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View Full Version : Question about shooting from a rest or sandbags



wrt81
04-26-2012, 02:43 PM
When shooting a pistol from a bench rest or sandbags to test pistol accuracy or test new sights, what is the proper method? I've seen some people say to rest the frame of the gun (ie, in front of the trigger guard, below the barrel) on the bags for support. Others say you should just rest your forearms on the bags for support and not the gun as anything touching the gun may interfere with accuracy?

I don't really have a reason to do this currently, but it's something I've always been curious about.

MEH
04-26-2012, 02:47 PM
Try it. You see pretty quickly why not letting the pistol touch the bag is a good idea.

jetfire
04-26-2012, 02:53 PM
When I shoot off sandbags for groups if I rest the pistol on the bag I get a pretty wild POI shift from shooting it unsupported. I stopped doing that and started resting my arms on the bench/bag instead so POI is the same.

One of the things that I've noticed is that if I shoot 10 five shot groups from a standing unsupported position and keep the best three shots out of those five is that the 3 shot group will be roughly the same as the best five shot group I can produce shooting from sandbags. Because there's basically no practical application for me personally in sandbag shooting, I shoot everything standing up now.

VolGrad
04-26-2012, 03:20 PM
One of the things that I've noticed is that if I shoot 10 five shot groups from a standing unsupported position and keep the best three shots out of those five is that the 3 shot group will be roughly the same as the best five shot group I can produce shooting from sandbags. Because there's basically no practical application for me personally in sandbag shooting, I shoot everything standing up now.

Pretty much the same for me as well.

I was at the range last weekend and an old pistol shooter guy that "teaches" at the club gave me a 30 minute lecture on this topic. He saw a group I had shot and asked if I shot it benched. I told him I had shot it two-handed, slow fire, unsupported. He launched into a lecture about how I could never tell how accurate the gun really was that way blah blah blah. I pretty much told him I didn't care how accurate the gun was and that I only cared about how accurately I could shoot it. Since I wasn't planning to shoot at bad guys from a benchrest I needed to know how I shot it unsupported.

He wasn't amused at my candor.

JHC
04-26-2012, 03:41 PM
On more than one thread on this topic I've seen someone quote LAV about the differing POI - rested vs offhand. I do see it when the frame of a Glock is anchored. This may be what LAV was referring to; or not. I don't see much difference if I rest my wrists on the bags.
I see the value in this as I'm OCD fascinated by the potential in guns and loads and when I take a shot in the field at game, I'm often rested on my knees or between them and I'd use cover or concealment for a rest if I had the time and opportunity for a long defensive shot. Same as I would with a rifle.