Freedom Benchrest allow 40lb metal Rear Rest?

[Steve Donlon]

Some of these are almost like special olympic events. It's great fun shooting heavy rifle and all the other events with all the mechanical help provided. But when you compare it to off hand with a M1A or other more skillful events, there is a very wide distance between them. So as long as we can recognize the difference, it's all good. This way everyone gets to shoot.

 

[jghoghunter]

As a Freedom match director and at this time. I'm not sure how much clearer it needs to be. Mark posted it strait from Freedom's site.
Either rest, in our Heavy Gun, Light Gun and Tactical discipline, may be
mechanical, adjustable in all directions in its construction.
You can use a mechanical rear rest at this time in LG,HG and tactical.

 

[shoot4fun]

I saw a mechanical adjustable rear rest setup being used recently and the guy who was using it took home pretty much all of the wood. Another factor in his success is because there is no weight limit in tactical and he had a barrel screwed on that must have weighed 15-16 lbs by itself. I really think Freedom needs a weight limit in tactical next year...22 lbs would align with other orgs and be a reasonable limit. Also clarifying the use of a mechanical rear rest would be wise...if its really allowed my friends and i along with everyone else would build one for the next match.

I may be the majority but I have always held, both IBS and Freedom, that Tactical should not allow rests other than bipods and rear bags should not be the usual earred rear of bench rest. If a, say PRS shooter, wants to come see how he stacks up he shouldn't feel behind the eight-ball being in the few or only Tac shooter on a bipod. After all, I was always of the mindset Tac should be used to bring in new shooters from other disciplines.
As for the 22 pound LG, I think this is needed in order to give the F-O shooters the opportunity to come see how they stack up or improve their abilities. After all, we all strive to improve.

 

[quest450]

Agree with Jerry Tac shooters should compete with bipod and a squeeze rear bag IMO

 

[SS GO DEVIL]

Just for fun I'm gonna let you in on a scenario that happened this weekend during the tactical class Hawks Ridge matches. Bob Steelman shot a pending world record 1.919 50 in match 7 2nd relay shot off a front rest with rear sandbag. Then during match 8 2nd relay his grandson Thomas Steelman shot a pending 1.974 43 of a tac mdt bipod. Just some food for thought. The world record is being closed in on by the tac class rapidly because of the ability to get shots off from a magazine at great speed and in consistent wind conditions. Congrats to both for some awesome reloading and shooting done with the new 6GT cartridge!

 

[LRPV]

A mechanical rear rest by itself is not gonna take a mid pack shooter to the top of the page. I’ve been playing with one and shoot the same off a Protector bag OR the old HG rest that simply contains a 2” front bag.

I’ve spent untold monies making my LG’s weigh under 17#. That’s been the weight from the get go, everyone in LR BR has adhered to it. IF by some freak chance a F class guy wants to shoot for groups with a 22# gun, they can do it… in HG. Get their feet wet, if they like it, spin up a tapered barrel and shoot both classes the next time.

Right now the Tac IS sort of the unlimited class that a lot of us want to see. Experimenting with very few rules to allow pushing the envelope. Some ranges are sorting out the guys with bipods and keeping track of the “true tac” sub category within the class. To me, this is best case scenario for now anyway. As to the weight limit in Tac… some PRS guys are shooting rifles way over 22#. The less rules, the more inclusive to a point. In my opinion, you can’t have say 5 different classes. You’d never get done shooting in one day so the sub classes that some are recognizing is great.

My opinion here and why I shoot BR. Benchrest is the pinnacle of rifle accuracy. There’s a lot of factors that contribute to the inaccuracy of a rifle system and through Benchrest techniques and practices we try to minimize those factors. This isn’t offhand, sling or any other discipline where any wobble is desirable. We’re out here trying to shoot the smallest groups possible. Someone is always going to shoot the smallest, maybe on a given day it’s you and the next maybe it isn’t. My advice is to compete against yourself and try to do better each time out because if you’re comparing yourself to only the winner every time, more often than not you’re going to be miserably disappointed.

To be at the top of this game takes good equipment but what so many fail to ever realize is the time commitment it takes to get to the top let alone stay there. It’s too easy to blame lack of ability and commitment on money.

 

[quest450]

well said Jason

 

[Tom E]

A mechanical rear rest by itself is not gonna take a mid pack shooter to the top of the page. I’ve been playing with one and shoot the same off a Protector bag OR the old HG rest that simply contains a 2” front bag.

I’ve spent untold monies making my LG’s weigh under 17#. That’s been the weight from the get go, everyone in LR BR has adhered to it. IF by some freak chance a F class guy wants to shoot for groups with a 22# gun, they can do it… in HG. Get their feet wet, if they like it, spin up a tapered barrel and shoot both classes the next time.

Right now the Tac IS sort of the unlimited class that a lot of us want to see. Experimenting with very few rules to allow pushing the envelope. Some ranges are sorting out the guys with bipods and keeping track of the “true tac” sub category within the class. To me, this is best case scenario for now anyway. As to the weight limit in Tac… some PRS guys are shooting rifles way over 22#. The less rules, the more inclusive to a point. In my opinion, you can’t have say 5 different classes. You’d never get done shooting in one day so the sub classes that some are recognizing is great.

