foldable or take down bench

Glad you all like it.

Thanks for all the positive reactions and tips guys.I don't like beating around the bush,I'm more a doing kind of guy.It's true I didn't fuss longtime.

The legs are indeed angled at about 7°.The picture might suggest they're straight.I've cut the flanges at that angle and welded them to a 4"X4" plate.Took 7° because of the look of it.At first went for 10° but that seemed too much.I like the round curve more than the angled look.I also threaded a cap at the end to it to stop it sinking in the ground.
And no I wont run a batch of them.I'd rather shoot in my free time:D

Four legs may be even more stable but also more difficult to get the wobble out.The terrain I shoot at is plain dirt.The addition of some spikes may be a good idea too.If it moves I will give it a try.Maybe if I move the table a bit around to sink it in the sand it will do_Only shooting off it will tell.

In the beginning I wanted to weld the flanges to a frame too,but that would have made it heavier to move.Now I can easily handle it myself.But again if needed it can be added.

I still have to try it out,but that will be for next year.The range closes this week untill half january.I hope it is sturdy enough,but at the indoor range I shoot the tables are a lot wobblier than this one.They are the "don't touch anything or it moves"kind.Which is a pain to shoot off.

Doing benchrest sure passes time.
Regards,Pieter
 
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Couple more ideas.

One, I tried the caps on the ends of the legs and didn't like them. I actually like driving the legs and inch or two in the ground. This accomplished two things. One, leveling with a rubber mallet is easy. Two, with the slight angle, the legs are forced outward and puts the table in a slight bind...which actually makes it more stable and takes a ton of wiggle out.

Another thing that I learned that I forgot to mention. The bolts will eat away at the holes they go through. Since you made a very nice top, drill the holes out and glue some steel sleeves into the top for the bolts to go through...it'll last a lifetime.

Hovis
 
Thanks again for the tips Hovis.

I'll try to find some propper size tube to use as a sleeve.Is there this much force on these bolts to wear the holes out?As you've been there done that I assume so.

As for the caps,it made sense to me as the soil at this range is quite loose sand and I thought the legs might sink in too deep.But I'll keep in mind to put the legs a bit in the ground.Spikes sounded good too,as was suggested in a previous post.

I might still make it to the range though.It closes a week later as I thought.If conditions stay dry I will give it a try.It's cold though,winter has entered and it freezes at the moment.On the other end I can't wait to try out my table.I never shot rimfire benchrest outdoors.A new dimension will open soon.
 
Hovis,

I found somthing as good as a cap on the end of the legs. Go to the panhandle of Texas dog shooting, sink the legs into the black Texas mud then let it dry, hard as steel.
 
Waylan Kisor said:
I found somthing as good as a cap on the end of the legs. Go to the panhandle of Texas dog shooting, sink the legs into the black Texas mud then let it dry, hard as steel.
Click to expand...

I bet....Here in Southern Indiana, we have a lot of clay. Now, your not going to believe this but I drove my legs in the ground and shot off the bench for about a month or so. When a buddy of mine and I went to move it, we broke the top in half trying to pull it out of the ground. This clay is so dense that when it gets wet....it's slicker than snot on a door knob...

Hovis
 
I tried out my table yesterday but in lousy conditions,it was -9°C.The ground was frozen solid and there were even ice patches at the 50m mark.

Conclusion:it was stable but when I touched the table it moved slightly on the frozen ground.For these conditions the legs defenitly need spikes.I think I will make some other cap ends with them so I can change to those when needed.

A fourth leg may be more solid normally but in these conditions you definitly can't stabilize it.

I also need to find some wind flags too,it is very difficult outdoors without them.I tried to use the red safety flag as a reference,but that didn't work.

All in all I had some good fun,and the cup of coffee after the shoot never tasted any better.Boy was it cold.My buddy shot his SIG 550 and the empty cases froze to the ground.
 
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