Why the cut out on the bench?

[Kracken McGraw]

That form is awesome AND it looks like it's stainless.....

I'd rent that for a weekend, please....

I’m scratching my head on how the form comes off after the pour.

 

[Big_Daddy]

I’m scratching my head on how the form comes off after the pour.

As am I.....?

 

[Chiquita]

From the responses it seems to me that shooting from the side is preferable because the rear leg may be in the way of the shooter getting his knees under the table and hugging the rifle properly.
Am I correct?

 

[NateHaler]

Looks identical to the design Bob Dorton & I used at Sac Valley. The ones we use for LR are poured tops in iron frames so they are movable (sort of) from 600 to 1000. The 20 we have for SR BR are solid poured in place on our 200 yd range.
Seems to be a popular/comfortable design for most shooters.
G

Don't forget Ed Eckhoff. (BTW, I paid for two of the benches to be poured/built way back when at the long range... And I wish I could still shoot there, but it's a long drive from Texas.)

 

[BoydAllen]

As am I.....?

I have not discussed it with the builder, bu I would guess that there is a small taper in the base, and that some sort of coating is applied to the inside of the form after cleaning, before the pour.

For me the question is whether the benches are poured upside down and the form lifted off, with the bench curing in that position and then flipped over, or poured right side up and then flipped for form removal.

Being a bit chicken about getting the form off, if I were to design one I would split the whole thing down the middle with generous draw in each half, but then I think that who ever built this form, looking at the bench, knew exactly what he was doing.

 

[jackieschmidt]

I have not discussed it with the builder, bu I would guess that there is a small taper in the base, and that some sort of coating is applied to the inside of the form after cleaning, before the pour.

For me the question is whether the benches are poured upside down and the form lifted off, with the bench curing in that position and then flipped over, or poured right side up and then flipped for form removal.

Being a bit chicken about getting the form off, if I were to design one I would split the whole thing down the middle with generous draw in each half, but then I think that who ever built this form, looking at the bench, knew exactly what he was doing.

I think the form come apart at strategic places in order to remove the form piece by piece. You then reassemble it for the next pour.

 

[markT]

I’m scratching my head on how the form comes off after the pour.

That is the form they use in Australia, you know below equator..
It appears the form is tapered in all directions and when the concreate cures, bench is inverted and the form will slide off. Just guessing..

 

[6BRA]

Square to the gun for me. Behind it.

 

[dcali]

It's really simple. Your rest could well be creeping off the edge without it. It's just a convenient way to give everything a little room to breathe.

 

[Skedaddle Shooter]

In the short range disciplines, group and score, barrels tend to be shorter than in the long range. A good deal of this is because of much lower weight limits. This limits how far one can place a rifle on the bench. (given the requirement for the muzzle to be in front of the bench)

Beyond that, unless one is a bag squeezer, until the advent of the coaxial rest, shooters needed to be able to reach the windage top to make adjustments while shooting. Some years back, I designed the top of a rather heavy four leg "portable" bench so that I could either shoot beside the rifle or behind it. For me beside was more comfortable.

Getting back to the windage top thing, I have a couple of McMillan Kestros stocks on rifles and they have significantly longer forends than my short range benchrest rifle. If I place the rest to take advantage of their long forends I cannot stay behind the scope while adjusting a conventional windage top, even when sitting beside the rifle. (even I take a 37" sleeve length)

Luckily I have a first design 21st Century rest that has the offset bag and the windage built into the base. With this setup I can utilize the longer forends. Otherwise I would have to have a coaxial rest.

On bench design, I think that it is often true that the fellows who have the construction experience and energy to build ranges and benches have not spent much time prototyping bench top shapes and they tend to just do a rough copy and build a whole firing line that will be there forever. In my conversations with people who were about to build one or more benches, I always have gotten the sense that they were not in the mood for anything that would delay the process.

I have built this style of bench top for the local range and several folks that have a range on their ranch. I like a square recess that is parallel to the centerline of the bench best because I feel it let’s me set up my rear bag close to the edge of the bench letting me get on the rifle without reaching for it. It is also easier for me to set it up consistently relay to relay. I shoot from beside the rifle so the parallel rear section allows me to anchor a point on my chest to the bench in a relaxed position and settle in. I shoot at a couple of ranges that have a tapered rear section and I don’t find them as comfortable or as easy to establish a repeatable position. I have tried shooting both beside the rifle and behind it. I can’t get a good repeatable anchor point from behind the rifle so I shoot beside it. I guess it all boils down to what works best for you to be able to find a comfortable and repeatable position to shoot from. My main concern was building benches that were comfortable and solid to shoot from. I wasn’t really concerned with saving time. I cast these one at a time each time we have a concrete pour on one of our projects.

 

[Bottom Fodder]

Ok we’re up to 70 replies on shooting benches, just wondering what’s favorite color for shooting benches? Lol

 

[JMayo]

Free recoil and bench rest isn't the same as shooting a hunting rifle on a bench.
My rifle doesn't
recoil in my "hunting shoulder spot" it's more on the shoulder joint. It's on my arm even with 6bra and ppc. The light weight 30br demands a bit more cushion than a bicep can handle.

I shot my 280 & 7 08 hunting rifles on a bench and it darn near sent me home crying.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

That is the form they use in Australia, you know below equator..
It appears the form is tapered in all directions and when the concreate cures, bench is inverted and the form will slide off. Just guessing..

I’m still too thick headed to see how that bottleneck under the top slips past the wider base, but probably looking at it wrong.

 

[markT]

Haha, maybe this will help?

 

[Greg@wfcustom]

Don't forget Ed Eckhoff. (BTW, I paid for two of the benches to be poured/built way back when at the long range... And I wish I could still shoot there, but it's a long drive from Texas.)

Ed was certainly the driving force behind the early success of LR BR at Sac Valley!
I shot the first 600 yd match at Sac Valley that he put on @ 2005 if memory serves.
G

 

[D Coots]

Note hoisting eyes. Bench top probably weighs at least 250-350#

 

[Kracken McGraw]

Haha, maybe this will help? View attachment 1437218

Still seeing a jam when that narrow portion of the form hits the wider pored concrete bottom portion when form is pulled up.
But my wife tells me I’m wrong a lot!

 

[BoydAllen]

Square to the gun for me. Behind it.

I guess different people define square differently. Looking at his position the angle of his shoulders (the line through both shoulders as viewed from above) seems to be quite a bit more acute than square. His position is pretty typical. Here is a video shot as I walked behind the line during a match at Visalia, a number of years ago. It shows some variation in shooters positions, but in my experience they are pretty typical.

Vimeo

vimeo.com

 

[Brians356]

But why, there has to be a reason.

Darwin's "natural selection".
-

 

[6BRA]

I guess different people define square differently. Looking at his position the angle of his shoulders (the line through both shoulders as viewed from above) seems to be quite a bit more acute than square. His position is pretty typical. Here is a video shot as I walked behind the line during a match at Visalia, a number of years ago. It shows some variation in shooters positions, but in my experience they are pretty typical.

Vimeo

vimeo.com

I tend to agree with you, I don't think in the video Bart is sitting as square as he would like. But remember it's a video that he had to make. When I say square I mean 90 deg to the stock with my shoulder. Just the way I prefer. Could be it easier on my neck, leaning forward rather than sideways. I do have a plate in my neck.