Portable Shooting Bench

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PORTABLE SHOOTING BENCH

Back in September 2013, I started shooting rimfire (.22 caliber) ammunition again of which I had been dormant for many decades and concentrating on large game animals, mostly Whitetail deer.  With the acquisition of a Savage Mark II BTVLSS .22 caliber rifle in a left-hand model, it didn't take very long to really enjoy target shooting (no competition stuff) and just plinking with the rimfire ammunition which is still relative cheap compared to high power rifle ammunition.  I seem to be going in a full circle, since I cut my teeth using an ole Winchester model 67 single shot bolt action rifle and fired many thousands of rounds through that rifle and harvested my share of small game with it as well.

As with most things that I do and have done in the past, I seem to go at least one step beyond into an overkill mode which normally requires an additional outlay of cash, however I didn't go off the grid on this project and went a little frugal and had to retrace my steps to get it right!  It makes no difference, whether you are into golf, boating, dirt biking, sporting clays, trap shooting, skiing, hunting, fishing, etc.; all of the men's hobbies and big boy toys cost money.

For zeroing my rifles and shotguns in, I have used a "jury rigged" portable shooting bench made from the metal base of an old fish aquarium and a 1/2 inch thick piece of plywood cut to fit and about as basic as you can get.  I know, stingy comes to mind for sure!  That shooting bench certainly does leave a lot to be desired and didn't take too long to realize, I had to either purchase something better or make it myself.  I also have make shift shooting front and rear sandbag rests and a cheap Hoppe's gun rest and it was definitely time to upgrade in order to get as much accuracy as possible from the current rimfire rifle.  Ok, I am finally getting to the meat and potatoes of this short story.

RICK JAMISON PORTABLE SHOOTING BENCH DESIGN

After reviewing many shooting bench plans, drawings and bench rests via the internet, I decided to construct a portable shooting bench based on the plans sold by Rick Jamison, Author at Shooting Times.  I added three inches to the width and two inches to the length with measurements annotated on the drawing below.  I also cut a forty-five (45) degree angle off the corners.

PORTABLE SHOOTING BENCH DRAWING

MATERIALS LIST

 

2 30 X 38  x 3/4 inch birch plywood - grade A/B or use AC plywood
3 1 1/4 inch black iron pipe, NPT threaded on one end x 32 inches length x .140" wall thickness
3 4" x 4" x 1/4 inch steel plate (flange/base for the threaded couplings)
3 1 1/4 inch NPT threaded couplings cut at 18 to 20 degree angle
12 2 1/2 x 3/8 inch flat head bolts preferably stainless steel 
12 3/8 inch lock washers/lock nuts
1/2 lb. 1 1/4 inch # 6 drywall screws coarse thread
4 oz. Titebond Original glue or glue of your choice

PERSONAL SAFETY AND LIABILITY ISSUES

My goal will be to keep Safety paramount because hand and power tools can do serious bodily harm and death if not used properly, therefore these pages are solely for entertainment purposes only from a personal liability standpoint.  Please read the Legal Stuff page for additional information concerning liability issues before going any further.  Safety glasses and hearing protection is a must, although I do forgo the hearing protection many times; my bad!

LETS GET STARTED

Everything else was pretty generic per Rick Jamison's plans except the size of the black iron pipe and maybe the coupling angle which might have been eleven (11) degrees; can't remember the exact angle he used, but read somewhere he thought eleven degrees was the ideal leg angle.  I used 1 1/4 inch schedule 40 black iron pipe for the legs, since I purchased what was available at Lowe's in Rockingham, NC, whereas they no longer stock 1 1/2 inch outside diameter galvanized pipe.  BTW, Lowe's will cut the pipe to length from their standard 10 feet threaded pipe and also thread the other piece needed with no additional cost.  I recently checked the black iron pipe with my caliber and the outside diameter measured 1.658 inches and the inside diameter was 1.390 inches with a calculated wall thickness of .124 inches, which is about .016 inches thinner wall thickness than standard, but probably within the specifications for 1 1/4" schedule 40 pipe.  It didn't take but a few hours to construct the portable shooting bench and I had all the tools necessary to get it done.  I wasn't in any kind of hurry and took my own good time enjoying each step of the way.  Retirement has a way of bringing out that good relaxed no hurry mood in my case and a big contrast from my prior work environment.  Below, a few pixs taken along the way and not in sequential order and left out some of the photo steps but you should have enough pixs posted if you desire to build one yourself.  If you want to maximize a 10 feet piece of pipe, cut the legs to 30 inches in length instead of 32 inches giving you 4 units in case you decide to build additional ones for your shooting buddies.........grin if you must!   Leg length depends on how much adjustability you have in your shooting stool and also how short or long your legs are, but this one will get you in the normal range.

