Gun Sighting Benches

Seahawk · 08-02-2008, 10:21 AM

I've built a gun range that can handle pistols and rifles, out to about 400yds. But, I've been sighting in my rifles the old fashioned way...bag of horse feed on the hood of my pick-up, lay rifle over feed, pull trigger.

So I've been thinking, after seeing some gun benches on the web, with the spotting scope next to the shooter, that I would prefer a less fly-by-truck arrangement.

Also, I followed DARSICs thread on 2x4 benches and it looks like putting together a wooden bench would be straight forward.

So, any of you gun nuts bought or made your own gun sighting bench and have some recommendations?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

There sure are some nice set-ups in the latest Shooters and Cheaper Than Dirt catalogues. I've been working on my M4 a lot, been to the range three times in the last four days. I'm getting a little tired of the 6x6 blocks wrapped in old carpet and beat up Bushnell spotter scope. Please let us know what you end up going with.

Seahawk · 08-02-2008, 01:35 PM

The one in CTD caught my eye. I'm thinking that may be the way to go given the weight of wood.

We'll see. Hope all is well, Rick

John Rogers · 08-02-2008, 02:59 PM

Here is a shot of the ones at the range closest to us in So Cal and note it has a steel tube frame for weight and cutouts so you can have the spotting scope handy. They weigh a ton but don't move even with a 50BMG shooting.

Seahawk · 08-02-2008, 03:11 PM

Looks good...where is that range? I was stationed in San Diego for six years.

Mo_Gearhead · 08-02-2008, 05:18 PM

We set CCA 4 x 4 posts in concrete for the legs. Build the bench (as in the photo)
in a 'T' for left/right hand shooters. Make the top and seat out of 2x4 CCA lumber.

Simple, weather resistant and sturdy is what you want.

pwd72s · 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john rogers

Here is a shot of the ones at the range closest to us in So Cal and note it has a steel tube frame for weight and cutouts so you can have the spotting scope handy. They weigh a ton but don't move even with a 50BMG shooting.

Weight is the key for shooting benches...the club I belong to has them made from concrete...not sure of the details, but guessing they have a mold of some sort. Solid as a rock...the shape is basicly as shown here...the concrete is smooth finish on top, about 3" thick. I never measured.

pwd72s · 08-02-2008, 05:42 PM

Went to the club website...here's the best pic I could find..

John Rogers · 08-02-2008, 07:49 PM

The South Bay Rod and Gun Club is just east of Delzura off highway 94. It is in the mountains at about 1000 feet altitude or so. The hardest part I see is figuring the angle to gut the bottoms of the three legs so the small steel pads will sit flat. Whoever did that was pretty sharp. They weigh about 175# or so each and the small seat weighs about 50#. They are made so that the rear leg sits on one of the seat braces so the table sits at an angle when not in use so rain and stuff will run off.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

Weight is the key for shooting benches...the club I belong to has them made from concrete...not sure of the details, but guessing they have a mold of some sort. Solid as a rock...the shape is basicly as shown here...the concrete is smooth finish on top, about 3" thick. I never measured.

Thanks, Paul.

The bench I make or buy has to be portable...the range includes part of a hay field

I'm looking closely at this: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat602007-cat20718-cat20793&id=0039899228149a&navCount=5&podId=0039899&parentId=cat20793&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=XJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20793&hasJS=true

And this...but it is very expensive

http://www.varmintmasters.net/

charleskieffner · 08-03-2008, 05:18 AM

cabelas and midway sell a slew of porta benches. some very elaborate and not cheap. .22 bull barrel guys use them alot with their own lil weather station included. i guess when ya shoot a pip squeek .22 for a $1000 bucks a round ya want to make them count.

fer me..................harris bipods and a sock filled with sand for rear of buttstock.

we just got done reloading some black moly 250grain bthp speer .338 win mag rounds so we will be hitting range very soon for sight in. its a mcmillian winchester model 70 that shoots .559 groups all day long. leopold 4.5 x 14 scope. have all comeups pasted on side of stock. gun only goes elk hunting period.

drill for simple sight in.

