Any tips for first time short range benchrest?

[rayporter]

on your range at home you should practice on a timer. and you need a box or cart or at least a plan to get your gear on and off the bench. if you practice at home as you will shoot it will become second nature to you and you wont feel rushed.

little things can throw you off and into a tizzy. for instance the first time you look down at your nice pretty cartridges all lined up and ready to load into the rifle and they dont have primers in them.

load up a half dozen and place them at your bench for that emergency, when it happens. then instead of getting worked up or running back to your loading bench just reach down and pick them up.

 

[caihlen]

Be able to put your rest, bags, fans, stool, ammo, ears, bolt ..... What ever you need to shoot, set up quickly and efficiently
Fumbling around then feeling rushed and unset.

Also when leaving the bench. The next guys time to set up is affected by the guy coming down talking his sweet time.

Copy that. Thank you.

 

[uncle wayne]

Be able to put your rest, bags, fans, stool, ammo, ears, bolt ..... What ever you need to shoot, set up quickly and efficiently
Fumbling around then feeling rushed and unset.

Also when leaving the bench. The next guys time to set up is affected by the guy coming down talking his sweet time.

Having shot behind Johnny at the first Tack Driver in Orangeburg, SC, last fall, I can attest to his "bench clearing" abilities, (most grateful for that, Johnny) also his shooting abilities. This is a shooting skill ignored all too often to aid us old slow impatient types. No one likes to stand there and listen to WHY you miss the shot. We want to go get our turn. LOL Practicing that will make you a lot of friends very quickly. (next to helping your bench mates set up and pack up flags.) None of us forget that gesture very often.

I wish you much luck, young man.

 

[uncle wayne]

Having shot behind Johnny at the first Tack Driver in Orangeburg, SC, last fall, I can attest to his "bench clearing" abilities, (most grateful for that, Johnny) also his shooting abilities. This is a shooting skill ignored all too often to aid us old slow impatient types. No one likes to stand there and listen to WHY you miss the shot. We want to go get our turn. LOL Practicing that will make you a lot of friends very quickly. (next to helping your bench mates set up and pack up flags.) None of us forget that gesture very often.

I wish you much luck, young man.

Forgot to add. Ain't NO time like MATCH TIME. Take all the notes you are able on your shooting wlthout interfering with shooting. Good topic to discuss with a learned friend on the way home. Review those later and 'paytention to what you wrote.

 

[WyleWD]

Having shot behind Johnny at the first Tack Driver in Orangeburg, SC, last fall, I can attest to his "bench clearing" abilities, (most grateful for that, Johnny) also his shooting abilities. This is a shooting skill ignored all too often to aid us old slow impatient types. No one likes to stand there and listen to WHY you miss the shot. We want to go get our turn. LOL Practicing that will make you a lot of friends very quickly. (next to helping your bench mates set up and pack up flags.) None of us forget that gesture very often.

I wish you much luck, young man.

Be able to put your rest, bags, fans, stool, ammo, ears, bolt ..... What ever you need to shoot, set up quickly and efficiently
Fumbling around then feeling rushed and unset.

Also when leaving the bench. The next guys time to set up is affected by the guy coming down talking his sweet time.

+1 on both of these posts. Excellent points that will get you more help and respect than you can imagine. WD

 

[Ccrider]

What is you guys take on the need fir a spotting scope?

 

[JMayo]

What is you guys take on the need fir a spotting scope?

Only ppl I see using one are Hunter class. They have limited scope power.
My scope is powerful enough most days.

 

[Terry]

What is you guys take on the need fir a spotting scope?

Shush, it's a secret.

 

[Ccrider]

Only ppl I see using one are Hunter class. They have limited scope power.
My scope is powerful enough most days.

What about behind the firing line.

 

[JMayo]

That's fun. There are several.
I like watching my competition !

 

[uncle wayne]

Only ppl I see using one are Hunter class. They have limited scope power.
My scope is powerful enough most days.

To add Johnny's excellent post: In the SCORE discipline in IBS, only the Hunter class is allowed to have spotting scopes at the bench while shooting. They are limited to 6 power scopes. Truly a challenge.

 

[LHSmith]

To add Johnny's excellent post: In the SCORE discipline in IBS, only the Hunter class is allowed to have spotting scopes at the bench while shooting. They are limited to 6 power scopes. Truly a challenge.

