gentler winds between 10 and 15 miles per hour and slightly cooler afternoon temperatures in the high 80s. As our kind hosts were having a get-together with friends and family, we drove back to the farthest pasture, far enough back that our shots would not be heard. We set up and went about dispatching some dogs. The town in the back pasture was unfortunately not as big or as fruitful as the previous two days’ shooting, but we were still able to get some great shots ranging from 50 yards to just over 400 yards. We wrapped up our day just a bit earlier than the previ- ous two days, and briefly stopped by to thank our hosts for letting us shoot, and headed back to our hotel to clean up before a nice dinner and a great night’s sleep. TRIP OBSERVATIONS
AND GEAR PREFERENCES: SHOOTING BENCHES
As I mentioned previously, we are not spot and stalk shooters. We drive up, get our gear out, set up our benches and then glass and shoot. One thing I will not be without is a shooting bench that swivels. Yes, my bench is heavy and takes a few minutes to set up and tear down, but it is so much nicer to be able to keep my rifle on the rests, swivel my bench, find and line up the target, and then make any final adjustments before touching off a round. I know I can get on a target with my scope much faster than people who do not have swiveling benches. If you shoot from a bench, be sure you look into something that swivels. I commandeered a rubber-backed small size shag bath- room rug from our bathroom that happened to be down in the
laundry room after it went through the washer and dryer. The rubber backing made a perfect non-slip surface on my bench top, and the size was nearly perfect without any trimming. I found that the shag helped absorb sweat from my arms, it prevented items, including shells, cases, scope covers, and all similar objects, from rolling around and off the bench in the wind, and prevented my rest, sandbags, and rifle from sliding around, and it made everything more comfortable and quieter. It takes up absolutely minimal room, and can be rolled up into a very trim, tidy package. Guess what? It’s not going back into the bathroom, but will have a permanent residence in my big rolling box of shooting gear. “Honey, have you seen the bathroom rug?” “Yes dear, but isn’t it time for you to buy a new one anyway?” Problem solved. SHOOTING RESTS, BIPODS, SANDBAGS, AND WIND
There are far too many options and personal preferences to go into much detail here. I’ve used bipods, front and rear sandbags filled with different types of media, and the longer single BullsBag™ style bags. I currently use a very heavy Caldwell Fire Control front rest with two different rear bags that I press into service depending on the elevation required. I absolutely love and endorse this setup, and it is truly excellent for getting on and staying on target for those long-range shots. It is brutally heavy, however, and I do have sets of sandbags that I do pull out and use from time to time as well. Regardless of your particular setup, when the wind starts to howl, as we all know it can when shooting critters,
BAT TACTICAL ACTIONS BA
T Accuracy, T Features include:
True drop fi t Remington 700 cloned action
Repeater SS Action
Chrome Moly Bolt Integral 20 moa rail
Welded, threaded handle with Tactical Bolt Knob
Integral recoil lug Fluted bolt body
Side bolt stop relaese t-slot extractor
Salt Bath Nitrided/Melonite
www.BatTacticalActions.com Wolf Precision is an approved retailer of BAT Machine Co., Inc. products
Page 150 Spring 2013
actical Ready!
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