DIY Gun Rest Ideas

[roughpasture243]

Hello Everyone! I was interested on getting peoples' thoughts on cheap and functional gun rests. Commercial ones seem too stiff and expensive. I saw this great YouTube video demonstrating a DIY one using rice and an old t-shirt. Curious to get peoples thoughts. Thanks!

YouTube Link

 

[Jbotto]

I spent many years shooting food groups with a chunk of 6x6, a short 2x4, and various sand bags from sleeves and pant legs. They all worked well but I learned if the sandbag itself was tubular in some sort, I preferred a handful of smaller bags than one or two bigger bags to build up my benchrest position.

I quit messing with them a few years ago and bought a filled Caldwell set on sale locally. Decent bag up front and a “rabbit ear” bag for under the butt stock is pretty trouble free and very easy to use. I don’t see that they will wear out anytime soon, so it’s a small investment that will last for many years.

Still, if you want cheap and easy, buy a package of tube socks. Fill with desired media, plastic beads or bb, sand, rice, etc and tie the open end tight and you have enough to build a very solid shooting platform for both the front and rear of your rifle.

 

[D4570]

My wife takes the leg off a pair of Levis sows it closed and I fill it with cat litter, the light stuff. works great.

 

[VikingsGuy]

Denim sleeves and legs with playbox sand are my go-to DIY rest technique.

 

[howl]

I rest a Bulls Bag on pants leg sections that are filled with sand. The rear rest is a protektor model rabbit ear.

You could make a bulls bag yourself, if you're good at that sort of thing. I consider them necessary equipment for light hunting rifles. The rabbit ear rear helps too. These are lifetime purchases.

 

[Gunner46]

Preface: I was shooting w/ Dad at age 7, high power rifles @ 9. Dad was only 19 yrs older, so $$'s were few & far, but he made it stretch. Uncle Art helped.

Hate to admit this, but I went from 9 yrs old to almost 30 with nothing but a cinder block and a couch pillow. I liked cashing girls just as much as I did shooting/hunting. Priorities.

Finally bought a whiz-bang true life range rest.......

Didn't do squat for my hunting load groups. But I looked Cool on the range.

 

[BrentD]

If you aren't going to spring for a high dollar bench rest, then you might try buying or making one of these.

Bench Cross Sticks AKA Bench Shooting Sticks

Custom Oak BPCR Bench Cross Sticks: Many shooters prefer to test their rifle's loads using bench cross sticks to replicate as close as possible the shooting position they use in competition. That is where bench rest shooting sticks come in! Using these shooting sticks eliminates a variable in...

www.buffaloarms.com

https://www.buffaloarms.com/media/catalog/product/cache/6561eda4d088d7efe67ad144b0bb9adb/B/E/BENCHSTICKS2.JPG

 

[EastTNHunter]

For the bench:
Front-denim jeans, trash bag inside, filled with sand.
Rear squeeze bag-crew or tube sock filled with air soft pellets

 

[MinnesotaHunter]

A squeeze bag is a great way to go. Whatever you fill it with, don't use something that absorbs water (rice, kitty litter, corn, etc).

 

[Beignet]

I did the old thrift store denim pants route. I filled gallon bags about 3/4 full with play sand then sewed them into the pant legs. Did a few per leg as sort of baffles so I could fold the legs and adjust height.

Pant leg rests got tossed in a move a few years back. I use pre-fab Caldwell bags now.

By the time it was all said an done the pant legs took more time, effort, and probably money than buying unfilled Caldwell bags and filling them with cat litter myself.

 

[roughpasture243]

I spent many years shooting food groups with a chunk of 6x6, a short 2x4, and various sand bags from sleeves and pant legs. They all worked well but I learned if the sandbag itself was tubular in some sort, I preferred a handful of smaller bags than one or two bigger bags to build up my benchrest position.

I quit messing with them a few years ago and bought a filled Caldwell set on sale locally. Decent bag up front and a “rabbit ear” bag for under the butt stock is pretty trouble free and very easy to use. I don’t see that they will wear out anytime soon, so it’s a small investment that will last for many years.

Still, if you want cheap and easy, buy a package of tube socks. Fill with desired media, plastic beads or bb, sand, rice, etc and tie the open end tight and you have enough to build a very solid shooting platform for both the front and rear of your rifle.

Thanks for the info!

 

[cahunter805]

If you make your own bags out of denim be sure to double bag the sand or duct tape them all around to avoid spillage.

 

[Fire_9]

I’m about to attempt to make my own Armageddon gear pint sized game changer bag. I‘ll add some pics if ends up working out

Well this is what I ended up with. The next one will turn out better

 

[OntarioHunter]

This is what I made. Works great. The pipe insulation for rest pad didn't hold up well. I'm making a thin bean bag to drop over the crotch. I've mastered my late wife's sewing machine so it should be easy enough. Using rice as a filler is a good idea. Lead shot is just too precious these days (last 25 lb bag was almost $70 US). I'm thinking about making a plexiglass snap-on shield extension for the front to deflect sound. Should help a lot.