shooting off bags

[porthos]

when accuracy testing for accuarcy; how do you use the bags. let me splain. i made a front rest to the right height with a bicycle tube filled with kitty litter, i have a bulls bag to rest my forearms on. should there be some down pressure on the front rest; or, once getting the sight picture just let the bottom of slide (auto) or bbl. (revolver) rest naturally. i ask this because after a couple of decades of no handgun use i have become VERY bad with there use. i won't even talk about offhand shooting.

[NSB]

I just rest my hands on the bag with a good grip on the gun. I try to get my elbows on the table at the same time. Grip on the gun must be as consistent as possible shot after shot. Be very aware/careful of how your finger is on the trigger and try to get a very consistent (there’s that word again) trigger break. Resting the barrel on something usually introduces more error than it eliminates. Even shooting a handgun off a rest takes a bit of practice. Good luck.

[Mk42gunner]

Everybody is different, and they hold handguns differently. Handguns are very sensitive to hold and recoil does affect point of impact.

What I am trying to say, and not doing a very good job of, is that what works for me may not work for you.

What I found worked best for me (when I could still see the sights clearly) was from a seated position at the bench, use two piles of sand bags to rest the middle of my forearms on while holding the revolver in a two handed grip. This worked out to like a seated and rested Weaver type hold.

It may work for you, it may not, but it is something to try.

Robert

[reddog81]

It's kind of a trial and error to find what works best for you, your gun and your equipment. Finding a comfortable, repeatable position is important in order to ensure consistency.

The range I go to has tables for rifle shooting and I have found that using my range bag (basically a tool bag with a zipper on top) works as well as anything. I just rest my wrists on the top of the bag and don't rest my elbows on anything.

Sometimes I just throw a towel on the wooden table and use it as an elbow rest.

Sometimes I have better luck using nothing...

[Dusty Bannister]

I like Mk42gunner method. Make sure the heel of the handgun does not contact the bags during recoil. Just use the bags to steady the forearms under and slightly behind the wrists. I like to have the barrel of the handgun follow the line of the forearm of the strong hand. Using two hands with the weak side elbow bent more than the strong side elbow. Body position sort of like when shooting a rifle, not squarely behind the gun.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

You don't want the base of the grip to be resting on anything. This will accentuate muzzle flip. I mostly just shoot handguns off hand and find I can get them sighted in that way. But I am not trying to shoot something 100 yards distant either.

[MT Gianni]

I try to rest my wrist joint on the bag and leave the gun in supported.

[dvnv]

If you can put a scope on it, it becomes easy to find what it takes to get things steady.
I was surprised to find that forearms between knees, bag supported forearms, and even bag supported hands were not rock solid, though they seemed to be with iron sights.

Barrel and front of the frame on one bag with wrists supported by another (butt of gun not touching anything) with some comfortable push into the front bag is what it took for me to get rid of the wobbles. Some rest the butt on a bag instead of under the wrists, taking care to adjust the butt bag for consistency (after each shot?). Consistent grip and pressure is needed for best results.

[Conditor22]

Don't rest the barrel of a revolver on a padded rest , they don't last very long that way

[megasupermagnum]

I mostly shoot revolvers. Only one kind of rest will hold up, and that is leather. Alternatively, you can lay a piece of leather over your front rest. Not even canvas will work.

For a front rest, I like a leather bag, which is flat across the top. I then have a second, short bag to rest my hands on, and I place it imediately behind the front barrel rest. When resting revolvers, I rest on the ledge in front of the trigger guard if possible. Be careful that your barrel is longer than the bag. If I were to custom build a bag, I would use leather, and have the top kind of wedge shaped, with the bevel facing away. The hand rest bag is not as important, but you have to find the right height for your hand. I grip the gun with a two hand hold like any other time, and my support hand rests on the small bag. I have never had, or seen anyone have luck with a one hand grip for handguns when trying for accuracy. Usually vertical stringing is the result. You want sand filled bags or similar, so you have some movement, not foam, plastic, or any kind of adjustable rest. It is way more conducive to accuracy when you don't have to pinch, squeeze, screw, and struggle to get your sights aligned perfectly. Last but not least, I always use either the gun case, a roll of shop towels, a shirt, whatever under my elbows. I usually shoot off one or both knees, I have never found a chair the right height, and chest resting against the bench. The whole idea of my setup is to have the same exact form I would use normally, but have rests to lock it in place. By locking your chest to the bench, elbows and hands to the bags, and of course the handgun to the bag, it makes things way easier. Then all you have to do is find a target/sight combo your eyes like, and focus on trigger pull.

[murf205]

Don't rest the barrel of a revolver on a padded rest , they don't last very long that way

I found an old welding jacket and cut it up with 2 thickness's on my Bulls bag to protect it from the flash. Thrift store find

[Norske]

Resting the barrel on a sand bag is not only hard on the bag, it's also not usually the way to get best accuracy, whether with a handgun or rifle. Rest the handgun's frame or your wrists on the bag.

[Dale53]

I have long used the MTM Rifle front rest + pistol for my pistol shooting. It works quite well with my Scope Sighted TC Contenders, scope sighted and Red Dot sighted revolvers as well as various iron sighted revolvers without issue. It is one piece, but easily allows elevation adjustment up front which is VERY important when testing handgun accuracy from 25, 50, 100 yards and beyond. I use this on a regular rifle bench rest as well as our local club's higher bench on the pistol range. It is quite versatile, durable, and reliable. Best of all it is NOT expensive. I haven't done a real price check recently but Midway should be representative:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015184825

Make no mistake, this is good gear.

FWIW
Dale53