I am often asked how I can shoot good, tight
groups from a rifle with such consistency. Sometimes, I get some
groups that even amaze me. Today’s rifles are more accurate
than ever. Ammunition is also better. Rifle scopes are better
today than they have ever been. Even the cheap scopes have much
better optical quality than many of the expensive scopes of a
few decades ago. Many shooters write to me asking about
accuracy. They buy a great rifle, a great scope, and top quality
ammunition, and wonder why they can’t shoot good groups from a
rolled-up jacket laid over the hood of their pickup. Back to the
original question of how I can shoot so well: the answer is,
that I can’t. I am an average shooter, with no special
God-given talent to hold still while I yank on a trigger. When I
am testing a rifle for accuracy, the goal is not to see how well
Jeff Quinn can shoot. You would be disappointed. The goal is to
see how well the rifle/scope/ammo combination will perform. To
do this, I have to have a solid rest that will hold the rifle as
still as possible, and let the rifle move consistently under
recoil the same way, every time. For that task I have relied
upon the rifle rests from Target Shooting, Inc. of Watertown,
South Dakota for many years. I first met Wally Brownlee, the
owner of Target Shooting, at a SHOT Show about ten years ago.
Talking with him at his display booth, he explained to me that
his shooting rest was the best on the market, and was convincing
enough that I laid down the cash to bring one home with me. That
was the best money that I had ever spent on a shooting rest. I
had owned many others, but they all had a little play in the
movement, and would let the rifle wiggle around a bit as I
pressed the trigger. A little movement is all it takes to ruin a
good group. Since that first Model 500 that I bought from Wally,
I have also got the Model 1000
and his sandbag rest.
Wally has had a very good handgun rest on the market for a
while, but has recently done something that made a good shooting
rest even better, by adding a rear portion upon which to rest
your arm. This has made a world of difference in shooting
comfort, which translates into a more steady hold on the
revolver or pistol. This handgun rest replaces the front and
rear sections of the rifle rest. Up front, there is an
adjustable V-trough upon which the handgun’s barrel or frame
is rested. Below that is a shelf. Some rest the gun’s butt
upon the padded shelf, but I prefer to hold the grip, and rest
my hand upon that shelf. The rear section of the rifle rest is
removed, and the rear shelf inserted into that position. Both
the front and rear shelves are heavily padded, and are
adjustable for height. I prefer to have the two shelves level in
height, or the rear shelf slightly lower than the front,
depending upon the particular handgun being fired. The rest can
be pivoted to suit either right or left-handed shooters, and is
equally at home in the field as it is at the bench. Wally is a
prairie dog shooter, and has developed all of his shooting rests
to be useful in the field. He builds them for shooters, and the
handgun rest is no exception. All of his products, from his
portable benches, to this new handgun rest, were built from
knowledge that he has gained in the field.
In use, the handgun rest is very easy to set
up and adjust. There is a wide latitude of adjustment to suit
any handgun and any shooter. For a lot of my handgun testing, I
use a Ransom Master machine rest.
However, this machine locks the handgun rigidly into its vise,
and inserts are just not available for every handgun made. Also,
while the Ransom works well at the range, it is not adaptable
for field use. The Target Shooting rest is as easy to use afield
as it is at the bench, which makes it a very versatile and handy
rest, while still allowing rock-steady performance. It is a
piece of equipment that will help any shooter to test the
potential accuracy of his handguns and ammunition, and also
enhance the practical accuracy of the weapon in the hunting
field. I like it.
You can order any of the Target Shooting
rests online at www.targetshooting.com
or call toll free 1-800-611-2164.
Jeff
Quinn
To convert from rifle to handgun use, simply
remove the rifle-rest components and insert the
handgun-rest components.
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