 1/8" and open the first 1/16" back up with the step on an M-die) then start the j-bullet in the case and try to close the action. Seat it a little deeper if needed until you can shove the action fully closed. Open it carefully and check the length. Repeat a couple of times to check for variation. The BR crowd used to claim that you should test with the overall length at that point, 0.002" shorter than that, and in 0.005" steps down to a maximum of .040 shorter than jam length. YMMV

Seems like we handloaders are challenged with either too long or too short leads and throats in chambers. Several reviews have pointed out the long throats in these rifles. Flat base 150 grain bullets are only seated 3/32". The only way to get it right is do it yourself.
This rifle could stand having an inch cut off of the muzzel to sharpen it and set back a thread and re chambered. Dont want to spend the money if I can get it to shoot this way. Some want as much as $1,500.00 to blueprint a 700 Remington.
I've only got about five hundred in the rifle and scope. Will probably continue to poorboy it. For now I will run it as a single shot.

Life was good

Loverin designs fill long throats quite well, you might want to start searching since Lyman (in their infinite wisdom) quit making them long ago. Some of the old shuetzen designs work well also but most are plain based (and scarce).

I have a Loverin 165 grain. No gas check. Wish it was heavier. Have eight .30 cal. moulds. I will probably start with the old standard 31141 Ideal. It's gas checked. Always works. I feel that the heavier boolits, 190 - 210 grains would be good to start with also. This rifle has 1 in 12 twist. If I get fantastic groups I will be sure to post.
Thanks for your interest.

Life was good