Gunvise for load development?

[goodgorilla]

How good of an idea is it to use a gun vise when working up a load? Gun vise might not be the right description for those bench rest vises.

 

[milo 2.0]

I think one of those Ransom rests for a pistol would be the only way I could ever group one. Personally I think you'd be better off braking your rifle, and getting a thread protector for use afterwards.

 

[goodgorilla]

I don't think I am getting my idea across properly. I mean take the gun to the range and hook it up to the vice so I don't have to worry about myself as a factor in choosing the best groups.

 

[AKONA]

I don't think I am getting my idea across properly. I mean take the gun to the range and hook it up to the vice so I don't have to worry about myself as a factor in choosing the best groups.

I would take the best groups you can produce with a good support and good shooting routine. There is no guarantee the best groups you can produce with a special mount of vise are going to be the best groups when you change the support. In fact if you change from a rigid system to a free recoil or sliding system the results change. So get some nice sandbags and a good routine and pick your accuracy loads that way.

 

[Recreational Shooter WA]

I don't think I am getting my idea across properly. I mean take the gun to the range and hook it up to the vice so I don't have to worry about myself as a factor in choosing the best groups.

Is this what you are talking about?

Caldwell Lead Sled Rifle Shooting Rest

My $.02 is to use caution. The only time I've ever seen a wood stock crack from shooting was when a guy was using one of these with a 300 RUM. He mostly shot this gun in a lead sled.

Hopefully an engineer can critique this analysis, but it seems like the recoil, that would normally be absorbed by the shooter, has nowhere to go and "stays" in the rifle. It seems to make sense that the recoil impulses caused the split stock.

That Possible caution aside, I did shoot his 300 RUM in the sled and it had less felt recoil than a .22 LR.

 

[No1]

Never. gun vise, lead sled (a closed system) introduces one more variable that you have to troubleshoot if your groups are wild or if they go wild when not using it.
When I'm going to do a lot of large caliber shooting(like 375 Ruger) from the bench, I use this--http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/clothing/detail.asp?fid=A024&cid=309&tid=013
They may last forever,IDK, I'm still using one that came with a vest 28 years ago.

 

[former naval person]

I agree with No1. The folks around here that use the fixed supports don't seem to have repeatable results.

 

[goodgorilla]

I guess it's a bad idea. Having the gun hooked up to a device that absorbs the recoil is much different than flesh and bone absorbing the recoil.