Rifle rest for batch testing

[Cumbrian]

Can anyone recommend a not too expensive rest or clamp for batch testing of .22 LR ammunition? I have been looking at the MTM red plastic version. Any other recommendations? Also, is it o.k./customary to use the rest on a table when at a range where other shooters are firing? If I were one of the others, I would be slightly nervous at having a rifle, albeit pointing only forward, two feet or more above my head. As you will gather, I have not gone in for batch testing previously, so I don't know the protocol, if there is one.

[Rutty]

Personally, unless I had a 50m indoor range, a good selection of batches to try and compare and a solid mounted clamp to hold the rifle or barreled action I would do it from the shoulder.

Use all your normal equipment; including the sling; a scope sight and a couple of sandbags or a small rest to support the left hand. You should soon get a pretty good idea of which ammunition performs better and you will probably learn something about your own shooting as well.

Rutty

[Cumbrian]

Personally, unless I had a 50m indoor range, a good selection of batches to try and compare and a solid mounted clamp to hold the rifle or barreled action I would do it from the shoulder.

Use all your normal equipment; including the sling; a scope sight and a couple of sandbags or a small rest to support the left hand. You should soon get a pretty good idea of which ammunition performs better and you will probably learn something about your own shooting as well.

Rutty

Thank you for the suggestion, which I'm tempted to adopt, though my shooting is variable enough to distort the results of such testing without at least some mechanical assistance. I'll look into the hand rest idea.

[Rover]

That's what the benches are for; testing for accuracy. Let the other shooters work around YOU.

Sandbags are the traditional favorite. Not expensive and work well if you know how to use them.

I have a front rest and for the rear, a cut-off jean leg filled with beans.

[mtncwru]

At the range where I shoot, prone shooters are the exception rather than the norm. It is routine that shooters on either side of me have fullbore rifles, on a bench, a few feet above my head. This is why my range has a strictly enforced rule that all muzzles must be forward of the firing line, and all body parts must be behind the same line. We also have Range Safety Officers (RSOs) watching the line to make sure no one gets frisky and starts handling weapons in unsafe directions. My suggestion would be to tuck yourself to one end of the line or the other if you can, and pay extra attention to where you're pointing your muzzle. Honestly, once you get it set up on the bench it should be fine, since you're not going to be moving your rifle much at all. If it is an issue, you can always setup your rifle and rest (whatever you decide on) on the ground instead of a bench; depending on how stable the benches are at your range, the ground may be the better, more stable option!

As for a setup for testing, I would skip the (cheap) plastic MTM rest altogether. In my experience they move far too much to be effective for ammo testing. Sandbags are great: cheap, and able to be homemade if you don't have some handy to start with. If you are going to buy a rest, get one with some weight to it. I use a Caldwell Rock. It works well and wasn't expensive.

[Cumbrian]

That's what the benches are for; testing for accuracy. Let the other shooters work around YOU.

Sandbags are the traditional favorite. Not expensive and work well if you know how to use them.

I have a front rest and for the rear, a cut-off jean leg filled with beans.

Thank you very much for your reassurance and helpful information - much appreciated.

[Cumbrian]

At the range where I shoot, prone shooters are the exception rather than the norm. It is routine that shooters on either side of me have fullbore rifles, on a bench, a few feet above my head. This is why my range has a strictly enforced rule that all muzzles must be forward of the firing line, and all body parts must be behind the same line. We also have Range Safety Officers (RSOs) watching the line to make sure no one gets frisky and starts handling weapons in unsafe directions. My suggestion would be to tuck yourself to one end of the line or the other if you can, and pay extra attention to where you're pointing your muzzle. Honestly, once you get it set up on the bench it should be fine, since you're not going to be moving your rifle much at all. If it is an issue, you can always setup your rifle and rest (whatever you decide on) on the ground instead of a bench; depending on how stable the benches are at your range, the ground may be the better, more stable option!

As for a setup for testing, I would skip the (cheap) plastic MTM rest
altogether. In my experience they move far too much to be effective for ammo testing. Sandbags are great: cheap, and able to be homemade if you don't have some handy to start with. If you are going to buy a rest, get one with some weight to it. I use a Caldwell Rock. It works well and wasn't expensive.

