As most
silhouette pistol shooters know, testing hand loads from the bench isn’t
easy. Put on your favorite scope, and every little wiggle and movement is
being magnified many times over. It seems like no matter how hard you try,
there’s always a tiny bit of movement, especially when you start putting
pressure on the trigger. That’s why having a rock solid rest is extremely
important.
As handgunners, we don't have very many choices when it comes to rests. One
choice is that we can use a commercial rest made especially for
handguns. Unfortunately, no one has yet invented a really good commercial
handgun rest suitable for silhouette guns. The problem is recoil.
It’s no
secret that silhouette guns have quite a bit recoil associated with them.
So when you couple that with the fact that many of these commercial
handgun rests are fairly light in construction, we have a problem. Almost
in every case, the rest will jump and move under the recoil of a
silhouette pistol, which of course does nothing good for accuracy. As a
result, I never use a commercial handgun rest although I have tried them
from time to time.
Another
alternative is sand bags. Sand bags have a number of things going for
them. First of all, they’re cheap. Empty lead shot bags from the local
trap and skeet range are usually available for very little. Just fill
them with play sand from Home Depot and close them with a nylon tie and
they’ll last for years. Another advantage is that they’re very flexible to
use. For instance you can stack them in any configuration you like to best
fit the contour of your gun. You can pack the sand in hard, or better,
have a bit of sag in the bag so it will wrap a bit around the gun.
Of course
the biggest advantage of a sand bag is it’s weight. This means a small
pile of them isn’t going to move even when using the most hard recoiling
gun in your safe. On the other side of the coin, weight is the biggest
disadvantage of the the sand bag. Hauling them around (if your range
doesn’t furnish them) is a major, major hassle. Another problem is the
fact that many guns just don’t lend themselves to being shot off sand
bags. Revolvers are perhaps the worse offenders. For one, they don’t have
a forend, and they often have a rounded surface on the bottom of their
grips. As a result, they tend to rock from side to side in sand bags.
(Thank your stars if you own a revolver with a flat bottom on the end of
their grips.) Another difficulty is the fact that the revolver’s
barrel/cylinder gap is also usually placed close to the sand bags when
load testing. Consequently, when the gun is fired, the high velocity
escaping gases will quickly cut into a bag causing it to leak sand and
necessitating repairs with a patch of some kind. I put a piece of leather
over my sandbags to protect them when shooting a revolver.
When it comes
to shooting from a rest, the benchresters have got it down to a
science. For instance, bench-rest rifles are equipped with 3” wide flat
fore-ends on their stocks, which completely eliminates any side to side
rocking. Consequently, shooting an XP in sand bags is usually a lot easier
because their after market stocks, like a bench-rest rifle, has an flat
forend. I’ve also acquired a 2.5” flat forend that fits my TC’s as
well. So when ever I’m checking loads with a TC, I’ll just take off the
narrow original equipment forend, and slap on the wide body forend. Same
with my MOA production gun. A wide flat forend is a standard option and so
it’s easy to pop on and off when load testing. Additionally, both the TC
and the MOA have flat bottoms on their grips and thus provide even more
side to side stability. Sinclair International also sells an add on forend
stabilizer for Contenders if you don’t want to go to the expense of buying
a specialized forend.
However, while
bench shooting silhouette pistols with wide flat fore-ends is a vast
improvement when using sand bags, it’s still not perfect. This is because
there’s no lateral support for the fore-ends in the bags, and this brings
us to a third, and perhaps somewhat unconventional approach to silhouette
pistol load testing from the bench i.e. using a bench-rest styled rifle
rest in conjunction with sand bags.
I was
attracted to this option because the rest can be used not only to test
pistol silhouette loads, but obviously can also be used with a rifle. My
feeling has always been that if you can get double duty out of your
equipment, so much the better. So what distinguishes a BR type rest from a
regular rest? Well, as you may have guessed, the main thing is that the
flag bottomed “U” shaped top is designed to accept flat fore-ends and
gives excellent lateral support. The other is that a BR rest is equipped
with a number of wheels and knobs to adjust its height very precisely. It
also provides the means for side to side tracking without having to
move/disturb the firearm.
BR rests
can be pretty expensive, ranging from around $350 to over $1000. However,
Caldwell has recently come out with a rest with a price tag far, far lower
than the competition - $150. I admit that when I first saw the Caldwell
rest at the Midway USA booth at the Shot Show that I was impressed with
its simple good looks. I was even more impressed with its price and was
determined to get hold of one in order to check it out.