I don't think this is correct. The rules are not very specific about equipment on the bench. I have seen Hunter Class shooters leave their spotting scopes set up if the next relay shooter had no objections (i.e a righthander vs. a lefty. Never seen a VFS shooter use a spotting scope from the bench though.....the only viable reason I could think of would be to help read mid-range mirage. If they allow tabletop chronos and fans to dispense barrel heat (which these days is common), I can't see where they would refuse anyone shooting VFS to use one. At some clubs the bench tops are quite small and it's crowded enough with the basic equipment making it difficult to keep ejected cases on the bench top and not on the ground. I do know that rifles cannot remain on unused benches during a match.

 

[9ring]

As a newer shooter I can tell you that I have met most of the fellas that have replied to your post. What has been said is true and I will tell you that they have all have helped me in one way or another in the last 2 years. Oh, Dave is a really nice guy. Welcome to the rabbit hole.
Wayne

 

[R.Morehouse]

What is you guys take on the need fir a spotting scope?

I like watching other people shoot. I had the Meopta MeoStar and it is top shelf all the way. I sold it and picked up a used Vortex Razor 11-33x50 straight compact and its weight/size & quality suit me much better for spectating. Don't need it on the line for SR BR as I use a fixed 50 on the gun here in Pa.

Regards
Rick

 

[Ccrider]

I like watching other people shoot. I had the Meopta MeoStar and it is top shelf all the way. I sold it and picked up a used Vortex Razor 11-33x50 straight compact and its weight/size & quality suit me much better for spectating. Don't need it on the line for SR BR as I use a fixed 50 on the gun here in Pa.

Regards
Rick

What distance is the 33 magnification sufficient to see bullet holes.

 

[LHSmith]

I have used a Leupold 15-30x x50 spotter in Hunter Class out to 200 yds and can see 6mm holes as long as the bullets landed inside the 6 ring (in the white). At 100 I can see hits in the black.

 

[R.Morehouse]

What distance is the 33 magnification sufficient to see bullet holes.

This 33 is Vortex best glass and I can see them at 200. That is as far as I have used it.....

 

[uncle wayne]

I don't think this is correct. The rules are not very specific about equipment on the bench. I have seen Hunter Class shooters leave their spotting scopes set up if the next relay shooter had no objections (i.e a righthander vs. a lefty. Never seen a VFS shooter use a spotting scope from the bench though.....the only viable reason I could think of would be to help read mid-range mirage. If they allow tabletop chronos and fans to dispense barrel heat (which these days is common), I can't see where they would refuse anyone shooting VFS to use one. At some clubs the bench tops are quite small and it's crowded enough with the basic equipment making it difficult to keep ejected cases on the bench top and not on the ground. I do know that rifles cannot remain on unused benches during a match.

I don't think this is correct. I don't think I made myself totally clear.

From an earlier post in this same thread.
"Hey, I am not a group shooter, so cannot give you tips about that. I learned my measly shooting "skills" in the score discipline."

I shoot in IBS Varmint for Score discipline. Not LONG RANGE, not GROUP, not NBRSA. I shoot heavy varmint and light varmint. I am in the process of building a HUNTER CLASS. I KNOW what the rules for MY hunter gun are.

ALSO: At this point, I must apologize to SchipperGreg for the long post here regarding rules and not your original post concerning tips.

Do good, Wayne

 

[LHSmith]

I have been shooting IBS score since 2003. I have campaigned in both VFS and Varmint Hunter, attended a couple Nationals and PA States. I have served as a referee at matches. I have the IBS rule book. I checked the website for any recent changes and I stand by my post. The match venues Range Officer may take exception for whatever reason, but there is nothing in the rules to disallow a VFS competitor from using a spotter from the bench top.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

I have been shooting IBS score since 2003. I have campaigned in both VFS and Varmint Hunter, attended a couple Nationals and PA States. I have served as a referee at matches. I have the IBS rule book. I checked the website for any recent changes and I stand by my post. The match venues Range Officer may take exception for whatever reason, but there is nothing in the rules to disallow a VFS competitor from using a spotter from the bench top.

I would think the other competitors would encourage it. If a guy wants to use a spotting scope instead of looking thru his 40+ power riflescope keeping up with conditions he needs to use it