Sighting in with gun rest, question

Mount Sweetness

Mount Sweetness

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
182   0   0
Location
Southern Ontario
What's your take on this?
While sighting in a rifle....make it an inline muzzleloader, is it detrimental to strap the gun down into a gun rest?
Or should the gun be allowed to jump off the rest freely?

My take was strapping in helps with load development, but will true muzzle jump end up effecting the scope zeroing process?

Sounds like a basic question, silly maybe, but I want your take on it.

Thanks!
 
I believe "rail guns" for very precise bench rest, and pressure guns, are essentially actions bolted down solidly to mount or base, and barrel free in the air - I do not think they have any normal "stock" at all.

For hand held hunting rifles, I only know to rest forearm on the front bag - hold down with left hand - fire and use left hand to restrain it. For sure, my 338 Win Mag will jump up and completely off the front rest, if I do not restrain it. I apparently used to be strong enough to hold my Model 70 Winchester in 308 Win with my right hand only - that one was fired hundreds of times without holding the forearm - just resting on front sandbags.

For two piece stocks, like Ruger No. 1 - I grasp forearm with left hand and rest back of hand against the front bag - seems to shoot better that way, than making a "hand sandwich" of forearm on top of hand on top of sandbag.

You likely want to be grasping the stock in same way that you will be firing it for real.

I was always told that the metal barrel resting on the sandbag or front rest is bad news.

You want each shot to recoil the same, each time - so PITA to have sling or sling studs on forearm when shooting from sandbags. Do not want them to catch or hang up.

Stack sandbags tall - both under forearm and under butt - for hard recoiling rifles - want to be sitting with back erect to be able to flex / rock with recoil. I see many folk stretched out over rifle stock on a bench - head too close to scope, not "normal" grip on stock - that position maximizes felt recoil.

"Sighting in" is basically trying to replicate how you will fire it at a target. Unless you intend to fire at target or game with rifle bolted or strapped down, likely not how you want to sight it in, either.
 
Last edited:
Potashminer nailed it.

Op- I would never strap any rifle down whether it’s for sighting in or load development. I used to own a lead sled, got rid of it after realizing I’m more accurate shooting off of bags or bipods with a rear sandbag.
 
I have never used bipods for shooting - I was led to believe there is some technique required to "pre-load", etc. to get repeatable results - is not something that I ever learned to do - so I do not use them. Just sand filled bags off a shooting table, or whatever is handy for field shooting - to "make do" as best that I can, to get a "steady enough" sight picture for the shot. "Steady enough" is about steadying me or a part of me - my grasp on the rifle is not significantly different than when I was "sighting it in".
 
I’m more concerned with my sight picture and trigger press and repeating that consistently than I am with having the rifle strapped down, I will either have my hand under the forend on top of the front bag like I would be holding it in the field or I have my support hand on top of the barrel lightly holding it with some downward pressure. I want to minimize any shooter error in order to see what the rifle is actually capable of while dialing in the optic.
 
Potashminer said:
I have never used bipods for shooting - I was led to believe there is some technique required to "pre-load", etc. to get repeatable results - is not something that I ever learned to do - so I do not use them. Just sand filled bags off a shooting table, or whatever is handy for field shooting - to "make do" as best that I can, to get a "steady enough" sight picture for the shot. "Steady enough" is about steadying me or a part of me - my grasp on the rifle is not significantly different than when I was "sighting it in".
Click to expand...

I've always found point of impact changes when using a bipod, shouldn't be a rock either , in the field.

Grizz
 
I have leaned my lower back or my forearm against a tree, fence post or rock - seems to have worked, I think. Not so much for placing the rifle on that support though - was not what I meant.
 
Potashminer said:
I have never used bipods for shooting - I was led to believe there is some technique required to "pre-load", etc. to get repeatable results - is not something that I ever learned to do - so I do not use them. Just sand filled bags off a shooting table, or whatever is handy for field shooting - to "make do" as best that I can, to get a "steady enough" sight picture for the shot. "Steady enough" is about steadying me or a part of me - my grasp on the rifle is not significantly different than when I was "sighting it in".
Click to expand...