Thank you very much for your reassurance and helpful advice about rests. I am now moving away from the MTM and towards the Caldwell, though it is more expensive.

[TPJones]

As an adjunct to a Caldwell type rest you might consider making or buying a flat plate that attaches to the rail. Front bags are available for many rests that are designed to fit a flat fore end such as found on benchrest rifles.

I made mine from a 1/4" aluminum plate with a simple tapped block that slides in the accessory rail and is clamped with a simple machine screw that runs through the plate. I have seen these on the web but I can't recall where at this time. I'd try the usual smallbore sites and perhaps Sinclair International.

Good health and good shooting.

[Mikey_P]

As an adjunct to a Caldwell type rest you might consider making or buying a flat plate that attaches to the rail. Front bags are available for many rests that are designed to fit a flat fore end such as found on benchrest rifles.

Here's a link to a ready-made fore end plate setup. I have one which I use with my Caldwell BR rest - works great!

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/955637 ... ican-rails

Mike

[ehampel]

I had an old six inch bench vice that I bolted to a 3/4 inch piece of plywood. I clamped this to a solid bench. Here is a little known tip - regular toilet bowl mounting bolts fit into an accessory rail (Anschutz) just perfectly. So I bought a 1.5 x 1.5 piece of hardwood, drilled three holes for the bolts, mounted that in the accessory rail, and locked that into the vice. Presto! A solid machine rest.

Given that, I got the same results with the machine rest as I did shooting from the bench, the shoulder, and from the shoulder with a rest under my sling arm. At least in terms of which batch I was testing was the best. The machine rest gave slightly tighter groups.

[Cumbrian]

I had an old six inch bench vice that I bolted to a 3/4 inch piece of plywood. I clamped this to a solid bench. Here is a little known tip - regular toilet bowl mounting bolts fit into an accessory rail (Anschutz) just perfectly. So I bought a 1.5 x 1.5 piece of hardwood, drilled three holes for the bolts, mounted that in the accessory rail, and locked that into the vice. Presto! A solid machine rest.

Given that, I got the same results with the machine rest as I did shooting from the bench, the shoulder, and from the shoulder with a rest under my sling arm. At least in terms of which batch I was testing was the best. The machine rest gave slightly tighter groups.

I just love the toilet bowl mounting bolts tip - thank you, could be very useful!

[NCST8]

I recently tested 14 different types of ammo in a gun that I thought was no longer shooting well.

I tested from a bench with a Caldwell rest and rear rabbit ear bag. I used a 24x Weaver T-24.

It gave me a fair comparison. I selected the ammos that did the best and shot from position with the scope. Finally, I tested from position with the irons. The scope and irons both matched or beat the groups from the rest for the shots called good.

I absolutely believe that you can test ammos from position as well as from the bench.

Also, don't underestimate some of the lesser expensive ammos. I have seen multiple times where the best groups in a rifle would come from the least expensive from a brand and the most expensive from a brand with the midrange products being poorer performers.

[Cumbrian]

I recently tested 14 different types of ammo in a gun that I thought was no longer shooting well.

I tested from a bench with a Caldwell rest and rear rabbit ear bag. I used a 24x Weaver T-24.

It gave me a fair comparison. I selected the ammos that did the best and shot from position with the scope. Finally, I tested from position with the irons. The scope and irons both matched or beat the groups from the rest for the shots called good.

I absolutely believe that you can test ammos from position as well as from the bench.

Also, don't underestimate some of the lesser expensive ammos. I have seen multiple times where the best groups in a rifle would come from the
least expensive from a brand and the most expensive from a brand with the midrange products being poorer performers.

Thank you very much for sharing your interesting experiences and recommendations. I'm really grateful to you and the other contributors, not all of whom, I'm afraid, I have acknowledged individually. I hope they will accept these collective thanks.

[mtncwru]

Here is a little known tip - regular toilet bowl mounting bolts fit into an accessory rail (Anschutz) just perfectly.

This is an extremely useful piece of information. I can think of several things I've been wanting to make to mount on my accessory rail, and you have just provided an easy way to mount them. Thank you, sir!