Recommendations on Rests/Bags

[GriMo]

Hi All,

Lately I've had a hankering to get into some target shooting, and it strikes me I have no idea what to look for in a good rest. I’m assuming smooth and consistent movement, stable, relatively heavy etc. Realistically as this is a new tangent im going down, I would rather not spend stupid money, however don’t want to buy crap.

Has anyone had any experience with the Caldwell range of rests? I’m currently looking at the Caldwell Rock BR, but am reluctant to fork over $400 if it’s not worth the money.

I’m also likely to need a rear bag, once again any advice along those lines would be appreciated.

[chris.tyne]

GriMo,

Mate there are a lot of the Caldwells being used around the place and honestly they are not that bad for the money I suppose,I started with a Wilcox and still have it but it is fitted with a shade tree top now.
What type of stocks/discipline are you wanting to shoot.
I have a Wilcox bag squeezer top on a base and stem that I made you could have a lend of to try if needed,it's nothing to flash but it works.
As for bags I like Protector brand and Pro-Cal,BRT stock them and are good to deal with.
Below is a pic of the rest.

Regards Chris.

[Ron Goulding]

Hi GriMo , I shoot alot of rimfire br, and i have a Caldwell br stand , but i changed the top. It now as a Fudd windage top which is neat because you dont have to change bags if your shooting say hunter class and br class in a hurry. It has mechanical ears so you just wind them in and out depending on how wide your stock is, takes seconds. It costs $175 US + postage from Mountain Specialties. The original top works but is very crude ! I would reckomend you go for the Caldwell Fire controll system over the BR rock as it has the joystick and does away with the crude windage top. I tried the fire controll and yes it does every thing the seb rest does but at a fraction of the price, but it wasnt to my likeing so i sold it and stuck to my fudd top. As for rear bags i have a SEB. Ron

[trevort]

I use protektor as thats what the real shooters seemed to prefer!

Go on to saubier and look at the classifieds. There is a bloke making a windage top rest from aluminium. Really cheap.He hadnt answered my post last time I checked but I wonder what the price is on postage for 2 rests?


he did answer, about $80-90 postage but the rest itself is $125 (those are US$$ but that converts to around $310 aus at current rates) I think my sinclair cost something like $600ish by the time it got here. I cant remember exact price but it was $100 cheaper than best price I could find here even allowing for postage. That would be a bit different now with the A$ back to south pacific peso levels

[Ackley Improved]

Mate

I suggest you keep your eyes open and post in "Wanted" areas for a secondhand rest.

I recently bought a second rest, mainly because it was so darn cheap. It is worth $1000 to buy, I got it for $375. It is the joystick rest.

You need to decide now I feel if you want a joystick rest or not. I will never go back to a non-joystick type now.

What type of target shooting you considering?

Cheers
AI

[Rook]

Hi Grimo
We have the full range of protektor bags in stock.

http://hss.net.au/protektor/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


No rests at the moment but the protektor gear will fit any of the caldwell range. And I use a rock for f-class with some success.

Richard

[Knackers]

I got it for $375. It is the joystick rest.

I'll give you $450 haha

[stinkitup]

Mate

I suggest you keep your eyes open and post in "Wanted" areas for a secondhand rest.

I recently bought a second rest, mainly because it was so darn cheap. It is worth $1000 to buy, I got it for $375. It is the joystick rest.

You need to decide now I feel if you want a joystick rest or not. I will never go back to a non-joystick type now.

What type of target shooting you considering?

Cheers
AI

Hey AI what Joystick rest you using? and have you used it prone positions?

[chris.tyne]

This is just my opinion,I have used various joystick rests' and am going back to a windage adjustable one for a while to see if there is any improvement in my groups/scores.
A joystick is good for covering a Hunter class target/Br 30 target/RBA target but it is not the be all to end all that's for sure,I am waiting on a couple of rest's from Barry edgely,hopefully should be here next week and they are windage with a speed screw,once again at $745 each they are not giving them away but it is all relative(you generally get what you pay for).
If the rest is for pure group shooting it matters not what you use,as was explained to me by Brian and Janette Mitchell as they use the most basic home made front rest's,I was told that as long as it is stable and supports the rifle that is really all you need and spend the money you save on practicing,really sound advice if you ask me....................but I am a bower bird at heart.....................................I like shiny things.



Regards Chris.

[GriMo]

For now im looking at Fly and maybe RBA, BR30 etc.

Down the track i think albow will be getting a donation to set something more "range dedicated" up, but for now a Ruger VT will do most of the grunt work.

Rook you have a PM

[Mick]

A rock BR does fine for me. Third in LG SOTY for Fly and 2nd in 1K BR SOTY can't be all that bad. I'm pretty much of the opinion that if it holds the rifle still, it'll be just fine.

I dont really like the joystick rests myself, because they are far too easy to move/bump. You gotta have a hand on the joystick pretty much all the time, and make sure that hand doesn't move. I prefer less points of failure myself. As far as I'm concerned, a scissor jack out the back of some old shitbox car with a decent bag tied to it will do the job and not cause costly mistakes like bumping the joystick.

[GriMo]

Might give the Rock a try, im sure there is alot better out there but time is short so will give it a run and see what happens.

With regard to filling bags, are there any restrictions on what it can be filled with? Sand, obviously is a main contender, but is there any ruling that states some other kind of heavy fill material couldn't be used to add aditional weight?

[Kenny]

Grimo,

From my own experience ...buy good stuff first up or you will want to buy it again later anyway when the bug bites hard. As with most things in life you get what you pay for, quality gear costs.....

Mate....the Caldwells are good value for money from what I have seen. The one I tried had a few nylon bits on it though so I am a bit sus about the lifespan of them.....
If you want a joystick save your dough and buy a Seb or a Farley...they will last you a lifetime. Joysticks take a bit of getting used to if you started with a fixed top..they are really the bees knees for getting quickly to and from the sighter target when chasing a condition.

Buy good quality bags and they will also last a long time if you look after them. The cordura ones are pretty slick and save on powdering if you ever get right into it....your preference really
Protector makes a bag that has a built in doughnut on the base that stabilises the bag on crooked benches or they are available seperately, Edgewood might do one also.......

As for a filling...there's plenty of opinions, I use garnet sand (any sandblasting place should give you a bit) as it's fine and heavy and my preference is for a hard bag. Beach sand would do the job OK and makes it easier to squeeze the rear bag as it stays softer.....maybe try over a few different fills and see what you prefer, I don't think there's any 'best' it's your preference really.
Too soft will compact as you fire shots requiring you too set up again if shooting free recoil.....too hard can make the stock bounce up depending on your stock design...
There are no restrictions to my knowledge of what you can use...according to the SSAA rule book it must be a non-metallic substance that allows the bag to be deformed easily by pressure of the fingers....plenty of room there

KY

[trevort]

a bucket of sandblasting grit is around $10 from memory in supercheap auto