NOTE:  The Rick Jamison original plans has the shooting bench top 27 x 36 (three inches narrower and two inches shorter) than my portable shooting bench top real-estate if memory is correct.  Later on, you will see where I cut a forty-five (45) degree angle on each corner to reduce the sharp edge.  I also rounded over the perimeter of the top of the shooting bench platform using a 1/2 inch radius round over router bit.  I used an orbital sander to round over the bottom edge.  There is plenty of real-estate on the top of this portable shooting bench.  If you desire to place a strip of molding or border on the top of the bench to keep stuff from rolling off, that is an option too.

The 1 1/4 inch schedule 40 black iron pipe is more than heavy enough to make a very stable portable shooting bench in combination with the welded flanges used and the 1.5 inch thickness top and stainless steel bolts used.  However, if you have access to heaver pipe, it is your choice!

Click on below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view of the "raw materials" used:

The first order of business was cutting the full 4 x 8 feet sheet of exterior AC plywood.  A well equipped wood working shop would no doubt have a panel saw or a large table saw with out riggers and out feed table to easily cut full sheets of plywood up but I had to use an improvised wooden saw guide jig that fits my particular model of Skill saw and used a few home made saw horses to support the sheet of plywood.  The below home made  "Saw Guide" works great and have one for cutting the long side of a sheet of plywood as well.  All you do is measure where you want the cut at both sides of the plywood and C clamp the saw guide in place and it "guides" your saw along the way for an accurate cut.  As long as you keep your saw fence against the saw guide fence, your cut will be straight which is hard to do freehand without the usage of some type of saw guide as depicted.  Most will use a simple straight edge and measure from the fence of the saw to the blade in order to make the cut, whereas the saw guide takes the guess work and trial and error out once you construct the saw guide to fit your particular model of circular saw.

After cutting two thirty (30) inch length pieces from the full sheet of plywood (width side), I took those panels to the table saw and ripped them to thirty eight (38) inches length which gave me the rectangle needed (30 x 38) for the top of the shooting bench.  Two are required and glued and screwed together using 1 1/4 inch length drywall screws.

 

Below, the layout on the piece of plywood ready to cut the side pieces.  The blue aluminum drywall square isn't square but more or less used the long blade as a straight edge.

My next step was to cut the sides and used the table saw to make a couple of the cuts but forgot that the table saw blade is 10 inches in diameter and when you flip the material over, you have a different cut on the underside and went to plan B and finished the cuts with a jig saw which was freehand and not as accurate as the table saw:

After sawing both pieces of the bench top to shape, glued (sandwiched) together using Titebond Original glue and secured with 1 1/4 inch length drywall screws inserted from the bottom piece of plywood in conjunction with the bolts that hold the leg pipe coupling and flanges, I started construction on the couplings. 