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"The Caldwell rest from
Midway can be used for both silhouette pistols as well as rifles." |
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The prime
requirement for a good rest is weight. This is needed to provide stability
during recoil whether it’s from a rifle or a silhouette pistol. The Caldwell
BR base weighs a hefty 16 pounds which provides plenty of mass to prevent
things from jumping around. The material used to provide this mass is cast
iron with a very good quality powder coat finish over the
surface. Additionally, the three legged base uses the now popular “Y” or
“slingshot” design which allows it to be placed closer to the edge of a
bench than a conventional design which has the legs at a right angle to the
center post. Having the rest closer to the edge of the bench puts the
shooter in a more comfortable position. The base also provides a nice15”
footprint which also contributes to its stability.
At the end of
each of the three legs is a threaded stainless steel peg or “foot”. By
screwing the pegs in and out, the legs can be adjusted up or down and so the
rest can be made perfectly level on the inevitably uneven surface found on
all shooting benches. The adjusting feet on the Caldwell are approximately
2.5” long versus the 3.5” feet found on most other BR type rests, thus
limiting it’s adjustment range somewhat. Whether this is a consideration for
you depends on how uneven the top your shooting bench may be. However,
having a level rest helps to keep your crosshairs aligned on your target. A
lock ring on each peg sets it in place once everything is squared up. Most
benchrester's will carry around a small carpenter’s bubble level with them
to do this job. However, this isn’t necessary with the Caldwell as it has a
very nice round bubble level already built into the top - a good idea. As a
bonus, you’ll find at the end of the pegs, is a sharpened point. With a 16
pound rest pressing down on them, those points have a tendency to dig into
what ever surface they may be resting on. Consequently, recoil is even more
unlikely to move the rest.
The
top of the rest is of course where our gun sits. As mentioned before this
is a flat bottomed channel shaped fixture containing a similarly shaped
sand bag made of Cordura fabric - also with a flat bottom and flat sides.
The bag is firmly fixed in place with a couple of removable metal
straps. Other styles of bags are also available from Caldwell and are
easily installed. Approximately two inches in front of the bag is a rubber
covered post or forend stop which is adjustable for height. One of the
nicer things about these rests is the fact that the sides of the channel
are adjustable so you can move them in and out to precisely fit the width
of your forend so eliminate any slop in this location. By using this
adjustment you can get very good lateral support on the forend of your
gun, and that diminishes side to side movement down to just about zero.
Besides
just holding our gun, the top mechanism of the rest has several functions
which are controlled by three knobs and what looks like a horizontal
steering wheel. Ok, for coarse adjustments
in elevation, just loosen up the correct knob and physically lift the top to
the estimated proper height. Have the unloaded gun + scope in the rest while
doing so and get the crosshairs as close to the correct elevation as you can.
Then lock down the
knob. Now unlock the knob on the fine adjustment. Turn the wheel in either
direction to precisely place the crosshairs at the exact elevation you want
and then lock down again. Since the Caldwell BR rest has a “windage top” there
is a third knob which causes the whole top to swivel in a lateral direction
either right or left.
I found all three
of the elevation controls to work well. Fine elevation adjustments were also
smooth and easily controllable. This was due no doubt to the fact that the
adjusting wheel rested on a small plate containing several ball bearings - a
Caldwell exclusive. The side to side adjustment knob felt somewhat on the weak
side and not super positive in its travel, but, never the less, it functioned
just fine with no problems. However, I would have preferred stronger springs
in its mechanism to provide a better “feel”.
Ok, so how
are you supposed to use the Caldwell rest for handgun shooting? Simple - just
drape a couple of sandbags over the rear leg of the rest. The flat forend of
our gun goes on the rest and if the forend is long enough, push it forward
against the forend stop. This will ensure that the gun is in exactly the same
position from shot to shot. The butt of the gun rests on the sand bags. You’ll
find that shooting groups will become much more consistent with this kind of
set up.
Overall, I
liked the Caldwell. It’s loaded with all the design features usually found on
far more expensive BR rests and actually adds a couple more into the pot for
good measure. Additionally, it only costs around around 40% of what others
charge for a similar product. If you’ve been thinking of getting a rest with
all the bells and whistles but don’t want to pay big bucks for one, give a
serious look at the Caldwell which is sold at (www.midwayusa.com).
Gerber’s
Freeman Folder
Every once in
a while, we come across a product that really grabs you by the shirt front and
demands your attention. The Freeman folding knife by Gerber is definitely one
of those products.
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"The Gerber
Freeman folding knife is both exceptionally good looking and very strong." |
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Jeff Freeman
is a Gerber engineer who along with Brad Parish, designed the Freeman Hunter
fixed blade knife. This particular knife is a thing of very practical beauty,
and is so impressive that it won a “Field & Stream Best of the Best” award
for 2003. It was only natural then, that Gerber should then bring out a
folding version of the same knife.
