Bench Rest Question for the Experts

for shooting off a bench, I would take the AR250 by SEB over a bipod any day.
The best accessory I have purchased for BR.
the Only problem I had with the rest was having sufficient clearance between the counterweight and the stock.
i just needed a little more to keep the weigt from hitting the bottle when I had the counterweight positioned at the end
using The joystick was smooth and precise. Holds POA when you let go. No creeping or lag
customer service with Ernie and Christopher is fast and courteous, it is coming from Singapore , so expect a long transit time.
i use mine with bags, so I have no experience with a mono
Mike

this is a good article to read

I use a Randolf machine which is one of the better for the money. I had a Farley that I used for CF Benchrest and airgun but for 25m I couldn’t span the whole card right to left without a rear bag adj. but would be fine for longer range events. The SEBS are some of the finest but very, very pricey!

I have a Randolph front mechanical rest, that I bought used for $400. Just had it cleaned, oiled and adjusted for crisp windage movements.

Have it for two years and it really locks my rifle down and provides great stability for BR purposes.

I have tried various joy stick rests. If your shooting a target with various bullseye they are fast. What I don't like is I can get 99% of they way to the spot I want but to get exactly on that spot in one movement eludes me. I have stayed with a conventional front rest with the vertical and horizontal controls side by side, Sinclair Competition. I might toss in what rest you use will be far less important than your dedication to a set of good flags.

The issue I had with joy sticks is you must be in contact with it throughout the shot, which induces the possibility of human movement or influence In the shot.

The last sentence in the post above is very sound advice! Never, ever shoot unless you are shooting over wind flags. Otherwise you will never learn much or improve your scores.

Joystick rests should have a tension adjustment so that it will stay put without you holding it there.

dgeesaman said:

Joystick rests should have a tension adjustment so that it will stay put without you holding it there.

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Joystick rests do have a tension adjustment. They can be finicky to adjust to your preference, but I still loved my Farley rest and would buy SEB if I could justify it.
Most conditions I shoot a lot of sighters and it’s so easy to go any bull on the paper then to a sighter and back without losing that condition (it takes a quality rest to do this!)

I do not have a "no contact" sagging with the AR250 when the counter weight is set.
There is a weight limit posted on their website, that if exceeded, then you have to hold POA with the stick ... otherwise it is solid on spot
The rests is made by SEB's son and is much less than the Joypods and about 1/3 the price of a NEO
Very portable, and are available, unlike his father's rests which have a very long wait time
I have seen the Skout team and members of Team Centercut using these rest without any complaints
the only issue i have found was the clearance of the counterweight to the stock. Solved by adding a bag rider
Highly recommend flags like the others have stated. i have some made by Graham

I am no expert but I'll offer an opinion anyway. I want either the front rest or the rear rest to be adjustable to "aim" the rifle but I don't think both need to be. The Saber Tactical monopod is, in my opinion, intended for use with a bipod. I made my own horizontally and vertically adjustable monopod and I like shooting with it and a bipod. Lately I've been use a "Rock BR" front rest which adjusts vertically and horizontally and a rear bag. It's a bit more trouble to get set up but I think the gun is more solid using it. At least in the videos and pictures I've seen of people using a Seb they are using some sort of bag on the back. The other point I want to make is that some shooting competitions have rules about rests that you should investigate if you want to shoot in a particular competition. No sense in getting something you can't use.

manabeknives said:

I do not have a "no contact" sagging with the AR250 when the counter weight is set.
There is a weight limit posted on their website, that if exceeded, then you have to hold POA with the stick ... otherwise it is solid on spot
The rests is made by SEB's son and is much less than the Joypods and about 1/3 the price of a NEO
Very portable, and are available, unlike his father's rests which have a very long wait time
I have seen the Skout team and members of Team Centercut using these rest without any complaints
the only issue i have found was the clearance of the counterweight to the stock. Solved by adding a bag rider
Highly recommend flags like the others have stated. i have some made by Graham

Wind Flag Bundles Archives » Graham Wind Flags

www.brflags.com

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I shoot with a couple competitors that use the SEB mini they are a nice rest for size and money

nomojo65 said:

I shoot with a couple competitors that use the SEB mini they are a nice rest for size and money

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Those mini SEB’s,like all of his stuff, are like pieces of jewelry…they so pretty.
Christopher’s rests’ are about 400 cheaper than the mini, but I do expect him to get “hot” and raise his prices.