I decided to use my miter saw with a fiber reinforced metal cutting blade since it would be more accurate in my hands than my PortaBand metal cutting saw freehand.  I secured the 1 1/4 inch coupling to one of the pipe legs; adjusted the saw to 18 degrees and secured it in place with a Bar clamp.  The laser line really helps getting the pipe coupling centered since each pipe coupling will yield two (2) complete units.  I used three pipe couplings which yielded six pieces; enough for another portable shooting bench for my number one Brother-in-Law Douglas Pettigrew of Reidsville, NC.  After cutting the 18 degree angle, I de-burred the edges.  Pix below:

 

After cutting the couplings at an 18 degree angle and de-burred, I took them to my friends John Hyatt and Rodney Caudle in Polkton, NC who manufactures a top of the line Traditions grill and large competition type grill/smokers; telephone 704-219-9433 of which I plan to do a short story in the future of their operation when the weather is conductive.  They sheared  the required 4 inch square metal flange plate and welded the couplings to the plates.  Notice that the front two leg plates have the coupling welded diagonally outward where the legs will be orientated similar to a tripod configuration which is for stability.  Pixs below of the finished welded couplings/plates:  Click on thumbnails for a larger screen view:

After wire brushing and degreasing the couplings/flange, four 21/64 inch mounting holes were drilled in each flange.  I marked and center punched each flange and used a countersink, 5/8 inch diameter x 120 degrees as a starting pilot for a standard 118 degree drill bit which will align itself in the 120 degree tapered hole. 

When using countersinks and other short shanked drilling bits, etc., most of the time you have to re-position your drill press table height due to the shortness of the countersink which is a pain in the rear if you have a project that requires precision drilling of which this one did not, you loose accuracy big time by having to lower the table to accommodate a standard jobber length drill bit, etc.  You can use a locator pin in your drill press to aid in such realignment but it is time consuming.  It certainly is easier to use a special 1/2 inch diameter holder for the tool/bit which eliminates having to re-adjust the drill press table height.  Below, pix of the countersink holder which is 3.5 inches in length and precision made by Pat Warner of Escondido, CA. 

NOTE:  Pat no longer supplies the countersink holders.  I used a little "Mickey Mouse" Harbor Freight table top drill press since this project doesn't require any precision and heavy drilling.

NOTE:  Pat Warner passed away on July 28, 2017.  I met Pat in 2008 and have several of his books and products.  He was First Class All-American all the way!  Updated on 11-16-17. 

 

After the 120 degree countersink, I then bored the holes to 21/64 inches without having to re-adjust the drill press table height:

A coat of black paint and ready to install the couplings/flanges.

The glue was allowed to dry overnight and the following morning, I used a DeWalt 1.5 HP router and a 1/2 inch diameter 2 inch length fluted carbide bit to clean the edges of the two pieces of plywood that were glued together.  I used an aluminum straight edge to guide the edge of the router base against to maintain a straight line cut.  The guide was 2.75 inches from the edge of the wood which was the necessary width for my router base to the edge of the router bit.  Pixs below:

After cleaning up the edges of the plywood with the router, I used a block of wood and a small Stanley hand finish trim saw to cut a forty-five (45) degree angle off each bench top corner to have it a little more ergonomically designed.  Below pix of the bench with the floor flanges I used instead of the couplings of which I went back later and changed out to the couplings welded to the flat plate at an 18 degree angle to maximize the stability.  This bench is solid as a rock:

I rounded over the top edge of the shooting bench using a 1/2 inch radius two flute carbide router bit which had a ball bearing on the base to follow the edge of the wood.  I didn't route the bottom of the bench top but used an orbital sander to round over and break the sharp edge.  I was amazed that the sheet of plywood didn't have any void or hollow places around the edge of the plywood which is the norm rather than the abnormal as such as in the case.

Below pixs of the portable shooting bench with a coat of Cabot; product Australian Timber Oil in a Mahogany Flame color # 3459.

The underside of the plywood looks like Rosie the Riveter from WWII factories worked on this piece of plywood with screws instead of rivets.........grin if you must!; pixs below:

NOTE:  I used floor flanges for the leg supports originally and angled them away from the center of the bench with spacers but this is not the best way to do it.  Using the 18 degree angled welded couplings is the correct way to do it and provides more stability.  I had to rotate the coupling flange to align with the holes in the bench that I had drilled earlier and then marked and drilled the holes in this set of coupling flanges which is the hard way to do it.  It is best to do it right the first time.  To quote Fred Bear from one of his Archery Books, "Anything worth doing, is worth doing right" and my Grandma Coley used the same phrase back in the 1930s when teaching her daughters to make dresses per my Aunt Mollie Coley Bowers. 

