Rests & Rules for Rests

[Aussie_bob]

In our S.S.A.A. Benchrest rule book we have a rule 2.7 and I quote.
Any rest withor with out sand bags, and be they combined or not, with countours or additions on the rifle, from which a five shot group of five,5) minutes of angle or less at 100 yards can be fired without re-aiming the rifle optically after the first shot, shall conclusively be deemed to constitute a guiding means and shall not be permitted.
And goes on to list all rim-fire and centerfire benchrest rifle classes.
Now i have spoken to a few of our international shooters and they have stated yes their rifles are designed to return to as close as possible so they can get shots away as quick as possable and would easily shoot better than 5MOA group just by pushing it forward to the stop each time.
Do any of your shooting disiplines in the states have this rule NRA, IBS.
Now should it be removed or enforced.

 

[Aussie_bob]

I see 20 or more people have had a look but no one knows of the rule in there benchrest shooting or just don`t want to makea comment and rock the boat.
It only affects Benchrest as varmint for score you alter point of aim each time my .22Lr Anschutz mod54 will do it with the new straight line stock i will be testing it tomorrow.

 

[ReedG]

Hi Aussie:

I think both IBS and NBRSA have rules that determine the shape of the stock, especially the slope of the bottom edge of butt, which are designed to make sure the gun cannot come "straight back" without drastically changing point of aim. I am shooting a Shehane Thumbhole Tracker stock right now that has not yet been modified for IBS and it is amazing how true it tracks in the bags. I can slide it from the heel of the butt to the bulge of the pistol grip on the rear bag without the crosshairs coming out of the 10-ring at 100 yds.

It seems this should not only be an advantage in quick reacquisition of the target, but also in the effects on the gun from shooting free-recoil. Either way, this type of stock is clearly not legal for stateside point-blank,100-/200-/300-yd.) BR shooting. Not familiar with the rules, but seems maybe the 600- and 1,000-yd. shooters can use the parallel butt line.

Here is an excerpt from the IBS Rulebook:

"...with a stock having a flat or convex forearm and total stock width not more than 3", having a toe formed by a straight line drawn from the toe of a substantially vertical butt with a 13 1/4
inch pull starting at a point at least 4 inches below the axis of the bore and extending forward to the centerline of the barrel at a point no more than 18 inches forward of the boltface..."

See why there is some controversy over exactly how to check the legality of some of the "new tech" stocks?

 

[Cheechako]

Bob

I shoot both point-blank and long range NBRSA Benchrest. There is no such rule in either discipline. In addition to the stock configuration rules mentioned by Reed, point-blank prohibits "return to battery" or "guiding" means incorporated into the rests. Long Range rules permit any stock configuration that you might want to use and the only requirements on rests is that the are not attached to each other or the rifle and they have to contain a sand bag at least 1/2 inch thick. Most shooters in Long Range strive to come as close to a return to battery as they can.

Frankly, I find it hard to believe that the rule you mentioned can be fairly enforced. How do you accomodate heavy recoiling rifles that may jump completely off the rests unless held firmly? Exactly how is the rest tested? Interesting rule.

Ray

 

[richard295]

Today at the range, the gent next to me was shooting a heavy barrel savage and had a Sinclair device,flat plate) attached to the forend.
It essentially doubled + the width of the normal stock. Additionally, the whole thing was kind of locked into his front rest. Is that legit?

 

[Aussie_bob]

Well i went to the range the other day since i got home and my centerfires won`t do it in my rests but i shot a half inch group with my heavy rim-Fire rifle at 50m just pushing it back up to the stop and even with the slopeing stock if you have it sitting in the bunny eared bags and have the 3 inch wide fore-end a 6mmPPC will push back to the stop and shoot less than a 5MOA group.
My 30BR recoils bad enough that it has to be reaimed each time to keep it withing 5MOA at 100 yards and my 6mmPPC is a standard factory Sako with narrow fore-end and just by rolling it slightly in the bags it goes well out But with a wide for-end i dare say it will shoot under 5MOA at 100 yards.
Have a look at a mcMillen Edge stock made to fit the bags and recoil in a straight line.
But it is the rests that are the guiding means front bags with straight sides and rear bags with ears WHY so that the rifle will recoil straight back and be able to be slide forward to the stop and be close to the last shot so as to save time and get all scoring shots away on a holding condition.

 

[Kodiak99317]

Additionally, the whole thing was kind of locked into his front rest. Is that legit?

If the rest moves up at all or resists the lift, when you lift the rifle straight up from the rest, the rest becomes part of the rifle's weight total. Hard to make even 17lbs if the front rest is too tight to the stock

 

[Aussie_bob]

Yep realize that, but the rifle can be lifted straight out even if it has slight contact each side with the bags. I normally shoot Hunter/Class so this has no effect at all as you re-aim each shot anyway, but since running Bench rest, shooting groups and more new purpose designed rifles coming on our range this particular rule was bought to my attention.