Bag, rest, bipod....what to choose??

[GSRswapandslow]

Ok...background:
200yd personal range with cement benches/covered shooting area..steel and paper @ 25, 50, 75, 100, and 200yds. Do 90% of my shooting here, from the bench.

400yds...maybe 500yds..maybe even more at brother-in-law's tree farm in Va. Will also be shooting groundhogs for him. As far as I know..this will be done mostly prone, unless he lets me build a bench or two....

Gun:
Rem sps tactical, 6-24 PST, Hart LRT accubed stock, timney trigger, etc...


I'm a fairly avid shooter, but mostly .22lr stuff.....never gotten much into serious accuracy...or really even cared. I just shoot to have fun and I NEVER, repeat NEVER, compete in anything official. I have no desire to ever go to a comp or get involved. I do, though, want to become more accurate of a shooter...as I've started handloading and am spending more money on a nicer gun to give a shot with.

Most of my shooting is done with some of my various .22lr's....primarily my savage mk2 and ruger 10/22 (negating pistols, of course)...and I shoot the savage from a caldwell bipod and the ruger is shot from a cheapppppp caldwell bag set (that's way too low).

I want to get the rem finished....and all I lack is figuring out what to do for rest. I don't know if I should just buy a harris 6-9 br, swivel/podlock, or go with something like a Rock BR....or just buy a decent front sandbag to shoot from. My rear bag will probably be a bunny ear or rabbit ear from Protektor...unless there's something better in the ~$50 range... But the front needs to work from the bench..but also prone (although not nearly as much). I'd like to keep the price as reasonable as possible....maybe $200 in the front AND rear....

Suggestions?

 

[Minesweeper3433]

If you don't have a good bipod I would recommend getting at least one Harris that can fit as many of your uses as possible. I have 2 one a short and one a sitting bipod. Get one you can tilt so you can level the rifle easier. Having a harris has made field plinking with my 22 rifles and even my pistols a much more pleasant experience. Plus it helps when letting younger shooters try shooting as they are much more stable than shooting off their elbows. Like I said though highly recommend Harris bipods I think everyone in America should have a Harris bipod and a 22lr with iron sights.

 

[fr3db3ar]

Since it appears you'll be shooting the ghogs from the ground I would recommend a bipod. I don't know how much extra gear you want to tote out into the field or if you're able to set up a table to shoot them from. But I believe it's best to sight in and shoot by the same tools and methods that you'll be using while hunting.

Probable less critical with a 22 as there is negligable recoil and muzzle jump.

All my 22s are sighted from the bench with a bipod and shot in the field with whatever support is available (if any) with good results.

JMO YMMV

 

[GSRswapandslow]

fair enough....another harris it is..
i'll be getting the 6-9", for sure, my last was a 9-13 on my sps varmint 223....it was too tall, ALL the time.

now...rear bags to match...

 

[BoydAllen]

A couple of things that I find help a lot of shooters do better, when shooting from a rest are trigger pull and follow through. Too often shooters pull their triggers too abruptly. IMO the right way to do it from a rest is to keep adding pressure until the rifle surprises you as to the exact moment that it goes off. I also see a lot of follow through issues. The best shooters do not move at all (except by heavy recoil) as the gun goes off, and for the half second after. Too many fellows have the bad habit of coming off the rifle right after it fires, and looking over the top of the scope, as if they could see a bullet hole in their target. Another thing that will have a serious effect on your groups is to put some sticks out, going down range (10, 25,50, and 75 yards for 100), with surveyor's tape tied to their tops, that is long enough to reach the ground. Guys that "test" and practice without any reference to what the wind is doing, beyond what they feel at the bench, never quite get to what their rifle will do. I have a 40X .22 that has taught me a lot about trigger pull. Because it is so accurate, on those evenings where the air has been very still, it is easy to see that if I do not have the trigger centered between the tip and joint of my finger, and pull straight back (2 oz. trigger) that it will not give its best performance. If it does this with such a light trigger, what do you think happens with a heavier one? On your center fire rifles, I recommend a lot of dry fire practice, keeping an eye on your cross hairs on the target. They will move. the trick is to have them move as consistently and little as possible.

 

[seb]

Ok...background:
200yd personal range with cement benches/covered shooting area..steel and paper @ 25, 50, 75, 100, and 200yds. Do 90% of my shooting here, from the bench.

400yds...maybe 500yds..maybe even more at brother-in-law's tree farm in Va. Will also be shooting groundhogs for him. As far as I know..this will be done mostly prone, unless he lets me build a bench or two....

Gun:
Rem sps tactical, 6-24 PST, Hart LRT accubed stock, timney trigger, etc...


