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I've got one made out of 1x1 and 2/4s that works pretty good. It's got an adjustment knob for both axis. I'll use when I'm sighting in a scope on a magnum or really light gun.
From what I'm seeing, the recoil is transferring to the rest itself, and the deadweight it holds. If I'm doing one to three, it's not a big deal - but doing 10-15 at a sitting, by the end of the session I'm starting to pull shots just from fatigue/getting tired. When I hand someone a rifle that I've sighted in, I want them to go to the range and find it spot-on, not "close", so I'm trying to eliminate every possible variable.
I will keep an eye on things, though - if I even THINK it's putting the guns at risk, I'll either find ways to address it or stop using it. An earlier model sled I used years ago DID do that kind of damage, so I'm used to watching out for it, but the reminder never hurts, thanks!!
Chances are the people demanding spot on couldn't tell it from close.
I shoot 2k and have competed. No smith zeroing any if my rifles have been close enough for me (because I hold the rifle my way, not the same way as your way, or his way or her way), the differences may be small, but at 2k that small difference is big enough to miss the target (typically I practice on a 4" paper plate at 2000 yards, or 2" at 1000 yards). I don't know anyone who shoots those ranges who won't re-zero after getting any smithing, for exactly the same reason.
Zero is rifle, sight and shooter dependent. So the idiots asking for spot on are probably going to be happy with Minute of Barn Door at 400 yards, because they'll not know if a "flyer" is them or the rifle, and a 15" group at 400 yards may be their tightest grouping ever.
Just sayin... from my perspective as a long range precision shooting enthusiast.
I hear you Gungnir - I don't pay someone else to clean my guns either - but we do a LOT of that, also. The main thing we're doing is proving that the gun will give an "X" 3-shot group. You'd be surprised at how many loose scopes/mounts we find.
I shoot 2k and have competed. No smith zeroing any if my rifles have been close enough for me (because I hold the rifle my way, not the same way as your way, or his way or her way), the differences may be small, but at 2k that small difference is big enough to miss the target (typically I practice on a 4" paper plate at 2000 yards, or 2" at 1000 yards). I don't know anyone who shoots those ranges who won't re-zero after getting any smithing, for exactly the same reason.
You might shoot. You might shoot 1000 yds. But you're not shooting 2" groups at 1000 yds and you damn sure aren't shooting 4" groups at 2000 yds. Maybe 100 yds and 200 yds? That's about right for a so-so hunting rifle although it's not good enough for me to take hunting. Accuracy is always in the eye of the beholder. What's accurate to you might be shotgun accurate for me. When chatting with anybody about pistol accuracy, it really gets wild. Some claim supreme accuracy because their pistol shoots 6" groups at 15 yds. I call it a paper weight. If my pistols won't shoot 1 1/4" at 25 yds from bags, I get rid of it.
So you know, here's the world record for 1000 yd accuracy.
Jim Richards at 1000 yds group size- 2.6872" shooting a 6mm Dasher
Previous record
Cody Finch at 1000 yds, Group size 3.835" shot in 2006
TRN, if you recall, A Place to Shoot has steel sleds that are bolted to the shooting bench. I've used one of theirs to sight in a 458 Win Mag with 500gr bullets moving at 2200'ps. I've shot that load free standing. When the gun goes off, you feel like you just stepped in front of a Peterbilt. Several seconds later, you feel the blood going back into the shoulder tissue. I've been kicked by a horse and it hurt less. I've never heard of anybody doing damage to any stock using their sleds including the 458 I shot in. But that was a rough 50 rounds thru the rifle even using the sled. The Caldwell is going to absorb most of the recoil but for big bore and heavy bullets, you're going to get some of it. More than likely, the version you bought is the ticket to the long string of sight in's you'll be doing before deer season and not feeling like you need a shoulder replacement.
I assume you are shooting the rifle one shot. Then rezeroing the rifle to the X ring and then moving the scope to the bullet hole. If you can't sight a rifle in in 3 shots, you're doing it wrong.
I hear you Gungnir - I don't pay someone else to clean my guns either - but we do a LOT of that, also. The main thing we're doing is proving that the gun will give an "X" 3-shot group. You'd be surprised at how many loose scopes/mounts we find.
This is actually pretty common. Probably the first thing to check if a rifle is not shooting up to what you think its potential would be. Not a bad idea to check this anyway.
From what I'm seeing, the recoil is transferring to the rest itself, and the deadweight it holds. If I'm doing one to three, it's not a big deal - but doing 10-15 at a sitting, by the end of the session I'm starting to pull shots just from fatigue/getting tired. When I hand someone a rifle that I've sighted in, I want them to go to the range and find it spot-on, not "close", so I'm trying to eliminate every possible variable.
I will keep an eye on things, though - if I even THINK it's putting the guns at risk, I'll either find ways to address it or stop using it. An earlier model sled I used years ago DID do that kind of damage, so I'm used to watching out for it, but the reminder never hurts, thanks!!
