Bench rest technique

[B.Habermehl]

Something that has always befuddled me, how to get a long barreled muzzleloader to shoot repeatablely off the bench. The only thing that has sorta worked for me was to rest my own forearm holding the gun. I always wind up adjusting my sights and sighting in the gun off hand. Which is how I do all my shooting any how. I'm talking about hunting weight guns mostly with swamped barrels. It seems resting the gun itself really messes with barrel harmonics etc. Modern bench rest technique does not seem to work for me and my guns. BJH

[Standing Bear]

My hand position is
W the index finger on the muzzle end of the entry thimble. When shooting same gun from sand bags that is where the sans bag goes. The BIG difference is if I'm not sitting w my back vertical, trigger elbow straight out and head in the normal position.
TC

[Daryl]

If I want to bench-check where the ball will impact as-if I was shooting offhand, I hold the forestock as if was shooting offhand (at the entry pipe), with the back of my hand on the front bag. I do not use a rear bag. This technique gives me the same poi with all of my guns as I get offhand. Shooting and testing off the bench is a lot easier & more accurate shooting as well as being much easier on my  back. the back tires quickly with offhand shooting, just aches steady - we don't like it, but put up with it for trail walks.  "Stool" shooting is much easier for me, physically.

There are other techniques that must be applied as there are good techniques and poor techniques.  One fault often observed is the shooter crossing his or her legs or simply placing them behind the front legs of the seat with toes only on the ground. This is a no-no. The toes must be pointing ahead of the chair with the feet flat on the ground - it's all about stability as well as repeatability. Consistency also rears it's head in bench techniques.

[Topknot]

I have found a difference in impact on the target when I leave my ramrod out while shooting off the front rest, so now I leave my ramrod in place, just as I would do when I am hunting

                                                    topknot

[Daryl]

When shooting, consistency is of utmost importance, expecially when target shooting.  Thanks for bringing that up topnot, it presents another test oppportunity.

[Natureboy]

  My bench technique is a little different, something I developed when I was in the Army.  I place the rest towards the muzzle, and my left hand crosses under my chin and holds the butt at the toe.  This creates a steady hold, and I can start squeezing the trigger slowly, since the sight picture doesn't move.  The gun fires as a "surprise."

[Standing Bear]

Same here. It the entry thimble rests on the sand bag as said above.

[Virginiarifleman]

i have found that when resting the rifle on sand bags or what have you on a bench is to always rest the rifle in the same place every time. such as resting on the entry RR thimble or middle thimble.

[smylee grouch]

I like to rest muzzel on bags when working up loads for acuracy but hand on the bags when sighting in for offhand shooting. I myself can be more consistant with muzzel on the bags and consistancy is what its all about when working up your best loads as has already been said.

[Daryl]

I like to rest muzzel on bags when working up loads for acuracy but hand on the bags when sighting in for offhand shooting. I myself can be more consistant with muzzel on the bags and consistancy is what its all about when working up your best loads as has already been said.

Spot-on- you will usually find with different guns, and/or perhaps different loads, the rifle will shoot best with a different or even slightly different location of the gun on the bags.  This, of course, is due to the harmonics of the load in THAT rifle, rested in THAT manner. Again, it's all about consistency when shooting ML's (and other guns).

My .40, for instance, when prone chunk shooting, prefers to rest the 1st. entry pipe on the bags - not the muzzle or 2nd pipe nor the entry pipe - but the 1st pipe is it's 'sweet spot' location.

Shooting off bags and letting her bounce, not forend held, it prefers to rest on the entry pipe.

One MUST shoot the rifle enough to get to know it.  If possessing a lot of guns, I suspect it would be most difficult to remember each gun's idiosyncrasies - without a diary for each gun. This was something taught in the CF rifle, competition shooting arena and is a good idea with our ML's as well.

[shifty]

  I develope my loads and do basic sight in off a bench but I am no BR shooter,I don't use bags i have a small folding adjustable rest i use ,i hold the gun as if offhanding and i just rest my hand on the rest,it works ok for me as it is a lot like a make do rest in the woods.My interest is to get every rifle i have to shoot as good as possible with the skill i have.