Half and half? My current Open gun just happens to be, as a result of an experiment gone horribly wrong, an obnoxious pink!!!
How thick are the sand bags? Also wondering how this would work for benchrest for score shooting?
Willow, It is a bit tricky to adjust the ears with the weight of the rifle setting on the sand rails. This pulls the ears in at the top when the lock screws are loosened. I made a little block of wood that I use to place between the adjustable ears which the rifle rests on so there is no weight on the sand rails. Now just slide the sides in till the rollers are in full contact with the forearm and tighten everything down, remove your block and your done. I actually leave a bit of a gap by using a folded piece of paper between the rollers and the forearm on one side. My guns seem to like this method. I would try the rollers a bit loose and with all four rollers in contact and see what works best for you. I can see from your video the ground was soft enough for your MINI to bounce a bit.
Jim, u can get me one for Christmas,Went to the range today and tested Rods new top on my NEO. Works great, tracks perfect and you don't have to line up exactly on the target, the top takes care of that.
Jim
guys, there has been a lot of debate lately on the F-Class Facebook pages and a few other locations probably, regarding the legality of my side rollers. I am not sure where the ICFRA will land on the issue of rollers yet but Mid Tompkins and I had a good long conversation today. Mid looked one over last night with a friend of his that has been using it from almost the beginning. Here is what Mid gave me permission to say regarding the side roller issue as it relates to the NRA High power rules.
"I see nothing in the high power rules saying side rollers are illegal"
here is what I personally believe:
We call our sport F-OPEN and that should allow for new and innovative technology and methods as they come along. I realized going in that my rest would not qualify as legal at an IBS match so i worked that out after introducing my 5 Axis top for F-Open. I have now developed a drop on adapter plate and two new ears to meet the regulations for that sanctioning body of rules. It will be on my web site when they are out of machining and anodizing and ready to ship.
NBRSA has another set of rules which I read as a bit less restrictive than IBS so my IBS adapter should work for both.
I also recognize my setup is very non-conventional but i also believe the Spirit of the rules should make allowance for non conventional designs if it helps us shoot smaller at long ranges which is everyone's goal. If there was no incentives for innovation we might still be shooting flint locks at really big targets.
Rod Brakhage
www.therodzilla.com
Kris, that is GREAT news!
Although my 5-Axis top is different than what we have had in the past it still uses sand to set the rifle on. I just make the contact patch on my two sand bags very small and they run the same direction as the rifle and not in the conventional fashion. The ICFRA rule F 2.8 and the NRA rule 3.4.1 (8) use exactly the same wording for the front rest. The rifle must set on sand and uses the singular definition of BAG and not BAGS when referring to the front rest and that the bag must be compressed or deformed by finger pressure and again my bags are filled with sand so you can push on the front, sides, and top of my little sand bags and they will compress. I don’t see any thing in the rules spelling out what must be in contact on the sides. The rules do say the rifle must be able to be lifted straight out of the front rest without restrictions and returned. I would argue that my top is more legal than some I have looked at on the line. For example, I see the CONVENTIONAL side bags flipped over and clamped in such a way that a stock (like the McMillan edge for an example) would lift a NEO or possibly a MAX off the ground. But because these setups are conventional they are not challenged. Another thing I see is straps cinched down over the Centers of the front bags that tighten the sand. I’ve seen this and other methods in use making that front bag as hard as concrete. In practice I don’t adjust my rollers in to make hard contact with either my 2 McMillan ZR stocks or my Cerus stock as they all shoot as good or better running a small gap between the forearm sides and my rollers with less break away force. I have had several customers that have come up with this same finding independently. So yes, my top is different but I believe the “SPIRIT OF THE RULES” as spelled out in rule F1.11 (ICFRA) allow for innovation that moves us forward and not restrict anything new that comes along. Designing this has been from a clean sheet with the rules in mind and my feeling is that if is NOT expressly forbidden it is therefore a legal piece of equipment. I just wanted to express my opinions here guys. Thanks again Kris for your post.