This is a very stable and steady portable shooting bench with plenty of real estate on the top for a right hand or left hand shooter.  You can transport this shooting bench in the trunk of a car or SUV if desired; all you need to do is unscrew the legs.  The total cost of this portable shooting bench was in the neighborhood of $ 75.00 if you can do the cutting and welding of the coupling/flange yourself and will cost more depending if you have to "farm out" the welding.  You cannot purchase a portable shooting bench this stable for that amount of money either and will spend upwards of $ 600.00 to get a portable shooting bench this steady commercially.  I used stainless steel bolts and that was an additional 15 bucks for sure.  The beauty part of a tri-pod shooting bench is the self-leveling aspect of the design and the rear leg doesn't inhibit you from acquiring a comfortable shooting position.  I have a  Gibraltar softy throne adjustable stool on order to go with the above portable shooting bench.  I looked at the five leg Sinclair adjustable stool but didn't like the large platform of the legs which might take some getting use to and a transportation issue since it definitely isn't compact.  Both adjustable shooting stools had very good reviews and "six of one and half a dozen of another."

I will plug or cap the pipe open ends to prevent the legs from sinking down into loose dirt, sand, etc.  I will probably cut a matching 18 degree angle on each leg so the legs perimeter will maintain 100 percent contact with the floor/ground.

My Number One Brother-in-Law, Douglas Pettigrew of Reidsville, NC liked the looks of this portable shooting bench and the next time I am at Lowe's in Rockingham, NC, I will purchased the pipe, etc. and start building one for him.

My Gibraltar softy throne adjustable stool came in and expecting my Sinclair rest to arrive on Tuesday and it will be time to do some more testing with the rimfire.

Web published on 01-10-14 by Bill aka Mickey Porter with updated pixs on 01-19-14.

My Sinclair Heavy Varmint AP Windage Rest Left-Hand # 749-013-852WS came in on 01-21-14, however the oversized scalloped hand wheel and thrust bearing plate which controls the fine elevation adjustment were missing, rendering the rest practically unusable.  I called Sinclair and they will ship the missing parts out.  Below pix of what I received:

The little Hoppe's gun rest I have used for decades looks like a toy compared to this rest. 

Web published update on 01-22-14 by Bill aka Mickey Porter.

DOUGLAS PETTIGREW'S PORTABLE SHOOTING BENCH

Douglas Pettigrew my Number One Brother-in-Law that I call Brother Doug, liked the above portable shooting bench and decided to make him one for his birthday but couldn't get the plywood locally and finally started the project since I had some plywood left over from a couple sheets of exterior that was used for our yard parties.  I cut it into smaller sections for storage under my table saw out feed table and had just about enough plywood left over from the portable shooting bench that I made for myself.  Below is a pix of his portable shooting bench while in the white:

After some sanding, I applied a coat of walnut stain and finished with Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane Clear Satin over a coat of Spar Varnish, using left over finishing materials I had on hand in the shop.......grin if you must!  Below is a pix of Doug with his early Christmas gift on his deck in Reidsville, NC.  Doug, SusieQ, my bride and I loaded up in SusieQ's vehicle and went to Danville, VA for lunch of which we had a wonderful meal and some great fellowship:

  

Doug has a shooting lane at the end of his deck out into the woods and will use his portable shooting bench for hunting and target shooting.

Web published updates by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-31-14.

LOW TECH POABOY ONE PIECE SHOOTING REST 02-02-16

Several days ago, my rimfire shooting friend Robert Webster of Hamlet, NC  was doing an analysis of some of his rimfire targets fired and noticed that his targets on the left side of the PSL target, his groups were to the left of center.  The targets fired to the right of center, the groups were to the right and the light bulb came on for him.  We both have been discussing the possibility of making a home made one piece shooting rest utilizing what materials we have on hand and not trying to reinvent the wheel.

