Best front rest for new target shooter

[heron]

Hi guys,

I'm going about getting my license for target shooting and am doing my research on other bits I'll need.

What do you guys find is best for the front shooting rest? (Got a hand-me-down rear bag off a mate so will go with that for a while).

Depending who you see some guys are shooting off bipods, backpacks, competition rests, those max-box cross shaped foam things...

I don't know any of the pros and cons for each.

Thanks for any info guys.

[Chronos]

I use caldwell's "the rock" front rest for most of my guns. I have a couple of bags to suit different shaped rifle stocks and its easy to adjust it to suit them.

The spikes on the feet are a little soft so you should use some carpet on concrete benches

Chronos

[bigfellascott]

I guess it comes down to the $$$ you have to spend on it, what type of shooting ie competitive or just shooting some targets for fun etc. I have a Caldwell Joystick job which is nice to use, I also use bipods a lot as I mainly hunt and really want to see how they shoot using those, I even have homemade sandbags that I use too so

Trust me you don't have to get all fancy to shoot nice groups for a bit of fun, she's a long and at times expensive journey you have embarked on so don't be in a full on rush to buy the best, take your time and just have a look around and ask questions like you have and you will soon get some idea of whats what with this sort of thing and you have a better idea of what might suit your needs then.

Anyway enjoy the sport and welcome to the wonderful world of firearms ownership! Lots to learn and lots of mistakes to be made, trust me we've all been there and some are still there! Also have a look around for some second hand gear too, often people get out of the sport for one reason or another and you might find some good quality gear for reasonable $$$.

Good luck

Sandbags made out of calico and old Jeans legs


The Caldwell I use


Rear Bag I use

[Noisydad]

Don't forget to make your stuff when you can!

[Lorgar]

I use caldwell's "the rock" front rest for most of my guns.

I'm using The Rock Junior.

Similar to the picture from Chronos, but without the sqeezy sides for the bags, spirit level and rod to catch the front of the stock. Just has elevation adjustment.

$150 cheaper than the other though. $90 in any shop?

Cheap start, and still a good rest IMO.

[Lorgar]

And using a Champion rear bag like bigfellascott posted too.

[heron]

Thanks for replies all.

Caldwell is the popular one hey.

I'll get to the shop and take a look.

Cheap is definitely good too, thanks for the prices Lorgar.

[Antie]

Sandbags made out of calico and old Jeans legs

Resourceful.

I'd just end up with sand everywhere and have one less pair of pants though

[headspace]

It comes down to what ever works for you and how much you want to spend and really how much you can justify spending. I know one bloke at our range who made his own front rest out of one of those scissor type car jacks and it works for him. I made my own out of hardwood, and my wife sewed up a nice rear bag as well. If you are mainly a hunter then you'll be resting the rifle on what ever is handy in the field, so don't get too carried away.
JD

[bigfellascott]

Sandbags made out of calico and old Jeans legs

Resourceful.

I'd just end up with sand everywhere and have one less pair of pants though

I'm lucky - I have a wife who knows how to use a sewing machine, if I had to do it they'd be covered in blood from me sticking myself with the needle! seriously though they were dead easy to make and only took minutes, she only had to stitch both ends up (leaving a small gap to put a bottle into so I could use it as a funnel for the sand, then just a matter of finishing of with some tread and needle.

They work very well too - I also have a big calico bag for the front (bit heavy but does a good job just the same)

As JD said the Scissor Jacks are another good cheap alternative that work surprisingly well (got one sitting in my cupboard waiting to be turned into a rest) just need to pull my finger out and get it done.

[Antie]

seriously though they were dead easy to make and only took minutes, she only had to stitch both ends up (leaving a small gap to put a bottle into so I could use it as a funnel for the sand, then just a matter of finishing of with some tread and needle.

