I've done a little messing around adding weight to one of my P35s for 30 yard challenge shooting. But it occurred to me to ask more experienced bench shooters. I'm sure weight helps tame guns with recoil but does weight help 5 lb 22 caliber 32fpe airguns too? If so, do you have a favorite way to add weight? How much would you add?
Added weight for benchrest shooting.
- Thread starter JimD
- Start date
I think the weight helps for more than recoil. I think it keeps the rifle more steady too. Requires more effort to move the rifle, all your twitches, breathing, etc.
The best ways I have to add weight are MLOK weight bars when available and with a heavy scope. I have seen people adding brass bars using flashlight type Picatinny adapters too. I have considered possibly doing this if I end up with a rifle where my other options don’t work.
The best ways I have to add weight are MLOK weight bars when available and with a heavy scope. I have seen people adding brass bars using flashlight type Picatinny adapters too. I have considered possibly doing this if I end up with a rifle where my other options don’t work.
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Still undecided. It was been windy here but is better at 6 to 8mph today so I did a little shooting both ways with the same gun and scope. I have an old stock for it that is painted and I screwed a 1 lb lead bar to it. I've also used 2 before but I think 1 is enough. Half a pound might be enough. I think it helps stability a little but also makes the adjustment screw on my adjustable monopod a little harder to turn. If I decide I like it I will put the weight inside the stock (route a groove in the forend).
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I believed Smok3y but I wanted to see some indication with my gun. That happened yesterday. I was shooting poorly, I shot a 196 with this rifle in an unweighted stock Sunday. But yesterday I shot a 178 even though there was much less wind. So I moved the gun to my crudely weighted stock and shot the 192. My pattern is to shoot better on the first target and get progressively worse. So I don't think this was just me shooting better. This is my P35 in 22 shooting unsorted H&N Match pellets at about 810 fps at 30 yards. The extra shots were me trying to figure out if my misses were me or the scope moving or wind. The scope is new and I think it's probably me but I had the same sort of shifting poi on a different gun this morning but it was winder. It might be going back but hopefully not. The scores are based on the worse shots.
I have a large weight cooling right now. I will bolt it on where the Pic rail is and use my Rock br front rest. At least that's the plan. Thanks for your thoughts.
I have a large weight cooling right now. I will bolt it on where the Pic rail is and use my Rock br front rest. At least that's the plan. Thanks for your thoughts.
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The new scope is an Athlon Argos 10-40 SFP. I like it but I don't like it when my poi seems to move. Sometimes it is me holding the gun differently but once or twice on a target of 20 shots I have to rezero.
If your POI is changing enough on one target to have to zero again, something isn't quite right. Do you know if your velocity was reasonably consistent during the target string? If you know that your hold was consistent, and that nothing is amiss with the scope, I don't know what else in might be other than a gain or loss of velocity. I would try another scope, just to eliminate it as the issue.
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Your wasting your money until you use windflags outdoors. Invest in a set of good windflags. Much better then replacing a scope that is probably fine. If the wind is light, say 4 mph, and you shot in a reverse its like shoot in 8 mph wind and YOU held on the wrong side of the bullseye.
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Adding weight is beneficial as adding weight as low as you can to a race car. The lower the CG relative to the bbl centerline the better.
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I think the scope is fine. It is 1/8th moa per click and I think I was mostly chasing the impact of the wind but not really clicking enough to have much impact at 30 yards.
I have shot a couple 195 masters targets with the added weight but I shot a 196 without it. I think the weight helps as does the scope but the most important variable is still me. I am back to using two wind flags (in 30 yards) but I do not consistently use them well. Right after Helene my wind flags were precluded by a big oak tree that fell. I consistently shoot my best targets in wind that is consistent. Usually that means very low wind but the 196 was consistent 6 mph winds. When it changes direction or intensity I usually do not adjust well.
I have shot a couple 195 masters targets with the added weight but I shot a 196 without it. I think the weight helps as does the scope but the most important variable is still me. I am back to using two wind flags (in 30 yards) but I do not consistently use them well. Right after Helene my wind flags were precluded by a big oak tree that fell. I consistently shoot my best targets in wind that is consistent. Usually that means very low wind but the 196 was consistent 6 mph winds. When it changes direction or intensity I usually do not adjust well.
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