Below is my version off his Gun Turret Model aka POABOY one piece shooting rest under construction:

I installed a heavy duty steel piano type hinge on the front of the rest to allow for fine tune elevation and also there is a 1/2 inch diameter smooth bolt through the hinged walnut that allows for the entire one piece rest to rotate for windage.  I haven't installed the fine tune adjusters for the windage and elevation yet due to awaiting on some aluminum bar stock and a 1/2 inch x 20 tpi threaded rod to arrive.  The Sinclair rest has both those features incorporated into it but will only have the front bag aligned to the center of the base and rear bag and use the coarse vertical adjustment only to level and center the rifle on the target backstop.  There will be a spring installed underneath the base of the one piece rest pulling tension against the right side fine tune windage adjuster since I shoot left handed.  The spring will be easier to install versus fabricating a custom spring loaded plunger.  There will be an elevation screw adjuster for fine tune elevation adjustment located in front of the rear sand bag on the center line of the rest.  Both adjusters will be operated with my right hand and will not require much movement.  I am using Bakelite material underneath the front and rear of the rest to reduce friction and will locate a small thin thrust bearing.

This one piece shooting rest should remove some of the shooting error caused by the improper alignment of the rear bag in relationship to the front bag since it is very easy to torque either one which can cause flyers other than faulty ammo and other variables too many to list. 

To reiterate, I have a piece of stainless steel threaded rod 1/2 x 20 tpi coming and also some 1 x 2 inch T6 6061 aluminum bar stock to fabricate the fine tune windage adjuster and the elevation fine tune adjuster.  I modified an ole aluminum archery stabilizer rod not used anymore by sawing the weighted section into two pieces and drill and tapped it for the 1/2 x 20 tpi  stainless steel rod which will work for the adjuster knobs.  Using a Portable Band Saw leaves a lot to be desired trying to make a square and plumb cut; recycle is the word for today!  I sold my small South Bend 3 ft. bed lathe a good many years ago and it would definitely come in handy now.

This shooting rest will basically remain where it is presently located but you can move it depending on whether you have any Gorilla DNA or have eaten your Wheaties on a regular basis.  The Sinclair rest is easily removed from the one piece base by removing three hex head bolts that are screwed into Tee Nuts mounted underneath the plywood base plate.  The rear sand bag is not permanently attached to the base but only "hemmed" in by the walnut molding frame.  The fine tune elevation adjuster would still work but the fine tune windage adjuster utilizes the portable shooting bench for its operation in conjunction with the spring.  The entire one piece rest base plate is secured to the portable shooting bench with a 1/2 inch diameter bolt used as the pivot point.  I might later install a bronze sleeve bushing but I doubt the rest will ever wear enough to present a problem.

I will post additional pixs when I get the fine tuner adjusters fabricated and installed and hope to catch the wind calm enough to do some testing with the CZ 452 American left-hand rifle.

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-02-16. 

THE LARGEST 1/2 INCH DIAMETER THREADED ROD I HAVE EVER SEEN

UPS delivered the threaded rod I recently ordered from Zoro on line (EBay) and noticed that the UPS driver Phillip had the package on his shoulder as if it were heavy.  One end of the threaded rod was protruding from the cardboard shipping box and that threaded rod was large enough in diameter to support the base of the Eiffel Tower.  We both got a big grin going when I told him I had ordered a 1/2 inch diameter threaded rod.  The person that picked and packed that item must be on the Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC State Eye Plan for sure or missed their recent eye exam appointment.  Below a couple pix of the threaded rod with my tape measure for size comparison:

I called Zoro and advised them they shipped a 2 inch diameter threaded rod instead of a 1/2 inch diameter threaded rod and they did not show another 1/2-20 x 36 inch length stainless steel threaded rod in their inventory and requested a refund.  The packing list showed the right part number of which the weight was 1.592 lbs.  I am supposed to get a return authorization via email to have UPS pick up the humongous size threaded rod for return.

I will have to go to plan B and locate another 1/2 threaded stainless steel rod or locate a regular UNF threaded bolt to make do until a stainless one is located.

There is always some excitement to be had with some of the projects I find myself into....grin if you must!