Yeah, easy to make... When someone with the skill is making them

[tom604]

made my bags out of scrap material and filled with rice,,,if im ever hungry i can boil up my bags

[Chronos]

guys if you're looking for equipment to use in proper competition i'd suggest buying the best gear you can afford.

the op isn't talking about sighting in a hunting off the bonnet of the car from what i can tell so trust me when i say that everyone you'll be competing with will be and you'd be letting yourself down to walk to the firing line with a front rest made from an old pair of jeans when everyone else is using solid adjustable front rests with bags that fit their rifles forend.

not trying to be an equipment snob but if you want to compete your gear needs to be competative

Chronos

[Apollo]

Equipment for proper competition to be competative...

Is going to cost money, like over a Grand. Forget the cheap gear even like the Caldwell FireControl Coaxial as it will let you down. It's cheap and only just in the ball game.

You need gear like this....

First, modified F-Class Caldwell Rock BR 1,000 with Shadetree Coaxial Rest Top & Prokector Rear Bag.



Second and much, much nicer is a Farley Coaxial Front Rest and SEB Bigfoot Rear Bag with Trigger Hand Support.



Any bag you use in Benchrest &/or F-Class needs to be heavy and stable. Forget Rice or even Sand, Sand Blasting Grit is the go and very heavy. As I found out recently I can have a Tonne of it for nothing, used from the local Sand Blaster. They pay to get rid of it.

Perhaps Cronos will post a photo of his nice secondhand SEB Front Rest. A new one, well be prepared to wait 6-12 months for delivery and pay a lot more money.

[bigfellascott]

guys if you're looking for equipment to use in proper competition i'd suggest buying the best gear you can afford.

the op isn't talking about sighting in a hunting off the bonnet of the car from what i can tell so trust me when i say that everyone you'll be competing with will be and you'd be letting yourself down to walk to the firing line with a front rest made from an old pair of jeans when everyone else is using solid adjustable front rests with bags that fit their rifles forend.

not trying to be an equipment snob but if you want to compete your gear needs to be competative

Chronos

I don't think he mentioned anywhere he wanted to shoot competitions etc, just said he wants to shoot targets (who knows what that means really) but you're right - if you want to do competition target shooting well definitely have a good look around at what people are using, ask lots of questions about said gear and then go from there but if you're like a lot of people who just shoot targets in a non competitive way and just for some fun etc well get a little bit creative and see what you can make that will still do a half decent job, then if you find you enjoy it, well then step up and buy some quality gear and have a crack.

Scissor Jacks
Sand Bags
Socks filled with sand/rice

And any manner of diff things can be used for a front rest - so long as its stable it can be used - obviously better equipment will generally result in better consistency and results as a rule but we have all got to start somewhere hey.

[Chronos]

You're right Scott, the most important thing is to get out there and shoot as often as he can

The thread title asks for the " best " front rest for a new target shooter which is why I suggested as a minimum the Caldwell rock, not a $1500 Farley and not a home made sand bag but really maybe we should ask what kind if target shooting?

Maybe the op wants to sight in their rifle for metallic silhouette or field rifle. Maybe to get sight settings for small bore or military service rifle. In this case my recommendation wouldn't change.

Chronos

[bigfellascott]

You're right Scott, the most important thing is to get out there and shoot as often as he can

The thread title asks for the " best " front rest for a new target shooter which is why I suggested as a minimum the Caldwell rock, not a $1500 Farley and not a home made sand bag but really maybe we should ask what kind if target shooting?

Maybe the op wants to sight in their rifle for metallic silhouette or field rifle. Maybe to get sight settings for small bore or military service rifle. In this case my recommendation wouldn't change.

Chronos

I think the issue here is not so much what we have recommended but the lack of real information from the OP so we could give a more refined answer to his question, until such time as we really know what he exactly means by "Target Shooting" we can only give him a broad selection of ideas as we have done.

The way I read the post was he's just got his license and I'm only guessing here that he would just like to learn to shoot at targets, on that basis a basic setup would be good enough to start with until he's certain he would like to pursue it in a more serious manner.

Unfortunately the lack of information from the OP has really made it a guessing game as it were.

It would be handy if he would clarify exactly what his post means.

I guess this highlights the problem with posts that are lite on when it comes to info - you end up with all sorts of information that really doesn't help in the end.

