Types of front rests

C

Curious

New member
Guys,

Im currently using a Seb Max for my benchrest heavy gun, I would like to move away from a joystick style of operation to one with separate windage and elevation adjustments and ideally make it myself, I have the skills and facilities.

What design do you think works best, can anyone steer me towards different designs, why you like them etc?

Many thanks
 
Jon Lon makes the heaviest constructed non joystick rest. Weighs about 30 pounds.precise wind age and elevation knobs and can be set up for left hand shooters. I'm not sure the Jon Loh is still made. Mine is about 15-18 years old.

Als Bald Eagle makes good rests with or without their, or Ron Hoehn, windsge tops. The Bald Eagle comes with a cast iron or aircraft aluminum base. I carry both as spares. The cast iron one weighs about 18 pounds, the aluminum one about 12 pounds.


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JerrySharrett said:
Jon Lon makes the heaviest constructed non joystick rest. Weighs about 30 pounds.precise wind age and elevation knobs and can be set up for left hand shooters. I'm not sure the Jon Loh is still made. Mine is about 15-18 years old.

Als Bald Eagle makes good rests with or without their, or Ron Hoehn, windsge tops. The Bald Eagle comes with a cast iron or aircraft aluminum base. I carry both as spares. The cast iron one weighs about 18 pounds, the aluminum one about 12 pounds.


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The current John Loh rest is much lighter than the one you speak of. I have one of his new ones and it wouldn't break 15 lbs if that much. It is a very very nice rest though. My Sinclair comp rest weighs over 30 lbs but its base is 1" thick steel. The Loh and Sinclair rests are almost identical in size and function except for the windage adjustment. The Loh actually shifts the top left / right in a straight line where the Sinclair pivots the top in an arc. These are the only two rests I have used and like the Loh better when I have to share / rotate benches as the Sinclair is a tank to carry around.
 
Curious said:
Guys,

Im currently using a Seb Max for my benchrest heavy gun, I would like to move away from a joystick style of operation to one with separate windage and elevation adjustments and ideally make it myself, I have the skills and facilities.

What design do you think works best, can anyone steer me towards different designs, why you like them etc?

Many thanks
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May I ask why you are getting away from coaxial rests? I am debating on buying a SEB Neo early next year.
 
I'm with Francis on this but my rest weighs a great deal less. I do use the windage knob every now and then but not between record shots. I only mention this because Francis left the closet door open....
 
GASTX said:
May I ask why you are getting away from coaxial rests? I am debating on buying a SEB Neo early next year.
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SEB rests are excellent, buy with confidence.

I just want to try having separate elevation and windage adjustments to see if it might help me shoot faster, I wouldn't expect to have to tweek the windage during a string and I wonder if fine elevation adjustments would be able to be done more accurately and faster.
 
Curious said:
SEB rests are excellent, buy with confidence.

I just want to try having separate elevation and windage adjustments to see if it might help me shoot faster, I wouldn't expect to have to tweek the windage during a string and I wonder if fine elevation adjustments would be able to be done more accurately and faster.
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What you are suggesting here is a "return to battery" type rest. These are not legal in the normal Varmint and Sporter classes of IBS and NBRSA.

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Curious said:
SEB rests are excellent, buy with confidence.

I just want to try having separate elevation and windage adjustments to see if it might help me shoot faster, I wouldn't expect to have to tweek the windage during a string and I wonder if fine elevation adjustments would be able to be done more accurately and faster.
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I have a new Farley and the Sinclair Competition. Both are fine rests. For speed, I get around a score target and back to POA faster for group with the Farley. Fine adjustment is easier with the Sinclair. Really comes down to whether you like a stick or knobs.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com
 
Curious said:
SEB rests are excellent, buy with confidence.

I just want to try having separate elevation and windage adjustments to see if it might help me shoot faster, I wouldn't expect to have to tweek the windage during a string and I wonder if fine elevation adjustments would be able to be done more accurately and faster.
Click to expand...

I'm just curious Mr Curious, What type of BR shooting do you do? If I had to guess, your not a score shooter, your a grouper, because if your a score shooter I don't see you shooting faster with a non joystick rest.
 
Jim Pag said:
I'm just curious Mr Curious, What type of BR shooting do you do? If I had to guess, your not a score shooter, your a grouper, because if your a score shooter I don't see you shooting faster with a non joystick rest.
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600 & 1000yd benchrest.
 
JerrySharrett said:
What you are suggesting here is a "return to battery" type rest. These are not legal in the normal Varmint and Sporter classes of IBS and NBRSA.

