Shooting Benches

[frankenfab]

It's all welded, and yup, I have to use the tractor and boom to move it.

[grumman581]

It's all welded, and yup, I have to use the tractor and boom to move it.

I thought those were 4x4 wood posts for legs, not *metal*... Being able to weld it makes the attachment a lot easier... Heavier though, but lighter than the *concrete* ones...

[grumman581]

It's all welded, and yup, I have to use the tractor and boom to move it.

Looks like you are using 4" square tubing for the legs and also have a longitudinal piece of it going from the rear leg to the front. Do you have a piece going between the two front legs also?

The top of the unit appears to be made out of some fairly thick plate steel. How thick is it?

Could you post a photo of the underside of it?

Anything worth engineering is worth over-engineering!

[frankenfab]

grumman, I'll snap a pic when I get a chance. The forward section of the top is 1.25" plate, and the rear section is 1" plate. There are 2 pieces of 3" X 2" X 1/4" angle iron running the full length from front to back underneath, with .25" shims on the 1" plate to allow welding the top together.

All materials were free, except the 1" plate. I bought a pretty good sized piece at the scrap yard for making stove doors, and used part of it for the bench.

In retrospect, the front part needs to be wider, but again, I had a big square of 1.25" plate that was free. I have thought about adding some leaves to the front, and I also have some heavy 3" square tubing that I want to use to add a mount for a folding Bass boat seat and foot rest, both adjustable.

I have also considered putting a mount underneath for a chronograph boom, to be used with a stand at the far end under the chrono.

[Longwood]

How deep did you guys make the cutout for your body?
I bought a 24" X 72" X 1 1/8" glued plank table top at Home depot.
How long should I make my table?
I am thinking of cutting off about 15 or 16 inches to use for a folding stool.

[McLintock]

Frankenbab,
Yeah, it's a KOWA scope with 27X eyepiece.
McLintock

[Longwood]

I believe the bench is done and I finally did some photo's.
It is not very heavy so I put some eye bolts under it so I can anchor it with weights in the field.

I was able to tinker around with some other items also.
I needed a way to test a 45-70 with a broken Clavicle.
I don't know what the hunk of lead weighs, it is 11" x 9" x 3/4"
A aluminum scope stand is next, if golf ball and bowling ball cannon projects, don't get put in front of it.
Let's see,,, I should be able to see a bowling ball without the scope,,, So,,,,,

[WilliamDahl]

I saw one recently where it appeared to be a 3" or so cast concrete top with 3 round legs that were probably 8-10" in diameter and also of cast concrete. Probably the most substantial shooting bench that I've ever seen.

[375RUGER]

Made this one out of structural aluminum extrusion. Not really made for field use, I wanted something to take to the range that would fit me instead of the one size doesn't fit me benches that are there. It is rock solid.
The top adjusts for height. Individual levelers on the legs.
I made some more to sell after this first prototype that had a sliding seat. I am going to put a slider on this one too.

[Ken73]

Here's mine, made entirely from an old picnic table my father-in-law poorly slapped together. I wanted to repurpose it for a shooting bench so I carefully disassembled it and built it back as my shooting bench. Works like a charm and surprisingly sturdy. Bought a $25 plastic weatherproof footlocker at Bass Pro to put all my range stuff (benchrest, chrono, targets, stapler, etc.) in so I don't have to drag it in/out of the house each time. Cost me about $8 worth of a box of proper screws and $20 for the swivel boat seat so I have something semi-comfortable to sit in.

[Antietamgw]

I bult mine to fit the receiver hitch on my pickup, I sit on the tailgate and use either the sticks or filled bags for the forward rest, depending on what I'm shooting. It's made out of 1/8th" wall square tubing with a 3/4" plywood top that's covered with carpeting. Has worked for me for 10-15 years now. When I first built it I had a long opening that I made my own road in and to change distances I just moved the truck, not the targets. Here's a pic:

McLintock

That's a good idea! Thanks for posting it. Reminds me of the now unused bike rack I made up years ago that's been sitting in my scrap pile. I made it long enough that it could slide in close if hauling 2 bikes on the back or slide out and carry 2 between the vehicle and rack and 2 more behind the rack. Time to hit the scrap pile! I'd thought about something on wheels that I'd tow but I believe this will work better. I'd prefer to shoot into the one backstop I have with a trap and catch all the lead, in 1 place. That would mean multiple benches. For me, it's easier to just have a portable bench.

[flstf_2000]

Hey Grunman, Built one just like this. Works great easy to store and disassemble, you won't be sorry if you build one like this. Shoot straight, have fun, but most of all be safe. It's crazy world out there these days. FLSTF_2000

[Ben]

Here is one that I built a few days ago.

My friend Bryan that shoots with me now is a " lefty ", so we needed the bench to be shooter friendly to both the right hand and left hand shooters.

Ben

[john hayslip]

I needed a light weight portable one so I used a Workmate for the front legs. Cut a piece of 3/4 inch plywood to the shape I wanted for the top. Put a 2x4 on the front for the vise top of the Workmate to grab onto and hinged another piece of 2x4 for a rear leg. It works fine for what it is. I use a stool I bought at a music store with it when I need it. It's (the top) a little small for regular use but it works for its intended purpose. Not as nice as yours by any means

[enloe]

Any more

[etcher1]

I modified a dead exercise bike.
The electronics gave it up.







After looking around the internet and forums, I decided I needed as shooting bench. After stripping the recumbent bike down this is what I came up with. Had to do a little whittling on the front post. It is very stable.







Here it is with the fold out arm for rifle shooting.







Here it is with the rifle







Any comments or suggestions welcomed.

Thanks for look'in,

[enloe]

awesome

[mold maker]

Great improvement to something I'd never have use for.

[Gar]

Etcher1, I gotta ask, what the heck is than C-clamp doing on that rifle??

[novalty]

Etcher1, I gotta ask, what the heck is than C-clamp doing on that rifle??

Looks like stabilizing it for photo-shoot.