Anyway hopefully the OP will clarify exactly what he means, then we can get him headed in the right direction.

[Warrigul]

Unfortunately the lack of information from the OP has really made it a guessing game as it were.

It would be handy if he would clarify exactly what his post means.

I guess this highlights the problem with posts that are lite on when it comes to info - you end up with all sorts of information that really doesn't help in the end.

Anyway hopefully the OP will clarify exactly what he means, then we can get him headed in the right direction.

The OP did say "Depending who you see some guys are shooting off bipods, backpacks, competition rests, those max-box cross shaped foam things.." this tends to push purpose towards something other than "F" class.

Purpose is necessary, I don't believe that joystick rests and specialised rifles are a good way to learn, their purpose is to take the human error out of the equation which ultimately leads to poor shooting skills- especially trigger control, there is a huge trend towards light triggers and this is leading to a whole crop of faults directly related to triggering.

With minimal instruction you can put an idiot behind a joystick setup and they will shoot well (yes I hear the people I shoot with saying I often use a "proper" rest, but it does have its place).

At what point does it not become shooting? Difficult question.

95% of shooters are better off with a couple of sandbags.

[Apollo]

I'm going about getting my license for target shooting and am doing my research on other bits I'll need.

That rules out any form of Hunting as in New South Wales with a Target only License you cannot shoot anywhere other than at a Range.

[Chronos]

Purpose is necessary, I don't believe that joystick rests and specialised rifles are a good way to learn, their purpose is to take the human error out of the equation which ultimately leads to poor shooting skills- especially trigger control, there is a huge trend towards light triggers and this is leading to a whole crop of faults directly related to triggering.

With minimal instruction you can put an idiot behind a joystick setup and they will shoot well (yes I hear the people I shoot with saying I often use a "proper" rest, but it does have its place).

I mostly agree, especially about joystick rests and specialised rifles not being an ideal way to learn though I would say that having a rifle sitting firmly in front and rear rests, be they any kind of mechanical rest or sandbags actually takes a lot of the concentration off other things and allows you to focus more on the finer elements like trigger control.

I learnt to shoot as an adult, not blessed with being country raised I didn't have any real exposure to guns until about 2008. However I was fortunate enough to join a club that shot service rifle and high power style matches every Saturday morning so that's what in did. Every week I went to the range and shot at 100,200 or 300m standing, sitting, kneeling and prone either with a sling or bipod. For me it was a steep learning curve but within a year I learned a lot, and even managed to move up a few grades. We could shoot modern hunting rifles with scopes but the service rifle format proved a great challenge because of the different pace and shooting positions.

Looking back I wished I'd had some better coaching but the reality was the RO's had enough on their hands watching 18 shooters at a time doing a 3 p match and coaching took a back seat.

Most of what I learned came from conversations with other more experienced shooters, guys and girls who were 10, 20 or more years further into their shooting career than myself and that's where shooting with a club or at a range will help a new shooter. Ask questions, look at the gear people are using, chances are its because it's the best equipment for the job.

No point buying a $300 atlas bipod for a metallic silhouette rifle, and no point buying a max box foam rest for benchrest competition.


Chronos

[tom604]

heron, put hunting down on your license you never know when you might want to go hunting,,if your not going to compete or not jump in the big dollar end straight away just get a cheap rest, you can always move it on and buy better if you decide that is what you want to do and if your just up against your mates and they have all the toys just use theirs

[Warrigul]

heron, put hunting down on your license you never know when you might want to go hunting,,if your not going to compete or not jump in the big dollar end straight away just get a cheap rest, you can always move it on and buy better if you decide that is what you want to do and if your just up against your mates and they have all the toys just use theirs

Agree totally,

I have shot possibles at 300 and 900 using a home made front rest and a $15 allen rear bag filled with rice, the second time I had a house brick under the bag.

Sometimes it is possible to keep up with minimal gear, better than staying home and not having a go.

[heron]

Apollo, Tom,

Yep, put hunting on there

One thing at a time and starting at the range