On 02-04-16, my friend Robert Webster of Hamlet, NC found a piece of 1/2 - 20 x 3 feet length of threaded regular steel rod at the Hamlet Hardware Inc. and below a couple pix of the size comparison between the 2 inch rod versus the 1/2 inch diameter rod.  I have the recycled/fabricated knobs on the ends of the 1/2 inch threaded rod. 

I am still grinning about the rod Zoro shipped.  BTW, I weighed it on a scale and it was about 23 pounds in weight........another grin is in order.

The aluminum alloy T6 6061 1 x 2 inch x 12 inch length bar stock came in this afternoon and got a chance to fabricate the fine tune adjusters for the windage and the elevation.  I have to locate a piece of stainless steel angle to place a pad in front of the windage adjustment screw and also obtain a heavier return spring to keep tension on the windage adjuster.  Click on below thumbnail pixs taken for a larger screen view:

A spring will be purchased tomorrow and/or swap the ones I have that came from Tractor Supply since they are not strong enough.  The rest will get a good test early tomorrow if the weather permits.

Robert Webster offered some regular angle for the windage adjuster pressure pad but I told him I wanted to use stainless steel instead.  He said that I was more hard headed than himself and his Grand Daddy use to say, "Save your breath to cool your grits"........that is a classic for sure!

I plan to apply a coat of maple stain to the plywood top and brush a clear coat of polyurethane over the stain around Spring when the weather is warm and less humid. 

A special thank you to my shooting buddy Robert Webster for planting the seed for the one piece shooting rest and who knows what the next project will be!

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-04-16.

ADDING BRONZE BUSHING AND WINDAGE PRESSURE PAD

It has been far too windy to seriously test the one piece shooting rest out for accuracy and did fire some rounds off to get some trigger time in and not a valid test due to the conditions.

I am still waiting on one of my friends to get me a piece of 2 inch stainless steel angle x 2 inches in length x .125 inches in thickness for the windage pressure pad and decided to install a bronze bushing in the rest and also the table to reduce friction.  I plan to locate a pressure sensitive Teflon pad to install under the front of the rest where it hinges to help reduce friction in that area.  The rear of the shooting rest will be slightly elevated off the shooting bench using the fine tune vertical adjuster which has a hard slick phenolic pad underneath the elevation screw contact area and will reduce friction without inhibiting overall stability.

I removed the hinged walnut from the one piece rest base whereby I could utilize the drill press to enlarge the .500 inch diameter hole to .625 inches for the bronze bushing.  I used a 1/2 inch piece of poplar wood dowel rod to align the 1/2 inch hole drilled with the drill press and clamped the drill press vise down when it was centered with the drill chuck.  I removed the 1/2 inch dowel and inserted a 5/8 inch diameter forstner drill bit and drilled the existing 1/2 inch diameter hole.  The bronze bushing was just a little over .625 inches in diameter and was a good press fit in the 5/8 inch diameter hole drilled.

I did not do a complete sequence pixs of what I did but below are a few thumbnails of the bushing installed in the one piece shooting rest and also the portable shooting bench.

I used the Dremel tool and a small cut-off friction wheel to cut the bronze bushing to length and ground it to the proper final length using a 1 inch x 42 inch bench mounted belt sander with an aluminum oxide 220 grit belt.  This bushing length was not that critical and a few thousands < minus total length was what I opted for.  My ole small South Bend lathe would have been ideal for cutting the bushing to length.  The owner of the lathe is not using it and he said he would sell it back to me and might take him up on the offer.

I glued a 1/2 inch diameter poplar wood dowel rod into the existing 1/2 inch diameter hole in the portable shooting bench to allow the 5/8 inch diameter forstner drill bit tip to have something to center with.  I used a couple small right angle squares to get a visual aid to help keep the hand held portable drill aligned.

I will probably add a small low profile thrust bearing between the one piece shooting rest and portable shooting bench at the pivot point which should reduce friction there since the Sinclair rest is at least 17 pounds in weight.  I could have made a wood Tee support for the forward rest but used what I already had in the way of a front rest.....a high dollar front rest to not use the fine tune adjusters on it....grin if you must!

