Caldwell's New Joystick front rest

T

TMan88

Guest
Has anyone used this new rest that Caldwell is now making and selling for around $199.99??? Does anyone own one yet? I am interested to know if the quality is good compared to the next price range that the SEBs and other more pricey front benchrest competition rests $600-$800 fall into.
 
caldwell joy stick

Probably you will get what you paid for. JerryW
 
back-order

I tried to purchase one in Jan from Midway and they said it was backordered. I then tried Midsouth ($30 cheaper) and it also was backordered. That process went on and on until finally in mid April I bought something else. I see in Midway, they are still backordered. Hope you get one soon, and let us know how it works.

Stanley
 
I tried to purchase one in Jan from Midway and they said it was backordered. I then tried Midsouth ($30 cheaper) and it also was backordered. That process went on and on until finally in mid April I bought something else. I see in Midway, they are still backordered. Hope you get one soon, and let us know how it works.

Stanley
I friend of mine who is a member of the same gun club as me ordered 10 of them for other people in our club. He received as of yesterday. I pick mine up Monday and will update you on quality and function once I get the chance to test it out.
 
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Please do

TMann,

Please let me know how the Fire Control works out. I just checked Midsouth and theirs is still "on order" I'll be checking this site next week or the week after for your report.
 
Has anyone used this new rest that Caldwell is now making and selling for around $199.99??? Does anyone own one yet? I am interested to know if the quality is good compared to the next price range that the SEBs and other more pricey front benchrest competition rests $600-$800 fall into.

I haven't shot off of one but looked at one in a gun shop Wilksboro N.C. looked and felt like junk..........
Gary
 
Yes I used it Monday on 50 yard standard 10 ring 25 target card. It covered all areas plus sighters at the top. It will not cover the same target however at 25 yards unless you make a coarse adjustment in elevation during shooting to either drop it down or raise it up. But that adjustment is quick and easy. Windage is adequate for all distances. Compared to the Rock it is much faster to acquire targets and easy to move back to sighters for checking wind effect on your impact point. The quality and heavyduty aspects are good for $199.00. Finish is good. It functioned well once you got used to rotating the control arm and manipulating it to different positions. I did do one minor mod to the conntrol arm today. I found that at the highest positions the knob on the end of the control arm hit my trigger guard on my Cooper, so I put it into a vice and put a slight more angle on it. I liked it so well that I sold my old Rock rest to a fellow member at my Gun club who was just starting out in benchrest rimfire shooting. It certainly is not "Junk" as referred to by someone else in this forum. And yes you do get what you pay for. It works well, is sturdy, well made, and for that price point a much less expensive alternative.
 
Yes I used it Monday on 50 yard standard 10 ring 25 target card. It covered all areas plus sighters at the top. It will not cover the same target however at 25 yards unless you make a coarse adjustment in elevation during shooting to either drop it down or raise it up. But that adjustment is quick and easy. Windage is adequate for all distances. Compared to the Rock it is much faster to acquire targets and easy to move back to sighters for checking wind effect on your impact point. The quality and heavyduty aspects are good for $199.00. Finish is good. It functioned well once you got used to rotating the control arm and manipulating it to different positions. I did do one minor mod to the conntrol arm today. I found that at the highest positions the knob on the end of the control arm hit my trigger guard on my Cooper, so I put it into a vice and put a slight more angle on it. I liked it so well that I sold my old Rock rest to a fellow member at my Gun club who was just starting out in benchrest rimfire shooting. It certainly is not "Junk" as referred to by someone else in this forum. And yes you do get what you pay for. It works well, is sturdy, well made, and for that price point a much less expensive alternative.

Is it the accuracy any good from the rest?
What I need is a good rest when I’m building up hunting loads and would like to eliminate my own errors when test shooting :)

Regards Bjarne
 
You get what you pay for. This will really stand out if you ever get to use a Farley. The Farley is worth three times more than the Caldwell, and more.
Buy the best and cry now. Buy a Caldwell and be down $200.00 by the time you finally buy a Farley.

It's like buying a BSA scope instead of a Leupold.
 
You get what you pay for. This will really stand out if you ever get to use a Farley. The Farley is worth three times more than the Caldwell, and more.
Buy the best and cry now. Buy a Caldwell and be down $200.00 by the time you finally buy a Farley.

It's like buying a BSA scope instead of a Leupold.
Have you tried shooting from the fire control or is it just your opinion about it?
 
Yes, and I have also tried the Caldwell one piece rest.
When you buy a Chevy, you don't get a Cadillac.
 
It's sloppy. Sorry but that's the only way I can think to describe.
You will not see a Calwell anything at a centerfire benchrest match. At least I have never seen one being used. However, I'd say at least 30 to 40% of benchrest centerfire shooters use, or have used, a Farley Coaxial rest.

Farley's are all over the place around these parts because they are made right here in OKC.

To be fair, I have seen one of our local rimfire shooters win an informal local match or two with his Caldwell.

The same comparison can be used when comparing the Caldwell one piece rest to James Pappas one piece rest. NO CONTEST !
 
Others have noted , and tested that it will with use get continually looser, ultimately getting to the point were it cannot be trusted to hold a 10 1/2lb. gun
 
caldwell rest

first did you try grafs i got mine from there if they are out they will put it on b/o for you. they are a great company by the way!

as for the caldwell i have one and while its not a farley it does what it it intended to do. you can tighten things up and do ok.

is it intended for the professional no but it fills a need. of course my neighbor who can make a piece of galvanized pipe shoot scorns it. he claims he can do just as well of bags and he probabley can.

for me just a duffer it fills my needs and for 189.00 bux you can always sell it if it doesnt meet your needs. there is a big difference between the pro and his nees vs us ordinary guys. by the way i never poke fun at anyone.

bob
 
It has been a few years since I shot across the course but I quess I forgot the bag squeezing part.

larry sivils
 
coldwell

well some of us may not feel like spending 700.00 for a good rest when the coldwell gtts us close. now if i was shooting with a 4000.00 rifle in big shoots then a caldwell makes sense but for us weekly shooters a little overkill.

bob
 
resst

mad

by the way this guy goes sil. and outshoots me off the bench. he is a champion goes to the big shoots. he shoots 300yd and out. he goes to the bench and then absolutely no contest.

he also scorns b/r guys claims they are wuses. he claims the studs dont shoot sitting down. funny.

i dont know if you have been to any champion b/r shoots but they are a different crowd no offense to anyone but they go through some things we dont consider like bringing a trailor with them and loading that day for their shoots.

bob
 
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