Depending on the weight of the sled and the rigidity of the rifle butt stock to sled interface (recoil pad? recoil absorbing pad on the sled) a sled will put more stress on the rifle than shooting it from the shoulder would. The heavier and more rigid the sled, the more stress. Sitting here on my butt typing into a computer, I can't say where the "line" is as to what would damage the rifle.
For heavy kickers, an alternative is a standing rest, which will not allow for bench rest type precision, but is a lot easier on the shooter. Big double rifles are typically sighted in and regulated from this type of rest. Well most people will accept a 2" or even (gasp) a 3" group at 100 yards for a .600 Nitro for example. I know I would be more than willing to accept that if I could afford one!
Another trick that I find frequently is good enough, is to simply put a 25# bag of shot between the rifle butt stock and my shoulder.
Sadly, the guys who pay someone else to sight in their rifle, are usually the same guys who can't shoot for sour owl jowls except from a bench, would be better served by making up some reduced loads (to save money, reduce wear on the rifle, and to reduce recoil) and shooting from positions, particularly offhand, and sitting, which seem to be the main positions one can use in the woods. They won't do that, though.
Sadly, the guys who pay someone else to sight in their rifle, are usually the same guys who can't shoot for sour owl jowls except from a bench, would be better served by making up some reduced loads (to save money, reduce wear on the rifle, and to reduce recoil) and shooting from positions, particularly offhand, and sitting, which seem to be the main positions one can use in the woods. They won't do that, though.
We each have our niches. One of our customers is a delight to serve, an avid hunter - but for whatever reason, cant sight in a gun to save his life, and he'll tell you so. Yet he routinely makes 5-800 yd shots, so I dunno. Whatever the cause, it's no skin off of my back - it's an opportunity to be of service to a customer. This will just make the job simpler, and take a variable out of the equation.
We each have our niches. One of our customers is a delight to serve, an avid hunter - but for whatever reason, cant sight in a gun to save his life, and he'll tell you so. Yet he routinely makes 5-800 yd shots, so I dunno. Whatever the cause, it's no skin off of my back - it's an opportunity to be of service to a customer. This will just make the job simpler, and take a variable out of the equation.
Yeah, some guys consider that sighting in involves math (well, it can, but it does not have to) and when they think about math, the guys with "math phobia" - their eyes cross, they start chanting "I can't do this, I can't do this"...
You guys must be built about the same, and must hold a rifle about the same, for your zero to be good enough for him to hit anything at 800 yards, is all I can say. Having said that, I would think a rifle might shoot to a different point from a sled than if held on the bench in the usual way. The rifle (and the shooter) move more than most think before the bullet clears the muzzle.
Whatever, God bless this guy, he's on our side of the barricades anyway. Although I bet I could show him how to sight in a scoped rifle with 3 rounds fired (you do need some way to hold the rifle still while adjusting the scope) - you shoot 3 rounds while sighting at a mark on paper, then lock the rifle down somehow, turn the scope adjustments till the cross hairs center the 3-round group - and you are sighted in for that range anyway. I would fire 3 more rounds just to be sure, but with a high-quality scope, once you put the cross wires on the group, you should be good. And you do need something like 7X or so to see the bullet holes, but the commonest scope I see anyway is a 3-9X...
With a 300 Weatherby, I would think something like 2.5 inches high at 100 yards would be a good zero for most use, a guy could shoot his 3 shots, then go downrange with a target dot of some sort, paste it above the group center, then hold the rifle still somehow, while moving the image so the cross wires are on that dot. Sometimes this is easier if the shooter holds the rifle and someone else turns the scope adjustment knobs.
I would fire 3 more rounds just to be sure, but with a high-quality scope, once you put the cross wires on the group, you should be good. And you do need something like 7X or so to see the bullet holes, but the commonest scope I see anyway is a 3-9X...
That's why God created splatter targets! Makes it much easier to see the holes.
I don't have a spotter scope, someday I am going to get one and have my wife call out the shots so I can adjust for distance and drift in long range. I'm only shooting at 200 yards at max right now, my range has a 600 yard field and that will be the next step and I doubt even the highest power scope will pick up the holes. I have scoped rifles but I also shoot with the irons at 100 yards, forget 200 yards, my vision is to bad for that. My long range shooter is an old army surplus Swiss K31 with a 12X scope that I have zeroed for 100 yards. I would love to show up these shooters with the very expensive new rifles with a 80 year old surplus WW2 era rifle.
I just own and shoot a lot but I don't read gun magazines or keep up with the new fads.Could you explain what a rifle sled is?
A lot of shooters can't handle long term recoil from the rifles when developing loads, and that's why a lead sled is so handy. Also, using the right lead sled is the only way to see how accurate such a rifle is. I would like to see you shooting one of my .416's more than three times from a bench
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