Proper bench technique for heavy recoiling rifles?

Granted I am not the most experienced shooter, I do however understand basic physics. A firearm no mater what the caliber once fired will cause recoil. Restricting recoil will have an effect, it may be directly on the shooter, the target, or the device and peripherals. Restrict a firearm from recoil and there will be problems, either with the overall functionality and accuracy of the firearm or worse the scope and it's internal components. A static device will cause issues. Sand bags and the natural body mass will far out perform any static device. Incorporate a fluid recoil mechanism in the designs and you are gold.
 
The sled is able to move backwards,as well as the pad absorbes the impact.The shoulder allowes movement as well,just not as much.Not saying to place the gun on a solid,or in a position that allows no give.Maybe I have just been lucky.Me and recoil do not get along .
 
Iam sure you really believe it did.

Take one riflestock and beat someone over the chest with it. Do the same with another stock, but substitute a large tree.

Take careful notes on which stock breaks first.:p



When momentum is equal, the decelleration forces will be higher when it occurs in less space.

What caliber are you useing in your lead sled?
 
The first year I owned my marlin 45-70 I discovered that sighting it in from a bench with front and rear bags raised the point of impact enough that when hunting I completely missed two different deer at normal hunting ranges. The rear pad caused the muzzle to lift far more than it would if shooting offhand or other field positions.
I believe it is a result of the substantial drop at heel in the Marlin stock. I now sight that rifle in by supporting the receiver with a single pad, and hold the fore end and butt in normal shooting position, no more trouble.
 
I used to have a Led Sled, and now have a Bench Master. It cradles the rifle and still allows movement as to not damage the stock.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I have a Past Magnum pad but I never use it as I'm not particularly bothered by recoil, however I do not particularly enjoy it either. I'm more interested in what the muzzle jump is doing to my groups. The rifle is a Sako custom 300 Win Mag with a laminate stock and Hart barrel. It has a 1" decelerator recoil pad. Recoil isn't painful but the rifle does come back and jump a fair amount.

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Take one riflestock and beat someone over the chest with it. Do the same with another stock, but substitute a large tree.

Take careful notes on which stock breaks first.:p



When momentum is equal, the decelleration forces will be higher when it occurs in less space.

What caliber are you useing in your lead sled?

Need a big tree
 
Take one riflestock and beat someone over the chest with it. Do the same with another stock, but substitute a large tree.

Take careful notes on which stock breaks first.:p



When momentum is equal, the decelleration forces will be higher when it occurs in less space.

What caliber are you useing in your lead sled?

a 22,and I will take carefull notes.
 
i make sure i am sitting up right. on a bi-pod. resting on my elbows. it alows my body to move in recoil. i bench shoot my slug gun. with a hot 49.0 gr of bluedot and 525g slug. i have dont 100 round days. when i hop back to my 30-06 its like shooting my 22.
 
Make sure your are as upright a spossible. Sit or stand square to the target. Do not allow yourself to hunch over the rifle with your body twisted at the waist like you may do with lighter recoiling rifles.

Pad if you wish, but you will find that if you are square and upright, your body moves better and more naturally to the recoil. Plus you have less chance of a scope bite.
 
I'm a one armed bench shooter, sit up straight, pull er in tight and squeeze :)
What he said, but pay close attention to mounting your scope as far ahead as comfortably possible and not leaning into that scope too much when firing.

I've owned several 375s over the yrs and have not been scope cut yet using the above method. Been tapped a couple times though. :redface:

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The sled is able to move backwards,as well as the pad absorbes the impact.The shoulder allowes movement as well,just not as much.Not saying to place the gun on a solid,or in a position that allows no give.Maybe I have just been lucky.Me and recoil do not get along .

GT,

I am not particularly enamoured with recoil either, so have always used quite a high upright position at the bags, and find that really helps.

One thing I have noticed is that sighting in over bags from a high upright position gives almost exactly the same point of impact as shooting from field positions; backpacks, rolled up jackets, hats, etc, even offhand. The groups are much smaller over the bags, but the POI is right there.

I have never used a LeadSled, as I do know of several rifles that had stocks cracked, seriously broken, and one totally destroyed, so have no experience at all with them. How does sighting in for hunting work with a sled? Is the POI pretty well the same as from hunting positions, or do you have to make the final adjustments without the sled?

GT or anyone else, I would be interested in your experience in this regard.

Ted
 
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Heavy recoiling rifles like my 450 3.3/4 inch nitro in a light ruger number 1 requires me to be standing never would i dream of sitting at a bench with it but the same gun in 375 h&h can sit down and i use a pass shoulder pad for all my rifles at the range it just extends my range time always a hand firmly on forstock for 375 and larger smaller well thats for a different thread
 
I sighted my #1 in 450/400NE standing. I used a tripod, and tied a small front bag on top, and rested my front hand on that. When I did take to the bench, I made sure I had the rest as high as i could get it, to make me sit straight up, and rested my front hand on the bag the same way. It shot where it was supposed to.
 
If you hold the rifle loosely against your collarbone and put your eye right up to the scope will give you the most enjoyable and pain free shooting. Plus if you jerk the trigger you will be more accurate. Of course, get someone you don't like to do this method first.. :D
 
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