N/A Springer bench rest contraptions

[Sawney Bean]

I'm just wondering what experience people here have had with them. One of the really nice things about evaluating a PCP is that you can shoot it from a rest and remove 90% or more of the human error from the equation. It doesn't matter if you got 2 hours of sleep last night and compensated with 5 cups of coffee. If the gun is capable of it, you can still shoot tight groups from a bench with the right gear. When shooting a springer on the other hand that's often not the case some guns just don't like being rested in certain ways or might shoot accurately but to a different point of impact. Even shooting from a rest is a bit of an art with a springer.

It's got me thinking about making a rest that would use drawer slides and Bog Deathgrip style clamps to hold the forearm and pistol grip. Something like that would allow the rifle to freely recoil and should provide a repeatable hold.

 

[Struckat]

I see some using a rest in photos with springers. My two must have my hands as the rest. I put my forward hand touching a rest and that’s it. I think that clamping them in anything will not work for my springers.

 

[Mycapt65]

I have tried resting the rifle on various surfaces and contraptions. Some ok, some terrible. I always wind up with my elbows on the table, holding the gun VERY lightly and steadying my left forearm or wrist on something soft. Perhaps not the best for everyone but this works best for me.

I also use the same repeatable hand holds based on stock design. My holds aren't necessarily the most accurate but give me the most consistent accuracy. I'll give up ultimate accuracy for more repeatable good accuracy.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Mine don't like bags at all. They shoot OK but the patterns aren't fantastic and the POI is different than when you are supporting the rifle. If I zero off a bag the POI is much lower when I shoot offhand. When I zero off the tripod the POI is exact in any position.

I sit in a lawn chair and shoot off a camera tripod. I put some pressure between my off hand and shoulder. I pull the trigger into my shoulder to release the shot. It's definitely not as solid as bags or a rest but it's much easier for me to print tiny patterns. When I stopped trying to fully support the rifle my groups improved a lot.

I'm sure there are techniques that make bags and rests very effective. I don't employ them.

The best device to reduce hold sensitivity that I've found is a limbsaver butt pad and a steady offhand pressure into your shoulder. Whenever I've tried to support the butt of the rifle on a tail bag my groups suck. When I support the rifle with my shoulder the pellets stack up. When I add some rubber between my shoulder and the gun I have fewer flyers. When my offhand pressure to my shoulder perfectly offsets the inertia of the shot cycle every pellet touches.

In my limited experience the best rest is no rest at all. Absorbing the movement of the shot is more important than a rock steady hold. You make up the difference with trigger timing.

I've found this true with light PB rifles too. They are "twitchy" and hard to pattern when supported in the rear on a bag. Rest them on a bipod up front with some preload into your shoulder and they start dropping them in the same hole. Your body absorbs the tiny movement of the trigger breaking much better than just laying the rifle on a bag. That error is often much greater than your "wobble" when supporting the rifle against your shoulder.

 

[Sawney Bean]

I've had some or my best results while using the field target sitting position. I've found that seems to work well with almost all springers. I've had good luck using bags with lower powered springers, but the magnums often don't like it. The problem with the FTS position however is that shooting accurately from it is still largely a matter of luck and skill. It would be nice to have a way to eliminate those as factors and to know that the fliers either are or aren't your fault.

One of the more interesting ideas I came across while searching the forum was shooting off of a silicone breast prosthesis. It actually sounds like a good idea, they're made to mimic human tissue after all, but just imagine what your suggested amazon shopping would be like after ordering one. No thank you.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I've had some or my best results while using the field target sitting position. I've found that seems to work well with almost all springers. I've had good luck using bags with lower powered springers, but the magnums often don't like it. The problem with the FTS position however is that that shooting accurately from it is still largely a matter of luck and skill. It would be nice to have a way to eliminate those as factors and to know that the fliers either are or aren't your fault.

One of the more interesting ideas I came across while searching the forum was shooting off of a silicone breast prosthesis. It actually sounds like a good idea, they're made to mimic human tissue after all, but just imagine what your suggested amazon shopping would be like after ordering one. No thank you.

There are dozens of silicone items at your local adult bookstore you could take a rest on.

There are silicone gel seat cushions, knee and elbow pads, kids toys...

You could use a fake tit. Or a pair. Or get a big rubber butt and lay the forend in the crack. I bet you could find a silicone ballistic torso. Lay it face down and it would make a fine airgun rest.

 

[Sawney Bean]

It just seems to me that mechanically duplicating a given rifle hold shouldn't be that difficult. We're basically just talking about four points of contact and allowing the rifle to move during the shot cycle.