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I dont know what the name is Jerry but the rest type I'm looking for info on is perfectly legal, I see shooters using them regularly.

The ones you have already recommended fit the bill but Im keen to still see or hear about other designs.
 
2 basic designs knobs or joy stick, Knob rests front knob windage ( requires you to reach way out there back fine elevation, another type moves the windage to the rear and via a drive belt controls elevation from about the mid portion of the rest, some are linear in windage some are on an arc. with any you end up with some binding in the bags when using a rear bag not on the same traveling base- something to think about but I don know if it would be technically ok in that kind of configuration- could be considered a one piece rest I suppose. I have a Seb ( first style) and a Farley . I like the Seb a bit more as I can float the front bag area in the arc. then lock when extremely close. still the issue of binding in back bag. The are also rear adjustable rests that accomplish Fine elevation and windage- don't know the rules on those, I have one those also, it is currently set up hard but a small bag could be set there instead.
 
After thirty years of trying everything imaginable, here's my ..02 worth.

If you want to shoot fast you would be going in the wrong direction by abandoning your SEB coax rest and going to a windage adjustable top. Having to twist two different knobs, constantly going back and forth from one to the other is the slowest way to shoot.

If you have normal strength in your hands and are not bothered with arthritis, the best and fastest way to shoot is by squeezing the rear bag.

I use a Farley front rest and would not part with it! I also would not be without a forend stop. I set the Farley tension tight enough so it won't move if I remove my hand from the stick. If speed is important, I make adjustments with the stick but I often remove my hand from the stick and make fine adjustments by squeezing the rear bag. Works well for me. :p

Gene Beggs
 
Wilbur said:
Gene - why do you use a forend stop?
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Good question Wilbur. :confused:

When I started shooting BR with the Midland Shooters Club some years ago, I just followed the leaders. Since everyone else was using a forend stop, I saw no reason to be different. With time, I came to depend on the stop and the times I tried doing without one, I quickly went back to what I was used to.

In his book, "Extreme Rifle Accuracy" Mike Ratigan makes a good case for using a forend stop. I don't think he would object to my quoting him here. On page 55, Mike says:

FRONT STOP MISCONCEPTIONS

Walk the firing line at any tournament and you will see that more than 95% of shooters use a front stop. The primary function of the front stop is to aid in positioning the rifle the same for each shoot, which is important.

I consider Mike's book to be a must read for any serious benchrest shooter.

Best regards,

Gene Beggs
 
Gene Beggs said:
If you want to shoot fast you would be going in the wrong direction by abandoning your SEB coax rest and going to a windage adjustable top. Having to twist two different knobs, constantly going back and forth from one to the other is the slowest way to shoot.

If you have normal strength in your hands and are not bothered with arthritis, the best and fastest way to shoot is by squeezing the rear bag.

I use a Farley front rest and would not part with it! I also would not be without a forend stop. I set the Farley tension tight enough so it won't move if I remove my hand from the stick. If speed is important, I make adjustments with the stick but I often remove my hand from the stick and make fine adjustments by squeezing the rear bag. Works well for me. :p

Gene Beggs
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Thanks for your opinion Gene.

Im shooting a 50lb heavy gun with a muzzle brake in 6BR or Dasher, it recoils back around 0.625" in the rests.

With the SEB joystick I find I can't make small adjustments in one plane without it affecting the other. I use a very small aiming dot and feel that I could shoot faster if I only needed to control one plane at a time as it seems rare that both need adjusting simultaneously.

I have watched a few shooters on Youtube with separate adjustments and it seems often elevation is the only adjustment made, of course this will depend on how well set up a rig is in the first place. I guess like most things I need to try this route otherwise I wont know for myself :)
 
FBecigneul said:
Excuse me while I prevail upon your valuable time for a minute. I use the bag squeeze method to move about the target. With a rough adjustment to where the crosshairs are just above the bull or previous shot depending on the game I'm playing at the time, I shift my one hand to the proximity of the trigger, not touching it of course. My other hand grasps the rear bag. I squeeze the bag until the crosshairs move to my intended POI and fire. My rifle has now recoiled back and I'm way above the new hole. I now cycle the bolt, dump the spent case, and reload again, all with my left hand. I then push the rifle back to approximate battery with my shoulder, I check for the impact now and not before any of that. If there was a forearm stop on my rest I would lose some travel and hence, some elevation adjustment. This also why I use a stock with a convention drop. A straight line stock would reduce the ability to adjust elevation with a fore and aft motion.
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Francis, one of the best Benchrest Shooters I ever had the priveledge to compete with was a bag squeezer. He hails from a little Texas town South of Houston, Needville.
 
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