All of this becomes apples and oranges if shooting style and rifle type are not specified. If you are talking about sporter stocks, you should be holding the rifle and bag squeezing for final aim. Coming up with a rest and bag for this, on a budget is easy. You don't need a windage top for this shooting style. If you are afraid that you will be giving up accuracy with this approach, consider my friend, Gary Ocock, who is near the top of the Benchrest Hall of Fame (short range CF). He uses an old Wichita rest, no windage top, a soft rear bag, and cheeks, and shoulders his rifles.
The big problem that I see is that very few shooters that have been shooting for any length of time, had anyone that really knew how to shoot, teach them about how to shoot from the bench in the first place. And by the time that they have been shooting for a while, they think that because for they have been doing it for a long time, that they know what they are doing. In most cases, for the vast majority of non-competition shooters, they don't, and they sure aren't interested in learning. They just keep trying harder, instead of making any changes, because they "know" how it is supposed to be done. Ask anyone that has done a little teaching. To a man, they would rather start out with someone that has the interest and aptitude, and is totally inexperienced...less wasted time arguing with the student. Most shooters leave a good deal of what their rifle and ammunition is capable of "on the table".