There are dozens of silicone items at your local adult bookstore you could take a rest on.

There are silicone gel seat cushions, knee and elbow pads, kids toys...

You could use a fake tit. Or a pair. Or get a big rubber butt and lay the forend in the crack. I bet you could find a silicone ballistic torso. Lay it face down and it would make a fine airgun rest.

Good point. I think I'll avoid the anatomical ones though. Silicone bicycle seat covers used to be thing. I doubt they'd be thick enough to allow the rifle to recoil freely however.

 

[KWK]

There are dozens of silicone items at your local adult bookstore you could take a rest on.

There are silicone gel seat cushions, knee and elbow pads, kids toys...

You could use a fake tit. Or a pair. Or get a big rubber butt and lay the forend in the crack. I bet you could find a silicone ballistic torso. Lay it face down and it would make a fine airgun rest.

Oh, I bet you look cute in THOSE!
NOT that there's anything wrong with it.

 

[KWK]

Actually, this sort of stuff gives me the feeling, Daddy holds the gun and lets me pull the trigger.

 

[MDriskill]

I have tried resting the rifle on various surfaces and contraptions. Some ok, some terrible. I always wind up with my elbows on the table, holding the gun VERY lightly and steadying my left forearm or wrist on something soft. Perhaps not the best for everyone but this works best for me.

I also use the same repeatable hand holds based on stock design. My holds aren't necessarily the most accurate but give me the most consistent accuracy. I'll give up ultimate accuracy for more repeatable good accuracy.

My shooting pal Lance does a very similar thing. He uses his normal shooting hold, but with both arms rested across a big cheap pillow, with a plastic cover on it, lying on the table. You can hold a rifle consistently, and absolutely motionless, this way. I typically use a heavy Caldwell rest with a soft pad under the fore end of the gun, but he regularly outshoots me that way.

 

[Sawney Bean]

My shooting pal Lance does a very similar thing. He uses his normal shooting hold, but with both arms rested across a big cheap pillow, with a plastic cover on it, lying on the table. You can hold a rifle consistently, and absolutely motionless, this way. I typically use a heavy Caldwell rest under the fore end of the gun, but he regularly outshoots me that way.

Bingo! That's exactly the kind of advice I was hoping to get. I might get a chance to try that out today if I don't get called into work first.

 

[Longbow53]

Heres my post on "Free Floating Springer forearm"...might give you some ideas.Pete

Tuning - Free floating Springer Forearm

Thought I'd show these pics again for anyone wanting to wring out every bit of accuracy with your break barrel or under lever gun. I put on Air rifle Matches for four years till they pittered out...to bad. we had some good times.I got a lot of guys into shooting the 300 S for the springer...

www.airgunnation.com

 

[dgeesaman]

@Nitrocrushr I saw you made a recoil measuring slide - could it be used to shoot accurate groups?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Oh, I bet you look cute in THOSE!
NOT that there's anything wrong with it.

Do you get a kick out of posting crap like that?

 

[Sawney Bean]

I think I can now confirm that the pillow technique that MDriskoll describes is very good. Here is a 5 shot group that I just shot with a .25 Beeman Kodiak at 50 yards. It gives you a very stable platform and seems to allow the gun to freely recoil at the same time.

 

[Sawney Bean]

And 5 shots with the .30 Hatsan 135. 4 in one large hole and one about 1.25” low.

 

[KWK]

Do you get a kick out of posting crap like that?

Monkey see monkey do

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Monkey see monkey do

You behave like a child that needs a spanking.

If you spoke to me like that face to face you would get one.

Don't treat me with disrespect or we will tangle. Don't post at my expense or we will tangle. Leave people alone and things will go a lot smoother.

 

[thumper]

I have found that resting the gun at its balance point on a soft bag, and shouldering the rear is about as good as you will get. For me it doesn't change the POI from normal shooting enough that I notice it.

Then again, if I have a springer that is that temperamental, I work on it till it's not.

Any more complicated than that and I don't see the point for my uses.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I have found that resting the gun at its balance point on a soft bag, and shouldering the rear is about as good as you will get. For me it doesn't change the POI from normal shooting enough that I notice it.

Then again, if I have a springer that is that temperamental, I work on it till it's not.

Any more complicated than that and I don't see the point for my uses.

I agree. It's not really the cushioning on the bag or rest that's the problem. It's how you hold the butt. At least that's my theory. A bag (or tripod) at the CG seems to make the gun recoil straight back and forth and the pellets hit closer together.