My home built portable shooting bench

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  • Last Post 17 March 2016
Dale53 posted this 12 September 2015

Some years ago I was heavy into Black Powder Cartridge Silhouette matches. I needed to refine loads for the rams (500 yards or meters depending on the particular range). I am 45 minutes away from the NLMRA range at Friendship, In and the range has a 500 yard range. However, the range has no permanent benches. Traditionally, people have built their own portable benches. I decided to make one of my own design. The design parameters were:1-It had to be sturdy.2-It had to be portable3-It should not be costly4-It ought to last nearly forever5-Most of all, it had to be suitable for the task (serious bench rest     shooting). I have shot ten shot 6” groups at 500 yards off this bench using my Browning 40/65 BPCR using 1 ½ fg Swiss and a poly wad to protect the bullet base. I had a couple of custom moulds made before I was happy. Walt Melander of NEI made me a fine four cavity mould as did Veral Smith of LBT. Either of the two moulds gave the results I was lookin' for. The bench top is made of two layers of 3/4” plywood glued and screwed together:http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench_1600x1067.jpg.html> Underneath the benchtop is a “z” to minimize table flex.http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-3_1600x1067.jpg.html> Note the angled blocks (made from scrap) to mount the pipe flanges. The flanges are bolted to the blocks before the blocks are screwed and glued to the top. It is important to angle the legs (by means of the angled blocks) to stiffen the table stance. I countersunk the bolt heads below flush with the blocks:http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-4_1600x1067.jpg.html> Closer view of the angle block:http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-5_1600x1067.jpg.html> The legs are cut to a length that gives you the proper height for YOU. I went to a big box store (Lowes) and bought a length of pipe and cut each leg to length and threaded both ends on their pipe threader. I use a pipe cap on the bottom end of the leg so the leg doesn't dig into the ground.http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-2_1600x1067.jpg.html> Each leg has a hole bored clear through it to allow a rod to slip through to tighten it properly (that way you don't have to carry tools to the range - just the rod).http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-6_1600x1067.jpg.html> I used sturdy webbing to bolt a “handle” to the side of the table so you can readily carry it from the car to the range. http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-8_1600x1067.jpg.html> I painted it with a couple of coats of paint. Here is the completed bench. It has been MORE than satisfactory. I use a simple, but sturdy, steel, folding chair with excellent results. http://s269.photobucket.com/user/Dale53/media/Portable%20Shooting%20Bench-7_1600x1067.jpg.html>

Good Shooting! Dale53

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onondaga posted this 12 September 2015

http://castbulletassoc.org/view_user.php?id=44>Dale53

Looks great!

Gary

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Brodie posted this 13 September 2015

Dale; You bench and mine are almost the same, except I made mine ambidextrous, and I don't use a wrench or rod to tighten the legs.  I did cut the legs off to about 30 Inches because the bench was a little too tall for my folding chair.  I would suggest a piece of indoor-outdoor carpet glued to the top with adhesive.  It helps to protect your rifles finishes.  And, I am putting a hook on the bottom of mine to hang a heavy sand bag in hopes of greater stability.

All in all an excellent job.  I really like your carrying handle. Brodie

B.E.Brickey

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Dale53 posted this 14 September 2015

Thanks for the kind words, folks! This table had done yeoman service for me over the years.

I showed it to a friend not long after I built it. He went home and built one in an afternoon.

It works equally well for modern rifles and handguns, also, as you might expect.

Dale53

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cove posted this 15 March 2016

Hello Dale53: Enclosed is a photo of a bench built along the same lines as the one you made.  The bench was built around 2008 and has served me well over the years.  The only problem I had was that it was not stable and tended to wobble.  As you can see from the photo, I have cured that problem in stages with items found in local rock pits.  It may look funky, but it is solid as a rock. Cove

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Dale53 posted this 16 March 2016

Splaying the legs (see the detail pics) stiffens the table's legs, considerably. Having them tight in the sockets also minimizes any possible wobble.

I have been VERY happy with mine over the years. However, I DO recognize that sometimes there is “more than one way to skin a cat” :wnk:

Dale53

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Ed Harris posted this 16 March 2016

This thread needs to be a Fouling Shot article!!

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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rmrix posted this 17 March 2016

Hmmm, I really like the holes in the pipe to loosen/tighten. I have been packing a small pipe wrench.

I made a portable bench something like it last fall to use at the 'shooting shack' where we started having our Wyoming winter schuetzen matches.

I thought about building the legs angled but I did not know if it would make the table more stable or just look better.  Having seen yours and you saying it IS more stable, maybe I will remount the sockets angled like yours and see.

My straight legs version does have a small bit of wobble. Not so bad that I can't settle in and shoot well, but all the same, less wobble is best.

I've thought about quick and easy ways to incorporate some kind of triangles into the legs for bomber stability. I have not figured out the “quick and easy” as it relates to portability yet!

Anyway - great ideas .....handle, holes in legs and I will try the angled legs. Thanks for sharing!

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Dale53 posted this 17 March 2016

Ed Harris wrote: This thread needs to be a Fouling Shot article!!Ed; I'll see what I can do. It has certainly been a useful piece of gear. I could NOT have developed my long range loads with my Black Powder Cartridge Rifle without it. Dale53

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Dale53 posted this 17 March 2016

Rmrix; Thanks for the kind words. Sharing is what it's all about:dude::dude:

Dale53

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