I'm a fairly avid shooter, but mostly .22lr stuff.....never gotten much into serious accuracy...or really even cared. I just shoot to have fun and I NEVER, repeat NEVER, compete in anything official. I have no desire to ever go to a comp or get involved. I do, though, want to become more accurate of a shooter...as I've started handloading and am spending more money on a nicer gun to give a shot with.

Most of my shooting is done with some of my various .22lr's....primarily my savage mk2 and ruger 10/22 (negating pistols, of course)...and I shoot the savage from a caldwell bipod and the ruger is shot from a cheapppppp caldwell bag set (that's way too low).

I want to get the rem finished....and all I lack is figuring out what to do for rest. I don't know if I should just buy a harris 6-9 br, swivel/podlock, or go with something like a Rock BR....or just buy a decent front sandbag to shoot from. My rear bag will probably be a bunny ear or rabbit ear from Protektor...unless there's something better in the ~$50 range... But the front needs to work from the bench..but also prone (although not nearly as much). I'd like to keep the price as reasonable as possible....maybe $200 in the front AND rear....

Suggestions?

From your description/needs above, my advise is to get a Harris (or similar) bipod and a (squeeze-able) rear bag such as Bald Eagle or Protector w/ rabbit ears.
With proper technique & setup, that combination is quite dangerous to small critters.
I have never shot my .22lr beyond 100m anyway.
Also listen to what Boyd said.

seb.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

i guess i worded my initial post a little to ambiguous...but I'm adding the bipod/bag to a .223 (soon to be .223ack) rem sps tactical.


but I just ordered a harris bipod...swivel, 6-9", leg notch...and an alpha-bravo pod-lock for it as well.


Now i'm searching for a rear bag...

 

[BoydAllen]

If stocks do not have cheek pieces that would cause a problem, I prefer a leather bag with rabbit ears. For the type of hold that you will be doing, where I sort of wrap into the rifle, and use my non trigger hand to scoot and squeeze the bag to make aiming adjustments, I prefer a soft bag, not over filled. Here is a link to one manufacturer.
http://protektormodel.com/index.php
My old bag has the shorter ears, because I wanted to be able to use it with several types of stocks. One tip, if your stock has sling studs, keep them out of contact with your bags.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

http://www.stockysstocks.com/servlet/the-537/*NEW!*-Bobby-Hart-AccuBlock/Detail

this is the stock that will be utilized on this build....it shipped this morning (along with my scope, base, trigger, rings, and various other accoutrements)

I will most definitely be removing the rear sling stud, as i have no use for a sling.....

would this bag be a good choice?
http://protektormodel.com/13a.htm

 

[BoydAllen]

The stock link didn't work, but I went to the site. The bag should be fine, just remember that to make the stock slide, on leather.....baby powder on the bag. Don't laugh. It is an old standby.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

link fixed
I'll try out the baby powder...but I'm not sure if my rifle will recoil enough to take advantage of it...suppressed .223's don't seem to quite very bad lol

 

[BoydAllen]

However little it moves, you want a consistent slide. That is why bench shooters use stock tape, that and to protect the stock's finish.

 

[clatarar]

Have you considered any other bipods? A mystic MPOD, a starshooter bipod or a Henry Remple bipod would probably work better for you. With a .223, you can get away with shooting "free recoil" with a bipod like that, off the bench or prone.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

Have you considered any other bipods? A mystic MPOD, a starshooter bipod or a Henry Remple bipod would probably work better for you. With a .223, you can get away with shooting "free recoil" with a bipod like that, off the bench or prone.

I would very much like to have a bipod of that style....but the cost is current prohibitive right now, and I've already purchased a 6-9 harris and pod lock. I've wanted a Sinclair f-class for a while, but, now that I see the Mystic....I'm thinking that might be something I purchase next...

I was informed, by my brother-in-law, that shooting at his tree farm will be mostly done from shooting sticks....so it appears I'll have to build some sort of bench up there....and a bipod might not be possible :-/ I THOUGHT we were going to shoot from the barn to the field...where as the barn is on the crest of a hill and the field is flat and runs a few hundred yards into the beginning of the forrest...but, alas, he wants to do the shooting in the flat field...so, I need to go survey the land and get some pictures/ideas via google earth.

 

[GSRswapandslow]

ok...so I just sold my harris.... I'm looking to get a different bipod, again...

should I go with the 3rd gen (non-elevation) bipod...or the Mystic MPOD?

the Sinclair is already setup for a sling stud...so that's good... the Mystic would require me drilling some holes in the stock and buying the adapter. I just filled in the 2nd sling stud and painted the stock..so that kind of sucks no lol.

I'm trying to stay AROUND the $200 mark....