I have to
admit that I’ve always been partial to folding knives - primarily because of
their more compact dimensions. A high quality folder can handle just about any
job you may give it, and when the job is done, you can just unlock the blade,
swing it back into the handle, and slip the knife into your pants pocket until
the next job comes along. A fixed blade knife on the other hand is always open
and has to be carried in a sheath. This is no problem in the field, but while
going through our everyday routine at home or work, carrying a sheath knife
around isn’t very practical for a lot of different reasons. While it’s
true that a fixed blade is stronger than a folder, 99.99999% of the time, that
strength is never used, nor needed. Besides, Gerber folders have all the
strength that even the most demanding user will ever need.
The first
thing that you’ll note about this knife is its looks. It kind of reminds me of
the Nissan 280 ZX sports car. Some knives and sports cars are very long and
slender (almost feminine looking) while others are like the Gerber i.e. not as
long and skinny but never the less, give the impression of masculine, blue
collar good looks. Two things make the Freeman Folder visually stand out i.e.
the nicely figured pear wood panels on the finger grooved handle, and the
light gray, bead blasted satin finished drop point blade.
Let’s talk
about the blade first since that’s where all of the work is taking place. It’s
a plain edge, 3 1/4” long, approximately 1 3/8th inches wide at the handle,
and .135” thick. Translation - this is a strong, heavy duty blade.
It’s also
made from 440A stainless steel with a Rockwell hardness of 57 on the
scale. Having once been a steel worker myself and coming from a family of
steel workers, I can tell you that 440A is a great steel for a knife. Why?
Because it’s a high carbon stainless which means that because of its hardness,
it can take AND keep a very fine, super sharp edge. In fact, 440A is
known for its wear resistance. As far as the Gerber’s sharpness is concerned,
in a little experiment, I used it to shave a little patch of hair off of my
arm. Sharp enough! Additionally, 440A, unlike some other high carbon steels
which can be somewhat brittle, it’s very strong and has good corrosion
resistance besides. A ambidextrous thumb stud on the blade makes one handed
opening a snap.
Blade shape
is often a matter of personal preference, but it’s a widely accepted fact that
the tip of the blade is the weakest part. For a tough working knife, you want
plenty of metal around the tip, and the drop point is considered one of the
best designs from that standpoint. This is because the tip is located well
above the longitudinal center of the blade and so there’s plenty of steel
underneath to support it. This is opposed to a clip blade design (found on
Bowie knives) where the tip is much more slender and located further down from
the top of the blade with very little steel underneath. That long, thin tip
may look sexy, but it’s definitely not as strong.
The stainless
handle with wood panels itself has a couple of noteworthy features. One is the
width. It’s nearly 3/4’s of an inch wide which means you’ve got enough meat
there to hold on to as opposed to the skinny knives. It’s also an open liner
lock design. On almost all folders, the top of the knife handle is solid while
the bottom is open when the blade has been rotated out. When dressing game,
blood, tissue, dirt, etc. will get into the interior of the handle and will
gum things up really fast. Thoroughly cleaning all that junk out of a standard
folder is obviously difficult. The Gerber design is open not only on the
bottom, but also the top. This makes cleaning the interior much, much
easier. After dressing out game, just swirl the knife around in any available
water to swoosh all the gunk out. Everything’s stainless so don’t worry about
rust. If you want, you can give the interior a shot of Shooter’s Choice Rust
Prevent for extra insurance once you get home.
Another
distinctive feature of the Freeman Folder is the ribbed surface underneath the
length of the handle and at strategic locations on top of the handle. The tops
of the individual ridges are rounded and smooth giving a comfortable, yet very
positive textured grip. One thing I particularly liked was that there are a
series of ridges approximately 5/8 of an inch long on the flat top of the
blade, right where it joins the handle. When gripping the finger grooved
handle, it’s natural to place your thumb in this exact location. The
additional ridges on the top of the blade not only improves the grip, but more
importantly, the controllability of the knife even more. This is an
area that designers often over look. Needless to say I was very impressed with
the ergonomics of this knife. Lastly, there is a nice, wide slot in the base
of the handle to attach a lanyard if you so choose. A model with a built in
gut hook is also available.
At a hefty
6.4 ounces, some may find the Freeman Folder to be a little beefy to carry in
their pocket. Personally, I prefer a pocket carry myself, however the knife
comes with a very nice semi hard sided ballistic nylon pouch which can be
carried on a belt in either a vertical or horizontal position.
In summary, this
is one extremely good looking, tough, feature loaded, very practical knife
that can be used for everything from dressing out a buck to cutting the string
off the morning newspaper. It’s widely available and sells for around
$40 on the internet. You need this.
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