My opinion here and why I shoot BR. Benchrest is the pinnacle of rifle accuracy. There’s a lot of factors that contribute to the inaccuracy of a rifle system and through Benchrest techniques and practices we try to minimize those factors. This isn’t offhand, sling or any other discipline where any wobble is desirable. We’re out here trying to shoot the smallest groups possible. Someone is always going to shoot the smallest, maybe on a given day it’s you and the next maybe it isn’t. My advice is to compete against yourself and try to do better each time out because if you’re comparing yourself to only the winner every time, more often than not you’re going to be miserably disappointed.

To be at the top of this game takes good equipment but what so many fail to ever realize is the time commitment it takes to get to the top let alone stay there. It’s too easy to blame lack of ability and commitment on money.

This!

 

[shoot4fun]

Just for fun I'm gonna let you in on a scenario that happened this weekend during the tactical class Hawks Ridge matches. Bob Steelman shot a pending world record 1.919 50 in match 7 2nd relay shot off a front rest with rear sandbag. Then during match 8 2nd relay his grandson Thomas Steelman shot a pending 1.974 43 of a tac mdt bipod. Just some food for thought. The world record is being closed in on by the tac class rapidly because of the ability to get shots off from a magazine at great speed and in consistent wind conditions. Congrats to both for some awesome reloading and shooting done with the new 6GT cartridge!

Scott,
It was my understanding that Bob shot under TAC rules and Thomas in what they called TRU TAC. Both are great accomplishments and I am more than elated to see one of my fellow "OG's" have the success he deserves. Is TRU TAC an actual division in the latest Freedom rulebook? If so then having both is really ideal. As a point of even greater interest to me is the fact they were shot with 6GT. I've got two of them (one for TAC) ready to pick up from my gunsmith. BTW, same great gunsmith, shooter and friend @Danley at Danley Precision. (shameless plug)

 

[shoot4fun]

This!

Stuck in the past! Old Mouse Fart!!!!

 

[SS GO DEVIL]

There is no such division of the class at this time at Hawks Ridge. I have heard some freedom matches where the director is separating the class that way but not at Hawks Ridge.

 

[ELR Harry]

@ JGhoghunter
thanks, out in the shop now designing a windage adjustable rear rest. I guess we dont need sand at all and the rear "bag" rider can run on teflon rails or rails with roller bearings...many things to think about now.

 

[shoot4fun]

There is no such division of the class at this time at Hawks Ridge. I have heard some freedom matches where the director is separating the class that way but not at Hawks Ridge.

Hmmm. It was posted with that division on FB I believe. I didn't make it up.

 

[SS GO DEVIL]

I’ve had some close calls this year in tac but there’s always that one shot that doesn’t want to be friends with the group. Maybe one day it will all come together. Fingers crossed. This one the 4 were in .990

 

[shoot4fun]

@ JGhoghunter
thanks, out in the shop now designing a windage adjustable rear rest. I guess we dont need sand at all and the rear "bag" rider can run on teflon rails or rails with roller bearings...many things to think about now.

The rules require sand for both front and rear bag.
Sand Bags are required for the Front or Rear Rest System and must fully support the front, sides and rear of the rifle while in the Rest system. Size and thickness of the sand bags are not limited. Any sandbags contained within their rest system may be made from leather, rubber or synthetic fabric.

 

[ELR Harry]

thanks, just to clarify a bit more and a quick question... "Sand Bags are required for the Front or Rear Rest System and must fully support the front, sides and rear of the rifle while in the Rest system. Size and thickness of the sand bags are not limited."

So, the sand bags must support the rear of rifle while in the rest system...but the sand bags do not need to "contact" the rest/bag rider mounted to the buttstock. IF this is correct I am thinking to use very thin bags under and along the sides in a rail system with roller bearings...or maybe attach roller bearings to the bag rider and have those roll back and forth across and along teflon rails over a very thin layer of sand...might not be pretty but should be pretty slick. Being able to adjust for windage without creating a pinch point is probably the most important aspect to consider. Might be easier to just to use a mini coaxial set up like our front rest. Fun project!

 

[Rat Rifle]

“Sand bags are required for the Front or Rear Rest System”

Given the rest of the sand bag requirements, shouldn’t that read …

Sand bags are required for the Front and Rear Rest System ?

 

[Canuckienns]

No sand in what i have been describing. Better yet, I will take photos next weekend at the club "freedom" shoot.

 

[quest450]

No sand in what i have been describing. Better yet, I will take photos next weekend at the club "freedom" shoot.

club match is not a Freedom shoot David.......anything goes !!

 

[R L U]

I saw a mechanical adjustable rear rest setup being used recently and the guy who was using it took home pretty much all of the wood. Another factor in his success is because there is no weight limit in tactical and he had a barrel screwed on that must have weighed 15-16 lbs by itself. I really think Freedom needs a weight limit in tactical next year...22 lbs would align with other orgs and be a reasonable limit. Also clarifying the use of a mechanical rear rest would be wise...if its really allowed my friends and i along with everyone else would build one for the next match.

If and when you shoot in FB match the only thing holding you up is the will to try things within the rules until then your advise is welcome but has no merit As said here innovation within the rules is the basic thought behind FB and not to mention the rules are up for change if needed by members of FB.