One of my friends should have the stainless steel 2 inch angle for me tomorrow and will install the pressure pad adjacent the fine tune windage screw adjustment.  02-07-16.

NOTE:  I installed the stainless steel pressure pad on 02-09-16.  I wasn't thinking ahead since I had to route the top of the platform to depth to fit the 1/4 inch thick stainless steel angle bracket of which I asked for .125 inch thickness but "beggars" can't be too choosy.  All my routers had too large a foot print on the base to get the left hand portion of the bracket routed out because of the walnut home made molding already glued in place.....put the cart before the horse on that one!  I used a chisel to get about 1/3 of the wood portion cut out not accessible by the router.

LOW TECH POABOY ONE PIECE SHOOTING REST ABOUT READY TO FIELD TEST

My next iteration of this low tech poaboy one piece shooting rest (if there is a need) will probably be in T6 6061 aluminum flat bar stock; totally portable and independent of my portable shooting bench.

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-14-16.

The above groups at 52 yards and will take a squirrel out all day long!

FINE TUNE WINDAGE ADJUSTER MODIFICATION

I wanted to take out some of the slack (movement) in the threaded bolt windage fine tuner adjuster and drill and tapped a hole for a 5/16-24 tpi spring loaded plunger button that was used on my archery equipment back in the mid 1980s.  The plunger button came with several different thickness springs and used the heaviest one which worked out perfect!  The plunger has a Delrin type replaceable tip and the plunger housing also has an adjustment weight set screw that increases the tension on the inner shaft (plunger) if needed.  I also repositioned the main body of the adjuster where the 1/2 inch threaded rod will contact the center of the stainless steel pressure pad strictly for eye appeal.  Since there is an arch to the movement of the one piece shooting rest when adjusting windage, the threaded rod contact at the pressure pad will move in a slight East to West direction depending on which way you rotate the one piece shooting rest.  A steel split nut installed inside the aluminum block for the stainless steel threaded rod to move through would work just as well requiring a pressure set-screw to tighten the split nut for any slack present:......six of one and half a dozen of another!

NOTE:  The above fine tune windage adjuster has at least five (5) times the windage adjustment needed for target shooting like the PSL and ARA targets at 50 yards and with the extra windage movement available, allows for a wide angle coverage of one of my favorite squirrel hunting locations.  This fine tune windage adjuster has two (2) recycled archery components; Berger style plunger button and PSE stabilizer rod weight.  There just might be a little bit of an overkill on the fine tune windage adjuster but that is my nature.  This has been a very fun and laid back project.

I am waiting on the weather conditions to get better before I start burning up some ammo with the CZ 452 American left hand rimfire rifle. 

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-14-16.

WEATHER CONDITIONS VERY WINDY AND VARIABLE

I can't seem to catch a good day yet to do some serious test firing but fired a few rounds in the wind and just getting some trigger time in only. 

I added a Sinclair forend benchrest adapter to the stock of the CZ 452 American and took the sand bag off the Sinclair rest windage top and it works pretty good.

You loose some "man points" on the pretty aqua blue color base though.  The adapter is very easy to set-up requiring only one screw supplied that fits like a glove in the existing stock sling stud hole.  The UHMW base material is "slippery as an eel" and rides effortless on the rest platform.

Web published update by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-18-16. 

HARVESTING SQUIRRELS

When our annual squirrel season rolled around, I removed the Sinclair forend benchrest adapter and went back to the leather and sand bag front rest support.  I disconnected the heavy spring return at the rear of the benchrest where I can quickly move from right to left without having to use the fine tune windage adjuster.  When target shooting only, I connect the spring back up.  Seems like I keep changing things up, but this set-up will no doubt remain the same for a while.....grin if you must.

Check out my squirrel skinning 101 and rabbit skinning 101 pages.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-06-18.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.

Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

Open this link of Bible Verses About Salvation, King James Version Bible (KJV).

Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

IN GOD WE TRUST - GOD BLESS AMERICA - "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE"   JOHN 3:16 KJV Home Up