I use bipods regularly on most of my hunting and target rifles and have never had any issues with a wandering zero and I don’t pre-load for any of them but one- a real lightweight Kimber Hunter that does need forward pressure on the bipod to shoot consistently. I just don’t use a bipod on that rifle, the extra weight kind of defeats the purpose of having a lightweight rifle anyways.

I’ve found with some wood stocks and cheap Tupperware stocks proper bedding is essential to utilizing a bipod.
 
Mount Sweetness said:
Lot's of bipod talk. I don't have any plans on using a bipod on my muzzleloader. Seems to have gotten side tracked.
Click to expand...

Not to be a smart arse, but why not go find out for yourself? Worse things in life to do than popping off 40-50 shots with a ML. Maybe the guys are offering up the bipod idea, as that, a rolled up jacket, or over your wifes rear end are the only available options in the field while hunting. If you don't plan on shooting it strapped from a rest while hunting, why worry so much. The best way to find out is to simply shoot it.
 
Recently went through something similar myself, I found strapping a gun down to the rest and interrupting the “flow” of the recoil can and will effect things. Your zero will change going from strapped down to off hand shooting. I prefer sand bags as there simply supporting the rifle at the height you want, nothing on the rifle or nothing holding it down.

Another fun experiment is to see how your POI changes with your ram rod in verses out. My muzzle loader shoots 3” higher with the ram rod than without. Very little changes make a big difference.

For me and my muzzle loaders, sand bags under the receiver to avoid the fore stock flexing and a small bag under the rear with the ram rod out and I like about 5 minutes between shots when shooting sabots. YMMV
 
My experience is that rifles need to slide back (not much) in the front rest for optimum consistency …. consequently would never consider strapping one down. I don’t worry about muzzle jump as the bullet is probably well downrange by the time the straight back recoil makes enough contact with my shoulder which results in that “jump”. Seems to me that the muzzle jump would not occur if the recoil/slide was not “blocked” …. because when movement to the rear is “stopped”, the only direction the muzzle wants to go is up … because of the design of the stock. My understanding is that when it goes bang, the rifle wants to move the opposite direction of bullet travel, and roll a bit to the right as the bullet engages the “twist”/rifling.
 
I use a Targetmaster rest and simply grip the wrist of the stock with finger on the trigger, don't hold forestock at all, just let the recoil happen.

But I believe you gotta tuck right down into the gun. Sitting too upright to me says you are 'recoil shy'.

For the record I shoot .300H&H, 9.3x62, .375H&H, .416RM, .458Lott. But the worst gun I've ever fired for recoil on the bench is a hot-rodded Marlin M1895 Guide Gun with the short 18.5" barrel. Way worse 'felt recoil' than the .458Lott due to the short barrel. That damn thing just bucked like a mule! It would cause my teeth to smash together.
 
Last edited:
1cuz1 said:
How much POI difference has anyone seen between resting the stock on the sand bag vs the barrel??

Just curious!
Thanks
Click to expand...

Is one of those things I was told never to do - say 50 years ago - and never did it. I have seen pictures of BPCR shooters with what look like very heavy hex barrels on crossed sticks - very slim / dainty forearms - is clearly that heavy barrel on the sticks - so maybe not as "iron clad" rule as I was led to believe. I likely will now try it, to know for myself. So should you.

Is in my mind that the vibrations in barrel - as the bullet comes up the tube - are going to be different, if the support places on the barrel are changed, or the bullet speed is changed - the muzzle will be slightly different place in its oscilation as bullet exists - meaning bullet heading to different place - I think was basis for the "compensation" that was desired for the Lee Enfield No.1 long range target rifles. I suspect that if that support is always the same, can get tight groups. The issue is support one shot, then no support the next shot - I can not see the bullets going to same place - which is the point of "sighting in", I think.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom