Tech Tips and How to

Bench Set up – By Les Fraser 

When setting up your bench gear to shoot at Benchrest matches there are key elements that need to be considered to ensure you are going to perform at your best. I will list these here

1/ Make sure your rear bag ears are parallel with the front rest front bag.

2/ Ensure your rest and rear bag are pointing at your target

3/ Ensure you have your rifle tracking forward and back in the bags firm without restriction test your rifles scope position on the target

4/ Ensure your rifle returns to point of aim when you ‘Pin” the rifle against the front post of your rest.

5/ Ensure you are seated correctly at the bench and you are not “reaching Over” to the rifle or sitting to low off the stock giving you un repeatable scope alignment with your cross hairs on the target.

6/ Make sure you have adjusted your scope correctly at the range you are shooting at.

7/ ensure your ammunition is within easy reach and close to the loading port as possible

8/ Ensure you have a timer on the bench ( large display timer)

9/ Ensure you have a towel or bench-mate to stop your cases from falling on the the ground being ejected, 6ppc don’t do well with rough treatment….

10/ Place your group bullets on a batch grouped together as 5 for reference if you are shooting a super small group easy to miss count..

1a Form the ears with your fingers to ensure your rifle contacts the bottom of the stock with the bottom of the valley between your rear bag ears some shooters bang their rifle down to compress the sand. ( I don’t personally like doing this)

2a The front rest and rear bag act as one if they are out of alignment you will through shots through your string. they are their to hold the rifle any pressure or uneven force will result in poor groups.

3a Tracking rifles is about sliding the rifle back and forth multiple times this “beds” the rifle into the bags and you can feel if there is any force to the stock that you need to work out so it tracks smoothly.

4a Sight your rifle pull the rifle back and then re sight and you should be on the same point of aim each time.

5a Posture is important crowding your rifle or reaching for it means your seat is not high enough and you will pull shoots out of the group.

6a Adjusting the objective or side focus to make your cross hairs as clear a possible blurring crosshairs will get you a poor group.

7a your ammunition needs to be close use a reloading block or a ammo holder put your ammunition in an easy reach space ready to load your rifle with ease.

8a A timer is important keeps you focussed on what time is left and later on I will describe how to read the wind with it.

9a Having a towel or bench mate or cloth is important keeps dust down, makes a safe landing for cases being ejected once they have been fired if you are running a condition they will be falling hard.

10a Have your ppc in a batch of five so you don’t loose track there is a penalty if you don’t have enough and if you put 6 or 8 in then your group may be that much more larger for the experience.

Have fun

Les Fraser

HOF 36