A question about handgun rests.

[J Miller]

In the thread "A new rest for Len", the rest pictured had a cradle to rest the barrel of the hand gun on. Or maybe the frame, I couldn't tell.
Anyway this brought up a question, but first an explanation:

I have always been taught that when you shoot a handgun from the bench, never let any part of the gun touch the bench. Use a sand bag or some solid but padded object to rest the forearms on so the handgun can recoil normally.

My question is, have I been taught wrong, is there a benifit to having the pistol rest on the cradel of the rest?

Joe

[toyfj40]

when you shoot a handgun from the bench,
never let any part of the gun touch the bench.
Use a sand bag to rest the forearms on so the handgun can recoil normally.

I posted the reference to the MtM(orange) PistolRest as my example
of what not to do (ie. learn from my mistake).

Our range has an abundant supply of Sandbags and carpet-samples
and adjustable-height stools to make a comfortable shooting position.
I often do as you mentioned, just get comfortable and steady...
in order to check my "sight image" or "sight adjustment"...
as I try to do most of my shooting to improve my one/two-hand-held...

We have a (MONSTER) 'Ransom Rest' (?) but it takes an hour to setup
and a helper to move into position. Plate-steel base and three MONSTER
C-clamps to hold in steady... but some guys swear they can get their
PistolScopes adjusted down to a "Gnat's Rear-End"...

I might want to rest my pistol/revolver barrel in some "Y"-support
in an effort to check/adjust a scope-cross-hair...
But shooting from a supported handgun does not teach-me anything
about my ability/improvement... any maybe more for a 7-8-10" barrel
than with a 4-5-6" barrel...

[Bullseye]

In the thread "A new rest for Len", the rest pictured had a cradle to rest the barrel of the hand gun on. Or maybe the frame, I couldn't tell.
Anyway this brought up a question, but first an explanation:

I have always been taught that when you shoot a handgun from the bench, never let any part of the gun touch the bench. Use a sand bag or some solid but padded object to rest the forearms on so the handgun can recoil normally.

My question is, have I been taught wrong, is there a benifit to having the pistol rest on the cradel of the rest?

Joe

No Joe, you've got that right. Padding is important for shooting a handgun off a rest. You never want to shoot a handgun strictly off of a hard surface. That rest I displayed has soft padded surfaces. Plus there's additional padding bags that can be purchased for the front rest cradle from Caldwell. The back platform assembly is padded and can be moved forward and back. Again, one could place additional padding on the platform if one chooses. One of the main ideas behind padding is consistent firearm placement, returning the gun back to the same position for follow up shots.

Seal Killer could definitely describe this better than I can but I'll give it a shot.

Most people who are shooting off of a rest are not benchrest shooters but usually are just sighting in their pistol. What generally happens is after spending a lot of time getting the sighting just perfect, the handgun now shoots in a different place once it's shot without the rest. The main reason is recoil. Think of it this way; your hands are a padded surface: with muscle, tendons, and tissue. There's a little padding but its there. Your arms have some give in them too. When a shot breaks your body will cause the pistol to move in a given direction according to your stance and grip and the forces of recoil. When shooting with a rest, the shot placement will be different, unless you hold the pistol exactly like you would off the rest. Meaning the same grip tension and arms extension just like you will shoot without using the rest. This way the effects of recoil have the same directivity as they would shooting without the rest. Basically the rest is used just a means to steady the handgun for aiming.

Hope this helps.

R,
Bullseye

[J Miller]

It helped, thanks a bunch.

Joe

[seal killer]

Joe--

I am the only long distance, bench-rest pistol shooter in the sport. I am very lonely.

--seal killer

[toyfj40]

I am the only long distance, bench-rest pistol shooter in the sport.
I am very lonely. --seal killer

we've missed you "SK", glad you're able to drop-by...

[bearandoldman]

Joe--

I am the only long distance, bench-rest pistol shooter in the sport. I am very lonely.

--seal killer

Good to hear from you again my friend, did you get that longetr barrel unit yet? Hey the old man is still her and still trying to get things set up.
Latest test still shows that one of my P512's will consistently group better thtn the other and better than the 8 inch barrel, Need to do another rangesession to get a realy good perspective on it yet. Made some changes to the rest adn have only tried it once.

[Bullseye]

Joe--

I am the only long distance, bench-rest pistol shooter in the sport. I am very lonely.

--seal killer

Yeah, kind of like being a Maytag repairman huh? Welcome back!

R,
Bullseye

[greener]

For those of us who can hit the broad side of a barn if we are very, very close and it's a big barn, shooting from a rest or some supported position is the quickest way to get the initial adjustments. It was the only way (without a boresight kit) that I could come close to alligning my BSA red dot. Makes the unsupported adjustments a bit quicker.

[boomer47]

seal killer,

I thought you had walked down to check one of your targets and fell off the end of the earth or else just could not find a ride back.
Missed your posts and am glad to see you back.

R,Jack

[bearandoldman]

seal killer,

I thought you had walked down to check one of your targets and fell off the end of the earth or else just could not find a ride back.
Missed your posts and am glad to see you back.

R,Jack

Jack, could that really happen or are you just funnin us?

[greener]

seal killer,

I thought you had walked down to check one of your targets and fell off the end of the earth or else just could not find a ride back.
Missed your posts and am glad to see you back.

R,Jack

Jack, could that really happen or are you just funnin us?

Sure can, Len. My eldest, an MSU grad, swears that you are very likely to fall off the edge of the world if you drive towards Ann Arbor.

[bearandoldman]

seal killer,

I thought you had walked down to check one of your targets and fell off the end of the earth or else just could not find a ride back.
Missed your posts and am glad to see you back.

R,Jack

Jack, could that really happen or are you just funnin us?

Sure can, Len. My eldest, an MSU grad, swears that you are very likely to fall off the edge of the world if you drive towards Ann Arbor.

Now that is uderstandable, knew there was something good about you Jack. I have 2 daughters that graduated from MSU one from the college of engineering snf on from educaton.

[boomer47]

I just thought seal killer had got into some REALLY long distance shooting and got lost on his way back to the bench after checking his targets.

[J Miller]

Joe--

I am the only long distance, bench-rest pistol shooter in the sport. I am very lonely.

--seal killer

S.K. Glad to make your aquaintence. I'm not a benchrest shooter by any means. I do it to test my loads and sight the guns in. After that I stand, sit, or lean. Can't kneel or go prone right now, (might not get back up), but I work on the others.

As for long range shooting, well since I've moved to IL I haven't fired a shot at over 25 yds except once last year when I went to a forum get together in IN.

Joe