Shooting Rest -- Caldwell Lead Sled

[ricka0]

The Caldwell Lead Sled Shooting Rest looks like a great way to get in a lot of good shooting at the range with hi-kick guns and not get shell shocked.

The pic at Midway is much better but a bug in our Forum software won't render it.

 

[Richard338]

Guys are getting too far from shooting their rifles. If you don't want to shoot your rifle give it to me. F-class has turned into benchrest or worse. Some of these guys with a big trolley full of gear are a joke. They can set up and put a bullet in the target, but they haven't shot anything.
Nothing against anyone here, I'm just thinking about this year's season about to start.
I try to shoot off a blanket with a bipod, and get beat by people with guns on rails!

 

[ricka0]

You sound way off base to me, complaining about BR competition when this is LongRangeHunting. I'm in it for long range hunting, not artificial shooting (no offense to the BR crowd). My friend Sandow put it best, the closer you get to unlimited, the closer you get away from shooting and towards artillery.

I can shoot any of my guns hunting and not notice the noise or kick - but when I'm doing load build up on my new semi-custom 300, 338 & 375 Kirby/Lilja RUMS, I'll be on the bench where my primary goal is to get good data (ie, minimize human error).

I wear ear plugs covered up by external ear muff hearing protectors - I don't feel this double hearing protection reflects in any way negatively on my hunting skills, ethics or shooting validity - either does a tool that aids in load build up.

 

[alremkin]

I'm glad you posted about this BigBore, I was going to post and ask if people here have had experience with this shooting sled. To me it seemed like it might be a good idea as I'm about to embark on load developement for my new 338/378 Weatherby Accumark. I saw this advertised in one of the rifle magazines.

 

[3sixbits]

Just wanted to put my two cents in here. I have nothing against this rest, but I would like to mention a somewhat less expensive method of controlling heavy recoil when shooting from the bench. I use surgical tubing attached to swivel, the tubing is attached to the legs of the shooting bench. You've got a big rubber band that contains the recoil quite well along with a sissy bag even a 460 Wby can be handled from the bench. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[ricka0]

After reading all the glowing reviews at Midway I decided to order it. I'll post my results a few weeks after Kirby sends my guns /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[fin72fan]

The Cadwell Lead Sled does a good job. Have shot off one doing load runup,sighting in rifle and target shooting for almost four years. I have since changed to a different rest. It is called target shooting.inc 1000 rifle rest and is much more solid than the lead Sled. Yes you still get felt recoil but it lets you get wrapped around your rifle in a more natural position. gun)

 

[J E Custom]

I like mine because I shoot big bores with no break on them and the weight helps when
working up loads and 40 or 50 shots are required.

I don't use sandbags with it because it already weighs enough with out them and on
hard kicking rifles (70 ft/lbs or more) I don't want to restrain the rifle to much and risk
damaging or breaking the stock.

I carpeted the tray and it is a handy place to hold scope caps or even the bolt while
cleaning.

Also when I proof test/fire a rifle with a BLUE PILL (Very Hot load over maximum) I strap it
down to the lead sled and use a lanyard to pull the trigger from a safe place. It normally
moves back 6 or 8 inches but it is the safe way to do it and still control the rifle.

Once the rifle and load are ready and the zero is where I want it then I use sand bags only
to make sure the zero doesn't move when using any kind of rest and your shoulder to
make a shot on game.

They are a great tool if used right.

J E CUSTOM

 

[FEENIX]

Here's my sled and snow chains combo . I also rigged it with $1.99 straps.

The new version has a larger tray for barbell weights.

 

[teddy12b]

I have one of the first versions of a caldwell lead sled and I use it a lot for finding out what hard hitting rifles are capable of for accuracy. I bought it when I had a 300RUM and it was money well spent. I use it for sighting in shotgun slugs, 45/70 hot loads, and especially for load development when I want to eliminate human error.

They are great for getting your rifles setup, but once my rifle is good to go, I stand up. Then again, I don't hunt out west like most of you and around here a long shot is 200 yards.

 

[Boss Hoss]

I used my friends just to try it out and if you like extreme accuracy and know how to properly use a rest then this is not for you. Well for that matter if you are using one or asking about it then you need a little more education on how to properly set up a rifle in a proper rest.

After he learned how to use a rest properly it was sold and he bought my Bald Eagle which I had retired.

 

[teddy12b]

The point of the lead sled isn't to be a "proper rest". It was designed to take as much recoil out of rifles as possible. It's a good rest, but was never designed for the benchrest crowd. It does an outstanding job for what it was designed to do.

 

[Goofycat]

Guys are getting too far from shooting their rifles. If you don't want to shoot your rifle give it to me. F-class has turned into benchrest or worse. Some of these guys with a big trolley full of gear are a joke. They can set up and put a bullet in the target, but they haven't shot anything.
Nothing against anyone here, I'm just thinking about this year's season about to start.
I try to shoot off a blanket with a bipod, and get beat by people with guns on rails!

For my purposes, such a device would be valuable for extensive shooting for multiple loads during sight-in. I used no device for sighting in my .270 three weeks ago and still have a huge bruise on my right shoulder. Yes, I need a softer butt pad, but black/blue areas are like a sunburn; you don't realize the damage until a day or two afterwards.

 

[elkaholic]

I use one all the time and I love it! After I get my loads developed, I then shoot however I'm going to shoot in the field......Rich