Merit to bench rest?

[azfyrmedic]

So I am new to this place and this type of shooting.
I have been shooting for years out in the woods etc.
I have always shot from any brace or tree that I could use, often times when nothing there was to be used I would shoot off hand with the aid of a sling.
My question is, do you guys see any merit in benchrest shooting for improving skill?

 

[trigger time]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

proper squeeze of the trigger maybe, or load devolpment

 

[Lowlight]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Benchrest is lesson in engineering, and not marksmanship...

 

[Lindy]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

If you want to increase your skill level, you'll be better off with highpower, across the course, or metallic silhouette shooting. All require actual shooting skills.

Tactical competition requires marksmanship, but, as the Director of Rifles Only famously said, "Successful application of the precision rifle is a lot more about thinking than it is about shooting."

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Kind of what I was thinking, benchrest just seems like the perfection of the rifle as opposed to the improvement of the shooter.

 

[81STFACP]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

We have successfully used training on the bench to help new high power service rifle shooters in our club so they can learn and employ proper sight alignment, sight picture, trigger control, head position, etc. in the steadiest platform and concentrate on repeatable execution of the fundamentals mentioned above to improve their grouping capability. It is my simplistic approach for new shooter’s crawl phase.

After they can demonstrate repeatable grouping capability on the bench then and only then we move to prone, again the steadiest position in high power and where at least 50% of the shots are fired from. We concentrate on prone for a few sessions till they can match or improve on their grouping capability from the bench before we go to sitting, then offhand.

By the time we are on the least steady positions they already know what it takes to put a round in the middle... sight picture, sight alignment, trigger control, etc... instead of learning all the above while wobbling all over the place...

 

[Rhys]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Short range benchrest no, long range benchrest wind estimation becomes a major factor to be considered.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

so while shooting benchrest to get the basics such as sight alignment and such, are you advocating the use of bags or are you useing a gun vise?

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

I advocate gun vises for working on rifles, not shooting them.....

and shooting from a bench is different than benchrest shooting.

 

[81STFACP]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: azfyrmedic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">so while shooting benchrest to get the basics such as sight alignment and such, are you advocating the use of bags or are you useing a gun vise? </div></div>

bags or rest up front and rear bag

 

[9H_Cracka]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Judge for yourself. A few highlights:

- no cheek weld
- no shoulder contact
- no firing hand contact
- your arms propped up on sandbags
- 16.5 lb rifle with muzzle brake and 6mm bore
- 2 oz. trigger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I-c-HSHFas&feature=related

 

[Victor N TN]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Lowlight</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Benchrest is lesson in engineering, and not marksmanship... </div></div>

I am a benchrest shooter. It can tell you a lot of things you are doing wrong. But like Lowlight mentioned it helps understand why things are done. But it is more of an understanding of engineering. Shooting highpower rifle will improve your gun handling more.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

kinda what I was thinking, I will use the bench to sight in the scopes and my mat for the rest.

 

[Explorer]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

benchrest can teach engineering and some wind doping. Other disciplines can provide body mechanics.

 

[x832]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Repeatability to place the rifle 90 degrees to the target,body position,cheek weld,trigger break,follow through.Rebuild your position.

 

[J.Boyette]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

I think that benchrest as a sport is a great testing grounds of bullets, barrels and the advancement if the rifle as a whole.

As far as a sport to shoot, I find it very boring, and not that hard to do <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"hard to win but not to execute as a C.O.F."</span></span>

I have had some bench rest guys that came to my last match that wanted a change of pace. They enjoyed the practical / tactical style of shooting alot.

A bench as a training aid is needed for a lot of sports to get a new shooter in the mode.

Nothing wrong with shooting from a bench, or shooting in the sport of benchrest.

I think every shooting sport has its place and we should support all of them.

John

 

[Criver600]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Bullshit. Shoot 600/1000 yard for group and score (staying centered up) Winning matches takes the same set of skills as any other shooting game. Don't knock it till you have tried it.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

I have to think that shooting at any range would be easier off a bench, compared to the ground or off hand etc.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

not trying to knock it or anything just seems easier then other positions

 

[former naval person]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Having read the above assurances that BR is socking the rounds into a hole, but REAL men can do it without those artificial contrivances....my real good friend and competitor, who shall go nameless, came to me this weekend with a complaint. He is a balls to the wall 1000 yard F class shooter. I asked him how the last match went, and he told me that, The, "darned bench rest shooters got into the match and took all the first places." Whipped his butt, in other words. You folks who disparage BR shooters need to take heed. There are a few of us old farts that are shooting for recreation at 400 yards...we shoot at a range that has lots of steel, but we hang a couple of rubber ducks that are about 1 1/2 inch at max...we manage 3 out of 5 shot hits...on our good days. Wind, position, technique, breathing...all the finesse comes into play. Just ask, "Which eye", on the deer at 400 yards, and he is dead. JMHO

