Shooting Bench

topbrass

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2010
Messages
192
Can anyone recommend a portable shooting bench that doesnt weigh too much but has plenty of stability?

Thanks!
 
I use a BR Pivot. It's not so heavy that one guy can't move it in two pieces.

It's fairly stable, nothing like a concrete and steel bench is, but I'd need a tractor to move one of those.

I've done alot of shooting over the years by simply using the hood of a pickup (older style hoods were flatter and lower). I just built up a sandbag rest and leaned against the vehicle. Worked great as long as the wind wasn't blowing really hard. Shot some of my best groups ever over the hood of a 90 Dodge Ramcharger.
 
Thanks SBruce. The BR Pivot looks great.

I have been shooting over the hood, out of the bed and tailgate for years. But I have decided that I want a bench now to shoot prairie poodles. I normally sit for several hours in the same place but also there are areas where we are moving every 10 minutes it seems.

I have thought about the one that goes in the receiver hitch, but it is way too expensive for what it is, and it has to be removed to get things out of the truck since I have a camper top on my truck.
 
I actually made one out of an old 4 foot foldable table. I unscrewed the legs, cut a bench rest top out of plywood with my jigsaw traced that pattern and cut another, glued and screwed the two together, bolted the folding legs from the table on my new bench rest top....the trick here is inserting wooden dowels in to the legs of one side to match the 2 x 4 riser on the bottom to offset the legs so it will fold up more compact. I can send you some pictures of you want. Mine is about three foot long, true ambidextrous, solid as a rock, not very heavy and the best part is that it was cheap. I have 0 in a donor table from an old school, 30ish in the plywood, a couple dollars in screws, ,and a little time invested.

I wish i could say this idea were mine but i think i stole it from an old article from varmint hunter magazine......absolutely brilliant
 
I use the D.O.A. bench from Len's store, solid and portable. Have used it in Pennsy on chucks out to 700 yds and here at home at a friends farm out to 1000 yds.
 
I actually made one out of an old 4 foot foldable table. I unscrewed the legs, cut a bench rest top out of plywood with my jigsaw traced that pattern and cut another, glued and screwed the two together, bolted the folding legs from the table on my new bench rest top....the trick here is inserting wooden dowels in to the legs of one side to match the 2 x 4 riser on the bottom to offset the legs so it will fold up more compact. I can send you some pictures of you want. Mine is about three foot long, true ambidextrous, solid as a rock, not very heavy and the best part is that it was cheap. I have 0 in a donor table from an old school, 30ish in the plywood, a couple dollars in screws, ,and a little time invested.

I wish i could say this idea were mine but i think i stole it from an old article from varmint hunter magazine......absolutely brilliant

I'd like to see pictures.
 
I got this one I like it a lot easy to set up in seconds very very solid and sturdy and light too Anybody interested I have contact info
 

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I bought this swivel shooting bench at Cabela's about ten years ago. Since then I've modified it several times, You can see I added tires and a handle to pull it around. Put a lighter colored cover on it to eliminate the heat produced by the black vinyl cover. I also mounted an extension to accommodate longer guns. It's lightweight and pulls quite easily. Recently, I used it in a large prairie dog town, and pulled it about one and one half miles. By the way, I'm 73 years old. One suggestion, use tires that don't have tubes in them(foam filled). Cactus can ruin a good hunt. Hope this helps.
 

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I bought this swivel shooting bench at Cabela's about ten years ago. Since then I've modified it several times, You can see I added tires and a handle to pull it around. Put a lighter colored cover on it to eliminate the heat produced by the black vinyl cover. I also mounted an extension to accommodate longer guns. It's lightweight and pulls quite easily. Recently, I used it in a large prairie dog town, and pulled it about one and one half miles. By the way, I'm 73 years old. One suggestion, use tires that don't have tubes in them(foam filled). Cactus can ruin a good hunt. Hope this helps.
That thing looks awesome, great ideas. Looks like it could double as a salmon fillet table.
 
Even though this is a 14 year old post, it still carries the same questions people are asking today.

I got away from benches about 8 years ago. I had a great sturdy bench that could be moved in 2 sections. It was bulky and cumbersome to move but once setup, it was great. Provided 360* rotation and provided very sturdy shots.

Shooting in WY and I sure other states you have to deal with the wind. It's not uncommon to have 20-25 + winds on a regular basis. The wind may blow in the same direction and will shift around.

By going to a tripod I can move my setup easily in less than a minute. I prefer to shoot with the wind and a tripod setup will allow a quick relocation. I can shoot standing or sitting. By relocating my shooting position, I get better shots throughout the day as opposed to sit in one spot and hope for the best.

I don't drive on the ranchers fields and when your over a 100 yards or more from the truck you'll be glad you only carried a tripod setup as opposed to a bulky bench.
 
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