One Piece Rests for RFBR

[Tony K Harper]

One piece rest have been widely used in RFBR since the beginning but not so much in other countries.

If you are a shooter and have never used one you probably already have an opinion about them.

I've heard every kind of criticism about them you can image. If you use one you "aren't really shooting",

"How could anyone miss with the gun locked down in a vise?" etc. etc.

If you have used one you probably liked, it. They make the set-up of your bench fast and accurate.

They come in many different designs and are adaptable in nearly all aspects.

You can use different front tops, everything from Derlin guides to sandbags, to roller bearing guides.

A sort of combination is the fuss button top. Very popular among many shooters.

You can even use a top that incorporates a joystick that manipulates the rifle up/down and sideways. (see pics)

To hold the rear or toe of the rifle you can also have different types of guides. Most use a Delrin Vee block, but others use a small sandbag.

Most one-piece rests are pretty heavy, 30 lbs. or more.

Now for the big question "will a one-piece rest improve your scores?"

They will make your setup easier and more consistent. They allow you to get on target and shoot faster.

Most guys can get through a target quicker with a one-piece rest.

But to directly answer the question "will they improve your scores"? The answer is maybe, but not necessarily.

Bill Hindgardner tracked his scores for a year, targets shot with his one-piece vs his two-piece and found he shot higher scores on average with the two-piece set up.

Your experience may be different.

One thing I can say for sure is you will enjoy shooting the one piece. Here are some designs.

TKH

 

[PedroS]

Never shot one...
Just from seeing them, I understand they will be more accurate than the 2 pieces counterparts.
However, as all shooters use them, no one has an advantage.
That's my view in competition terms.

But, they are beautiful, a true piece of art.

 

[pabessi1]

I like the idea that the stress on the stock remains constant as you swing across the targets. I visualize the triangle formed by the outer edges of the 3” forearm and the contact points at the rear of the stock. Once in place this pivots with the entire top of the rest. The triangle and pressure points don’t change.
With a two piece rest the legs and angle of the triangle are changing. (I think)
Life was much simpler when I laid my rifle across a block of wood.

 

[High Noon]

My Arnold rest with my Turbo V3 - Broughton 5 - Flavio trigger- Owens stock - March 48 High Master

 

[High Noon]

Since Tony gave me a thumbs up on the post above and built ole Barney for me. Turbo V1 - Muller 4 & 8 barrels- Flavio trigger- Leupold 45 x - Randy Owens stock from a blank of black stripe cherry I’d sent him. Special thanks to Tony for all his help and guidance! A really fun project and the best part of all was picking it up at Tony’s and having the opportunity to visit with him.

 

[Tony K Harper]

Since Tony gave me a thumbs up on the post above and built ole Barney for me. Turbo V1 - Muller 4 & 8 barrels- Flavio trigger- Leupold 45 x - Randy Owens stock from a blank of black stripe cherry I’d sent him. Special thanks to Tony for all his help and guidance! A really fun project and the best part of all was picking it up at Tony’s and having the opportunity to visit with him.

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That is a classy looking rifle if I do say so myself. I’m sure I enjoyed your visit as much as you did. I’m still reading those Small Caliber News magazines. Thank you again.

TKH

 

[PedroS]

I like the idea that the stress on the stock remains constant as you swing across the targets. I visualize the triangle formed by the outer edges of the 3” forearm and the contact points at the rear of the stock. Once in place this pivots with the entire top of the rest. The triangle and pressure points don’t change.
With a two piece rest the legs and angle of the triangle are changing. (I think)
Life was much simpler when I laid my rifle across a block of wood.

Other than incorrectly setup, the different created forces as you move the rifle across the target, is the biggest drawback of a two piece rest.
Some front rest came with a front bag swivel that tends to eliminate some of these torque, however the swivel brings it's own issues.
The way I found to setup the two piece rests with the minimal possible torque is, to center everything on target 13.

 

[pabessi1]

Other than incorrectly setup, the different created forces as you move the rifle across the target, is the biggest drawback of a two piece rest.
Some front rest came with a front bag swivel that tends to eliminate some of these torque, however the swivel brings it's own issues.
The way I found to setup the two piece rests with the minimal possible torque is, to center everything on target 13.

Yes, I agree with the centering idea. I used to swing past my next target and then come back to it in an effort to reduce or equalize the stress. Most of the time I would forget to do it.
Recently, I picked up the habit of shooting columns rather than rows. This gives consistency through 5 shots and only a slight change when moving to the next column.

 

[404tbang]

But to directly answer the question "will they improve your scores"? The answer is maybe, but not necessarily.

Bill Hindgardner tracked his scores for a year, targets shot with his one-piece vs his two-piece and found he shot higher scores on average with the two-piece set up.

Your experience may be different

Howdy Tony,

I'm enjoying the threads and info you are posting. This one is particularly educational.

The specific quote from your longer post jumped out at me.

Can I pester you to do a thread about rear bags?

Saying my back is a wreck is an understatement. I first got hurt in 1997, numerous tweaks of the injury over the years didn't help, and a major re-injury in 2018 followed by two extensive surgeries in 2019 (and 20 months off work) have left me at a point where, yeah, I could pick up and move a 30 pound rest if I had one......but I don't WANT to.

What would you recommend for a good rear bag, and what criteria would you use for that recommendation?

I don't want to sidetrack this thread. I know others would want this info. I'm not the only one with back issues. If you have time and would not mind starting a thread on rear bags, I would appreciate it!

Take care,

Greg

 

[10Shooter]

I shoot a 2 piece rest setup. I shot SB F-class. Have a SEB MINI. Too hard to get up off the ground anymore. So now I shoot RFBR. I cut the legs down on the mini to set on a bench easier. I think they are 7" legs now. and a Protector rear bags. In September I cleaned 4 IBS cards at 50 YDS. 2 pc works for me. I'll get some pictures later

 

[Traphouse52]

Tony
When using a one piece rest should the rifle be allowed to recoil?
How much advantage is there for the roller tops over fuzz buttons?
Thank you

 

[Tony K Harper]

Tony
When using a one piece rest should the rifle be allowed to recoil?
How much advantage is there for the roller tops over fuzz buttons?
Thank you

Traphouse52,

There are many opinions of how much should the rifle be able to move when fired. I have shot both ways. Complete movement with roller tops and backs and completely locked down. I can't say there is much of a difference in accuracy because that would be extremely hard to tell. I can say I don't like complete lock down because I think that only works with ammo the has a very small extreme spread in velocity. The bigger the spread the bigger your groups. I also don't like complete movement achieved by roller tops and backs. They are too fast for me. I don't not shoot free recoil. I actually shoot the rifle myself and provide initial retardation of movement with my hand.

Yes, I know many think there is no way to be consistent this way, but it sometimes works for me.

Bottom line: I think it is a personal choice of the shooter. Try it all and see what works for you.

TKH

 

[Traphouse52]

Thank you