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Need some D.I.Y. shooting bench ideas...

ShooterwithNoName

Regular Guy
Full Member
Minuteman
Jan 14, 2012
676
551
Central WV
Hey everyone,

So my Dads old shooting bench has become fairly dilapidated. It was built about 30 years ago out of untreated, rough cut Oak. So now when we shoot on it it's starting to do the old "death wobble". My dad built this all those years ago just to have somewhere decent to shoot from.

This old bench rest is of the "picnic table" design with a seat on only the left side for right handed shooters. The target stands at 100 and 200 yards were built around the same time and are falling apart from being shot so many times.

So I'm looking for ideas for a good shooting bench. I want to build this out of treated lumber and I'll water seal it. I'm looking for some efficient designs that will accommodate both left and right handed shooters. I'm also looking for some design input on good target stands framed with either treated 4x4 or 6x6 posts. I already have all this lumber so that's why I'm going that route.

Feel free to post pics of any shooting bench that you have shot on and liked. I am in an area that has one little 100yd shooting range. Because everyone just shoots on their property mostly. So I don't get to see many examples other than "picnic table".

This is going to be my upcoming Spring project. My dad is just gone into remission from leukemia after months of bone marrow transplants. He's getting back on his feet now and ready to shoot. He wants to have a nice shooting bench but doesn't know exactly how to go about it. So I've got all this lumber, just got to figure out how I want to put it together. I'm going to surprise him with it. I'm going to cut it and mock it all up here at home then take it over and put it together on the old homeplace for him.

So please feel free to post any and all shooting bench setups. Any help would be appreciated. It will be set up for 100, 200 and 300yds with a steel plate or two at 500. Thanks in advance.
 
weld up a 'Stuckey-style' steel frame with pipe legs. I topped mine with an ambi top from 1 1/4 OSB, poly finished. After a few years of weather, I re-shaped the top and covered it with Corian.... add a cooling shelf underneath to cool rifles in, and keep ammo outta the sun. Store legs in it for transport. Cut handhols to carry or stand rifles securely in.

HPIM3736.jpg


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Corian is nice when shooting from a bipod. The legs tend to slide straight back instead of doing the bipod hop that kills accuracy.

A local shooting range has a shooting bench built from a picnic table. It's modified into a T shape to allow shooting from left or right side. It also allows for prone shooting, and you're not lying on the ground. Pretty neat idea.

Another benefit when shooting from the sitting position is you can almost get perfectly straight behind the rifle.
 
My local range did some shooting benches out of pressure treated with a concrete top. If you don’t plan on ever moving it they don’t get much more stable. You can look at the concrete countertop DIY’s and form it up just like that.
 
You didn’t mention if it was fixed or portable but I can infer that you want fixed as it sounds like you guys own the property.

My bench is portable made from two thicknesses L-shapes of 1” plywood glued/screwed together and 2” pipe legs that thread into floor flanges that are attached to the bottom. The bench is very stiff and stays put even when shooting a heavy ass 50bmg. I also rounded the edges with a router and put on some stain/polyurethane to keep it in good condition.
 
Here are 2 examples, welded steel, trailerable benches on the left, and poured concrete with steel bases on right. Concrete benches weigh aprox 600+
DSC_0242.JPG
 
Thanks for all the replies, all great looking setups.
Mike556, that's what I'm thinking is something similar to that. I've got plenty of 6x6s too.
The portable benches are pretty nice too. Never considered a portable bench, I wouldnt mind having a couple of those for personal use too.
I'll have to look into the Corian, I shoot mostly from a bipod nowadays.
 
Built this one last year based off of a YouTube video. The wheels and umbrella were personal touches.
 

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Hey everyone,

So my Dads old shooting bench has become fairly dilapidated. It was built about 30 years ago out of untreated, rough cut Oak. So now when we shoot on it it's starting to do the old "death wobble". My dad built this all those years ago just to have somewhere decent to shoot from.

This old bench rest is of the "picnic table" design with a seat on only the left side for right handed shooters. The target stands at 100 and 200 yards were built around the same time and are falling apart from being shot so many times.

So I'm looking for ideas for a good shooting bench. I want to build this out of treated lumber and I'll water seal it. I'm looking for some efficient designs that will accommodate both left and right handed shooters. I'm also looking for some design input on good target stands framed with either treated 4x4 or 6x6 posts. I already have all this lumber so that's why I'm going that route.

Feel free to post pics of any shooting bench that you have shot on and liked. I am in an area that has one little 100yd shooting range. Because everyone just shoots on their property mostly. So I don't get to see many examples other than "picnic table".

This is going to be my upcoming Spring project. My dad is just gone into remission from leukemia after months of bone marrow transplants. He's getting back on his feet now and ready to shoot. He wants to have a nice shooting bench but doesn't know exactly how to go about it. So I've got all this lumber, just got to figure out how I want to put it together. I'm going to surprise him with it. I'm going to cut it and mock it all up here at home then take it over and put it together on the old homeplace for him.

So please feel free to post any and all shooting bench setups. Any help would be appreciated. It will be set up for 100, 200 and 300yds with a steel plate or two at 500. Thanks in advance.

Did you decide on a particular shooting bench?
 
Here are the shooting bench my buddy and I put together a couple years ago. These are great because the can swivel and the height is adjustable. I know these are not a wood design but thought I would share so you can take from it what you want.

P9042694 - Copy.JPG

P9042702.JPG


Here are the Drawings for this bench. Be careful, its about 50# when done. If I build another one it'll have lighter, thinner material.
Ted's Design Projects23 B1 (1).jpg Ted's Design Projects23 B2 (1).jpg Ted's Design Projects23 B3 (1).jpg Ted's Design Projects23 B4 (1).jpg Ted's Design Projects23 B5 (1).jpg
 
Here is a quick shot of the DIY bench a neighbor built on our family farm. Not the fanciest but it is solid as hell and can take the weather. Seat swivels and pivots on the rear leg, very easy to get comfortable and hit steel from 100-600 yds.

I can take more photos of details next time I’m out there.

nw2d2j5.jpg
 
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