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Bench Rest Technique

I'm looking for tips / guidance on Benchrest shooting techniques. I've scoured the articles on this site pretty well and found some good stuff but am looking for more. Would like to read more about "free recoil", using bags, set-up, etc. Of course free stuff on the internet would be preferable but if there is a "bible" available in print, I'd consider the purchase.

Thanks.
 
Shooting free recoil...
Get Mike Ratigan's & Tony Boyer's book, they are 'Bibles' for BR shooting, lots of technical aspects in them.
Watch BR shooting videos such as in youtube.
Here some (posted by a fellow Russian BR shooter a few days ago, @ the WBC12 Sidney):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBBoDw3mvxc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwZ__V_gus4
If possible take videos while you are shooting and learn yours.
Also go to some BR competitions, feel the 'atmosphere' etc.
Hope this help,
seb.
 
Remember, you get what you pay for and this also includes information. There is a few books in print that discuss this in great detail. A great low cost book is Glenn Newick's book "The Ultimate in Rifle Accuracy." A couple of other great books are Mike Ratigan's "Extreme Rifle Accuracy," and Tony Boyer's Book "The Book of Rifle Accuracy." Out of the three, I feel Mike Ratigan's book has the most complete information on bench set up. If you do want to glean information off of the internet, I would pick a trust source such as Thomas "Speedy" Gonzales time to time articles and post.

Such as http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/tag/speedy-gonzalez/
and https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=139212865272
and http://bentongunclub.org/smf/index.php?topic=806.0

The subject of proper bench set up, contains many chapters. There is several ways to skin the cat, and many different opinions on how to do it. According to the books mentioned most people get it wrong when they set up. Remember what I said, you get what you pay for? There is also a ton of products out there, some of it is good and some of it is bad, some of it works for some and some of it don't. With that said it takes a bit of experimenting to figure out what does. Just remember, the fanciest stuff is not always the best, but sometimes the simple stuff works better.

Here is a few tips I can give out. First the set up has to be solid, it can not move. Second, the set up must track good. When I talk about tracking, it means that you can move the rifle back and forth in the bags and it goes straight up and down and returns to the same aiming spot, if it don't then something is wrong. On bags, the front bags must not be hard, and the rear bag must not rock or shift. Last, the set up has to be comfortable, if your not, it just will not work. This relates to the placement of the rest and bag's on the bench, seat height, and body position.

In closing I have found that most of the best shooters use simple set up. Many use low end Hart or Sinclair rest with no windage top and a low end Protektor bag, and they are bag squeezers. They don't drag a bunch of stuff out to the bench. Some shooters will switch techniques depending on the conditions they are shooting in. There is three main techniques that most shooters use: Free recoil, Pinning the rifle in the rest, and look last.
 
To the OP, what sort of rifle are we talking about? Also, what rest, and bags. Are you able to see movement of the scope's reticule, on the target as you shift your body position slightly at the bench. For most shooters that do not have the right rifle, rest equipment, or a decent bench to shoot from, trying to shoot free recoil is a disaster. There are shooters that are high in the Benchrest Hall of Fame, that do NOT shoot that way, and by the way, The top man in that group, Tony Boyer, combined bag squeezing and free recoil until his hand started bothering him and he switched to a Farley (joystick) type of rest. I mention this to point out that one can squeeze the rear bag and either shoot free, or not.

Added later: Mr. Boyer at work
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuyQaVi4mrc
 
Area Man said:
I'm looking for tips / guidance on Benchrest shooting techniques. I've scoured the articles on this site pretty well and found some good stuff but am looking for more. Would like to read more about "free recoil", using bags, setup, etc. Of course free stuff on the internet would be preferable but if there is a "bible" available in print, I'd consider the purchase.

Here's the Bible:

http://www.brunoshooters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=BSS&Product_Code=TBSC

Consider it a lifetime reference. It's a bargain, considering what you'll pay for even a good rear bag.
 
Thanks for the info and references.

I was watching youtube videos and there was one dude that raised his head off the stock and watched the shot with both eyes after setting the rifle on the target. Never seen that before.
 
Actually, shooting head or heads up, is easy enough to do, if you are using a setup where you don't have to look through the scope to maintain your point of aim. I have a rear bag that holds its shape pretty well, a front rest that has a windage top, and my rifle is properly stocked and balanced to shoot free recoil, so if conditions warrant, shooting that way is easy, BUT if I am in a hurry, it is a waste of time. I keep my head down and confirm that the flags have not changed with my non scope eye. Then the issue become not kidding oneself about how much of a flag change matters. When I squeeze my rear bag, I cannot shoot with my head up.
 
Area Man said:
I was watching youtube videos and there was one dude that raised his head off the stock and watched the shot with both eyes after setting the rifle on the target.

About 90% of Short-Range BR shooters shoot Heads-Up. Nothing touches the rifle once everything is set up. He wasn't watching the shot, he was watching his wind flags for uniformity in direction and wind velocity [defined by tail height] before releasing the one and one half ounce trigger pull.
 
82boy said:
Outdoorsman said:
About 90% of Short-Range BR shooters shoot Heads-Up.

At the match's I have shot at few if any shooters have shot Heads up, or look last.

I stand corrected. The term I should have used was "Free Recoil" since I shoot that way myself.

Here's my favorite: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg4oLE1MmZc&feature=related

Look at the wind flags and tails. Time to put bullets through the same hole.

Here is a video that shows periodically the Heads-Up style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKswldMjS2E

This gentleman, from Iceland, as I recall, set a world record 10-shot group at Kelbly's range back in the mid 1980's.
 

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