Portable Shooting Benches

Portable Shooting Benches

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It’s a given that consistent accuracy largely stems from the minimization or outright elimination of controllable variables, including any glitch in shooting form or the rifle itself. Unfortunately, the quality of shooting platforms is all too often ignored. Disregard for a moment the idea that a rifleman should be able to shoot while standing on his own two feet (rightly so), and consider instead that most load testing, downrange ballistics evaluation and scope or sight adjustments take place from a “bench.” If said support is not up to snuff, the fellow behind the trigger may be at a disadvantage before the first shot is fired.

On the cusp of an elk hunt a couple of seasons back, for example, I stood by as several hunters assembled to take turns at an outfitter’s portable bench to check their rifles’ zero after traveling hundreds of miles by vehicle and/ or commercial flights. This routine procedure is almost insisted upon these days because it provides some indication as to a client’s ability to handle their hunting rig, and shooting a few rounds allows for fine sight adjustments if necessary, instilling confidence when bullets land where expected. Conversely, test firing from a rickety bench may in fact lead to uncertainty.

On that fall evening, one fellow was having a heck of a time adjusting the windage and elevation turrets on a scope designed for long-range shooting, nearly burning through his ammunition brought along for the hunt. This situation could not have left him (or anyone) highly confident. In his defense, the tired, dilapidated bench had seen many years of rough use, was quite rickety and needed to be replaced.