Recommended Height for Shooting Bench?

[Buck Wilde]

A friend of mine shoots with me, and his neck doesn't work well with prone shooting. For this reason, and also because I just want one, I want to build a bench.

I thought about buying pressure-treated wood, but then I realized woodworking is a pain in the butt compared to welding, so I plan to weld up a frame and bolt wood to the top. It should be much faster and give me a lighter bench which is strong and easier to move.

I thought it would be a good idea to create a high bench because my friend is tall, but I just saw a Youtube video in which a sniper said to try to lean forward at a bench so you're horizontal to the rifle. He said this was key to recoil management.

Naturally, I wondered: what's a good height for a bench top? A typical table is around 29".

 

[SourMash]

When I built my bench, I just picked a height that seemed good to me and went to framing. I don't remember how tall it is but I haven't had anyone tell me they wish it was a different height. Figure out what you are planning on sitting on and go from there. That's the joy of custom building, make it how it fits you

 

[Buck Wilde]

I thought there might be some secret special height all snipers were aware of.

 

[SourMash]

Ha, There's plenty of snipers around here but I'm nowhere near that level yet. I'm just a old beginner. Good luck with it

 

[Lowlight]

Build it rectangle and not with a cut out

You the bench square, so you can stand straight up behind the rifle properly

If you want to sit at the bench, make it low so you can get your shoulders in front of your hips,

This position is no different from prone, we put all our older students on these benches,

The rail up front is adjustable too, the holes on the side.

 

[brianf]

^^^beat me to it ..was typing

 

[Buck Wilde]

Thanks for the help. I'm making a bench for seated shooting.

Why no cutout? That surprised me.

 

[hlee]

Thanks for the help. I'm making a bench for seated shooting.

Why no cutout? That surprised me.

Because it is 2020 and you want to be straight behind the rifle to properly control recoil. The cutout promotes shooting from the side of the rifle, which will allow the rifle to jump to one direction or the other.

 

[Diver160651]

Thanks for the help. I'm making a bench for seated shooting.

Why no cutout? That surprised me.

so that it promotes bending forward and forces you square. If it is a seating bench, build lower than what you see at the public ranges as well. The table should low enough that the shooter is able to sit in the chair and duplicate the feet, hips, and shoulders perpendicular to the rifle as in the image. When you attempt to do that, you'll notice the rifle bench must be lower, or the chairs much higher. Higher chairs are not the proper solution.

 

[Buck Wilde]

That will definitely make it easier to build. Maybe I should just get a wide picnic table.

 

[vh20]

I have four of these scattered around.
33-7/8 h
47-1/2 l
45-1/2 w
I buy a wooden barstool from WalMart for $10 and cut the legs to make it 22-1/2 high. I’m able to get low enough to get shoulders well in front of hips as Frank mentioned, so there is no change in my Zero or POI from bench to prone, etc. No cutout either. It’s very heavy, made entirely of treated 2x6s with 4x4 legs, but they have no wobble in them.

 

[Buck Wilde]

It's too late for advice to help me now. This afternoon, I bought $100 worth of 2" square tubing, some angle iron, truck bed paint, and a bunch of screws. Looks like I'm committed. Tomorrow I'll pick up some two-by-sixes for the top.

In retrospect, 1/8"-wall tubing was overkill. I will need the tractor to put this thing in place.

Based on what I learned here, I'm making a simple four-foot square table with a height of around 29", depending on how deep it sinks into the pasture.

 

[loveha]

I built mine with a cut out, but I still shoot straight behind. It is more or less there for gear and what not. Like mentioned, it's low, seat is low. It's also long. Pretty sure those are 6" deck boards I recycled.

I sat on my welding stool at work, then bent over my welding bench and was like yes, that will do nicely. Seat is 19" and top is 32". Make it as wide and long as you like.

 

[Buck Wilde]

I am also running the boards across and not front to back. I thought the other arrangement would be more likely to be annoying when using a bipod. I would be nice to shoot with a pad, though.

My current mat is a Crosstac, and it has 4 flat sections, so I don't know if I can make it work on a bench. I can't just unroll as much as I need.

 

[loveha]

Mine is just scrap warehouse racking that I welded into shape. Then carriage bolted three runners from the decking so I would have something to screw the top decking down. Then put a few coats of left over deck sealant on.
It's amazing how good some boards are on a bad deck/porch if you run them through a planer and power wash them.

So if you are redoing a deck or porch, may be able to give it a second purpose in life as a bench, or maybe even an entire shooting platform with bench.

 

[Buck Wilde]

Things are well under way. I wanted to upgrade to a bigger welding bench, but I put it off. Now I'm paying the price.

 

[spife7980]

I made mine 36” deep and 36” off the ground. 72” long to seat 2 people. Room for a bipods out front and it’s perfect for me on a folding metal chair. Some short fat people have issues and need a booster seat. I think it’s more their positioning in the rifle but who am I to chide them. No one that shoots regularly has issues.

 

[Buck Wilde]

Today I finished the frame and started painting. The wood will go on tomorrow, barring complications.

 

[Buck Wilde]

It's all done. Now I have to move it to the pasture and put landmines around it to keep the cattle away.

 

[loveha]

Looks great. At least you put wheels on yours. Something I wish I did with mine. Takes two to move mine anywhere.

 

[Buck Wilde]

Thanks. I had wheels left over from another project. Bits of bar, too. Made axles on the lathe, pressed them in, and welded them in place. There is no such thing as scrap.