Bench etiquette question

[NHS]

I have a question for the bench masters here. How far up on your rifle do you rest it on the front rest? I have tried the very end of the stock, back towards the action, and where the front sling swivel would be mounted. Is there a best practice here?

Thanks,

NHS

[Verminator2]

For me not really ( until I start shooting, then I try to get the stock back into the same spot). It sort of depends on how big the bench is.

[love2shoot]

Although I'm not a "bench master" I believe that each gun is different. I have found that with my narrow forend guns that I can increase my accuracy by setting up in the wider section of the stock. Using a stop so that it goes back to the same spot helps also. Just experiment and see what the gun likes. If nothing else it gives you another reason to go to the range.

[jo191145]

Have to agree with love2shoot on that.
It depends on the stock. Narrow and flimsy I have little expierience with but resting to far forward could cause contact between barrel and forearm. Bad thing!
Varmint or BR stock should have plenty of stiffness to rest in the front. I stole the practice of pushing the stock into the stop and then backing off a touch from "Secrets of the Houston Warehouse"
Seems to work for me.

Oh Yeah, No benchmaster here either.

[skipper]

I tend to agree with both. My custom rifle has a very large forearm which I push all the way against the stop. It has enough heft that it isn't going to bend or contact the barrel. On the other hand, my XR-100 seems to shoot best at a certain point of contact with the front rest. A piece of tape lets me know where to reset it after each shot.

I think you're just going to have to experiment with different positions until you find the sweet spot. Then mark that spot with a piece of tape for future reference.

I spend a lot of time on this forum trying to advance my belief in the accuracy potential of the .204 Ruger cartridge. When I can get it together at the range, I'm just astounded by what this cartridge is capable of. The .204 Ruger is an exceptional varmint round. The .204 Ruger is also an exceptionally accurate round. That is why I think the cartridge is here to stay. It preforms in the field and it preforms at the range. That versitality gives it greater value to the shooting community. My hat is off to people like jo191145 who take the cartridge to shooting events and give the others a run for the money.

I've found that shooting free recoil really works well with this round. Free recoil is nothing more than not touching the rifle while shooting. OK well you have to touch the trigger, but you get the idea. My groups really shrank when I got the hang of it. Try it, you'll like it. I wonder if Rick shoots ground squirrels free recoil??? Hey, Rick

[glenn asher]

Some benchresters use teflon tape (plumbing stuff) on their stocks, to aid in the stock slipping easily in recoil, too. If you think the stock is hanging up on the bags, teflon tape should help it slide back in recoil. I've been thinking about trying that, myself

[NHS]

Thanks guys for the replies! I didn't intend for the term bench master to be negative or derogatory. When I look at my own level of experience, I consider 90% of the people here to be masters! Thanks again.

[Rick in Oregon]

NHS: I agree with most of the above, as light sporters need a bit more forend support on the front rest, and my BR-stocked rifles or bench varmint rifles have beavertail forends, and don't need as much.

I usually put the forend where the rest stop would stop it on my varmint rifles, but I usually turn down the stop as I change rifles during a shoot often, and by having the stop turned down, constant adjustment is not necessary. Opening or widening of the front rest bags is enough work during a shoot that offers a target-rich environment. So let's say that my forend usually has about a 2" to 3" overhang on the front rest bag.

Skipper: I'll freely admit that free-recoil usually gives the best result on paper, but as over 90% of my bench shooting is at live targets, it just does not work, as the target never sits still long enough to properly acquire the target, then dote on not touching the rifle to employ free-recoil. Once you get on a squirrel, you may need to rotate the bench a bit, change elevation slightly by either squeezing the rear bag, or sliding it back or forward to get back on the little critter. They are very active little buggers, much more so than prairie dogs. Once on a target, I'm constantly nudging the rifle around to stay on him while the trigger is squeezed.

A dedicated BR shooter would probably cringe at my bench technique, but after 40 years of sniping the little guys, it's what has evolved into the most effective method, for me at least. Not pretty, but watching Skippy launch way out there is what works for this 204 fanatic.

[Ray P]

Rick...........Good Morning!! Nice pic.. Got to love that Sako of yours............may be some day I'll save enough $$$ to get one like yours in 204. If they last and are still out there to be bought.
Again nice write up on bench etiquette.
Later and good shooting
Ray P

[walleyeman]

Sorry about my ignorance, but when you guys refer to a "rest stop" what exactly are you talking about?

Looking for the Knowledge.

[Rick in Oregon]

Ray: G'Mornin' to you too! Thanks for the kind words. Those Sako's will be around for a long time in 204, so don't worry. They only made the Model 75 Varmint in 204 for two years, and now it's been replaced with the Model 85 Varmint. But as they made the Model 75 for over ten years in .223, you could always rebarrel/rechamber one to 204 if you had the "want".

walleyeman: By 'rest stop', we're actually referring to the forend stop found on quality front rests intended for BR or accuracy rifle shooting. If you look closely in my photo below, you'll see it in an inverted position, with the rubber snubber pointing down instead of upright. It's located at the very front of the rest, just ahead of the forerm tip of the rifle.



The purpose is that after firing a shot, you slide the rifle forward again so that the forend hits/stops against the stop to give a consistent 'return to battery' for each successive shot. As the rifle recoils, it will always slide to the rear on the bags; by sliding it forward again, it comes to rest in the exact same position every time. The position of the rifle must be consistent every time for peak accuracy, and the stop insures it always returns to the same spot every time. Hope that helps.