21st Century front rest ?

[Gman]

I used the search function and couldn't find any write up on Johns front rest. Anyone have 1 and if so, are you satisfied with it. Also his website didn't show the weight of the rest, anybody ? I own a few of Johns products and the quality is top notch, so I would suspect his front rest to be a work of art also. Thanks !

 

[BoydAllen]

The rest uses ball screws (If you are not familiar with these do some research.) for both windage (built into the base) and elevation, so you don't need or have an elevation lock T handle. The weight is enough without being excessive, and the top has an extension so that it may be mounted in several positions forward of the post, to facilitate reaching the controls when shooting from the ground, In effect they move the rest to the rear relative to the front bag. The top can also be mounted conventionally, centered on the elevation post. The forend stop is a piece of art in that it does not have the usual set screw arrangement. a two piece clamp is tightened on the main stop shaft, so that it is not marked or deformed. The delrin piece that contacts the stock is threaded so that it can be adjusted for different bag thicknesses and stock dimensions. His "super feet" have thick O rings embedded around the outsides of their bottoms. The base is aluminum but the threads for the three leveling screws are steel inserts, and the locks make contact in recesses rather than on the top of the base. The only change that I would make would be in this area where I would put a loose fiber washer between the parts to decrease the amount of twist it takes to lock the parts. Another suggestion would be to cover the bottom of the rest base with adhesive shelf paper to spare the owner from the trauma of scratching the polished anodized finish. When I took the rest to the range, and tested it from a one piece concrete bench, it seemed that my groups were slightly more consistent. It could have been because the rest is so pretty, or perhaps the O rings under the feet functioned to damp vibration slightly. I hope that this has been of some use. What you need to figure out is whether you prefer knob twisting, bag squeezing, or one of the Farley/Seb type rests. This will be the largest factor in selecting a rest.