1 swab snott outta barrel til swab comes clean
2 shoot one rd at 200yds
3 place wet cold rung out shop rag from ice chest on barrel
4 watch birds go by allow barrel to cool
5 feel barrel, when cool, make any adjustments and swab barrel til clean
6 take second shot
7 repeat # 3 asap and then repeat # 5
8 by now you should see grouping unless yer a crappy shot
9 cool barrel again, swab barrel
10 take 3rd shot make adjustments
11 by now you should have it down pat
12 take red finger nail polish and mark scope turrets with your zero(be it 100-200-300 yds) i zero for 200. that way anything at 100 or 300yds is dead meat with either raising or lowering barrel a hair. anything further out i lazer range find it and then adjust my comeups accordingly.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 05:33 AM

Thanks, Charles.

The bench is more for my son and friends than me...I can sight in my guns off the hood of my truck

But my 13 year old son has a 30.06 we bought from 911targa and it's pretty heavy for him. As well, my friends like to come over and shoot and we like to compete...the bench will make that easier.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 10:24 AM

Charles, could you PM me...my son wants to go hunting out west I'd like to pick your fertile, no caps allowed brain

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

I made mine outta 3/4" plywood and covered it with outdoor carpet. Legs ard steel pipe screwed into pipe flanges on the bottom. Cross leg supports. Cheap and easy. Has worked well for me for years. I use bench cross sticks or heavy sand bags depending on the rifle I want to fire.

I shoot a lot of BP rifle silhouette so usually use the cross sticks since that what we use in a match...in the ground though in a match.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drdogface

I made mine outta 3/4" plywood and covered it with outdoor carpet. Legs ard steel pipe screwed into pipe flanges on the bottom. Cross leg supports. Cheap and easy. Has worked well for me for years. I use bench cross sticks or heavy sand bags depending on the rifle I want to fire.

I shoot a lot of BP rifle silhouette so usually use the cross sticks since that what we use in a match...in the ground though in a match.

I'm beginning to lean that way...the $200 to $500 bills for a commercial unit is way too much. Any pics?

I have found some DIY plans

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

I can take some pics, maybe today. It's down at my cabin about 20 miles away. I have targets out to only 200 yd but it is enough to get me some load info. I'll get a pic posted as soon as I can. It does have cut outs for R or L handed shooters. Pipe flanges for feet too...forgot to say that before.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drdogface

I can take some pics, maybe today. It's down at my cabin about 20 miles away. I have targets out to only 200 yd but it is enough to get me some load info. I'll get a pic posted as soon as I can. It does have cut outs for R or L handed shooters. Pipe flanges for feet too...forgot to say that before.

I know Grass Valley very well...dated a girl from there in the '70's when I was a white water rafter...is the cabin up or down slope? I thinking up

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Actually it's down....on a (sometimes) lake called Camp Far West down at the very end of Perimeter Road....near Wheatland and Beale AFB. I built it in the 80's when I lived/worked in SF. A labor of love....14" Logs ! It's on 20 ac. and I have pistol range too, barn with loading shop, full solar power. Quite nice esp. in the Spring. Sadly the lake basically goes away by mid July.....irrigation.

My first job out of internship was in Annapolis Md. Love the Cheasapeak Bay. Also loved to raft the So. Fork of the American and did Klamath once or twice.

Seahawk · 08-03-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drdogface

Actually it's down....on a (sometimes) lake called Camp Far West down at the very end of Perimeter Road....near Wheatland and Beale AFB. I built it in the 80's when I lived/worked in SF. A labor of love....14" Logs ! It's on 20 ac. and I have pistol range too, barn with loading shop, full solar power. Quite nice esp. in the Spring. Sadly the lake basically goes away by mid July.....irrigation.

My first job out of internship was in Annapolis Md. Love the Cheasapeak Bay. Also loved to raft the So. Fork of the American and did Klamath once or twice.

Looks like we went in opposite directions, sort of. I grew up in SoCal but now have a farm on the Potomac, love everything but July and August...almost done for this year. My son and I just came in from running tractors. Two hours and back inside

In college I ran all the Sierra rivers, Stani, Cherry Creek, Tuolumne, American, Kern, Merced, etc. as a boatman. One of my favorite trips was running the Kalamath out of Happy Camp.

You live in an amazing part of the world.

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Seahawk,

Just got back with some pics...pretty basic. It's a mite dusty underneath but at least no black widows

Not exactly rock solid but not bad. I know if I braced each leg to the table bottom somehow it would be a lot better. Never got around to it