 

[memilanuk]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: azfyrmedic</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have to think that shooting at any range would be easier off a bench, compared to the ground or off hand etc.
</div></div>

Yes and no... take a good look at the size of groups that win an average 600yd BR match, and then look at the size of the X/10 ring on a standard NRA mid-range target (MR-1). It still ain't exactly easy, but the 'goal' isn't quite as rigorous either. F-Class kind of bridges the gap, as the target gets a whole lot harder.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Because I am uninformed, maybe you could explain what F class is?

 

[sobrbiker883]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

http://www.f-classinfo.com/index.html
http://www.6mmbr.com/Fclass.html

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

I compete under F Class rules. I develop loads and sight-in from the bench, then confirm from the F Class position. I train my Grandkids with a .22LR using the bench..., for now.

Greg

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Greg very cool on getting the grandkids involved. I was not so lucky as them, hence me stumbling around here trying to learn.

Biker, thanks for the links I will read through them.

 

[DaveV]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Your subject line asks if there is a merit to bench rest. The simple answer is "of course." Bench rest, like other disciplines of shooting, has evolved into a sport unto itself. Shooting competitions tend to follow the practices of real experience. IPSC, for example, mimics scenarios of combat pistol shooting. However, it has evolved into a very organized sport with very specific weapons and techniques that don't instantly apply back in the real world. I've never seen a cop carrying a high performance IPSC rig and for good reason. These comp disciplines tend to morph into something that only works well within the discipline itself. But, by the same token, I believe a cop who competes in IPSC will be a better shooter in the field, so there is a cross-over into reality.

My personal experience reflects that it is hard to move from bench to tactical shooting. My PIA changes. The only way I can keep this from happening is to line up on my rifle on the bench in the same way I do in prone. Frank and Jacob have dealt with this in the "Assessing the Position" lesson and Frank posted a great video on it. My goal is to be a consistently accurate shooter in every position I might find myself in the real world, but at this point in the game, I have my hands full just trying to master my shooting in the prone. For me, bench rest would be a distraction from the mechanics I need to work on. I have some good friends who shoot bench rest comp and they shoot in the "teens" (1/10ths of an inch). They are extremely damn good shooters. Their goal is to shoot a "0" with every shot going through the same hole. That is not my goal. I hope to someday be able to shoot 1 MOA at every range and condition I encounter. That is a loftly goal but it is attainable. I don't think bench will get me there.

 

[azfyrmedic]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

nicely explained Dave, I see your points.
Thank you

 

[x832]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Articulated very well DaveV.I shot my friends bench rest rifle after much hounding that it was simple to do.First thing that is not compatable,at least for me,was building my position.The rifle was set in a Ultra front rest,all I had to do was set up on the rifle.That is where I got messed up.You don't maul a bench rest rifle.The recoil by design of the huge stock comes lightly back into a shoulder thats supposed to be just touching the butt.The 1oz. trigger breaks by just thinking about it.I had trouble just touching the round off.My index finger tip kinda stuck out perpendicular to the trigger.Forget about resting your cheek on the stock very heavy as this will srew things up.
Concurring with DaveV decide on which disipline you want,they both are shooting styles that are at opposite ends of techniques.Just think at bench rest shooting you already know what the range is.I told my friend that for me it was a little sterile knowing part of the challenge right off the bat.

 

[DaveV]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

In some ways, bench rest is at the opposite side of tactical. My BR friend shoots "free recoil" which means the rife stock is not even in contact with his shoulder. Only his trigger finger pad is in direct contact with the rifle. This goes completely against the grain of bipod loading used in tactical. The ultimate bench rest setup is found at the ammo factories where test barrels are cyborged for exact consistency. Their "rifle" is simply another machine used in their manufacturing process.

 

[sandwarrior]

Re: Merit to bench rest?

Benchrest has it's merits as a teaching tool as well as being a great sport. However, it doesn't completely transfer all the skills needed to shoot prone, sitting, kneeling, and especially standing. Each position has it's own mechanics that benchrest doesn't teach. That's where you need to differentiate if it will help you.

I look at benchrest as being able isolate issues so I can focus on just the rifle. When I get back to position shooting I have a lot clearer idea of what's going on with the rifle and can focus more on me.

That said, going whole hog on the sport of benchrest, isn't going to do a whole lot unless you are shooting a pretty ong range and get the benefit of temp, hum., alt, and wind calls. But, like any sport the more you shoot in that the better you will be.