Dead sled for load workup

Lightly weighted under 10 pounds. Group size .5 and under. I just shot much better from bi-pod and bag.

I wasn't saying good groups can't be shot of a sled just you need to really pay attention to detail when shooting of one cuz I still shot heavy recoiling rifles of one and I have seen flyers about an inch when I was testing with it out of alignment another thing I had a 300 ultra mag that shot very well one time the next time it opened up more than an 1 1/2 couldn't figure it out finally I traced it down to the sling swivel stud it was sitting on it in the cradle and some how caused some problems so now I remove it when I use a sled

Maybe it's me but I bought a lead sled and I now use it to hold my guns for cleaning , scope mounting etc . I can't hold and mount the rifle properly in the dang thing . It's good for holding a rifle but not much good for anything else I can find

yoteslayer said:

I wasn't saying good groups can't be shot of a sled just you need to really pay attention to detail when shooting of one cuz I still shot heavy recoiling rifles of one and I have seen flyers about an inch when I was testing with it out of alignment another thing I had a 300 ultra mag that shot very well one time the next time it opened up more than an 1 1/2 couldn't figure it out finally I traced it down to the sling swivel stud it was sitting on it in the cradle and some how caused some problems so now I remove it when I use a sled

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I'm a little confused about what you mean with alignment. Can you try to describe that again?

Ya if you raise the rear of sled and set it down it doesn't take much effort to influence its alignment with the front of the rest basically gives it a little twist to the rest at lest mine does but it's an older model to the same as it's like giving a little side pressure with your cheek to move the cross hairs to be on target this in my experience cases flyers care has to be taken to make sure that the rear of the rest is in no way influenced by anything and in what I call the neutral position with no side to side influences not sure if this makes any sense but the newer sleds may not have this problem if they are more ridged

Yoteslayer you should always take your studs out when using bags or sled. Apparently thet are well known for causing acciracy issues. On top of that they can rip your bags apart just a word of advice I have learned. In fact I forgot to take them outof my 257Wby this summer and could not figure out why the gun would not shoot. After we were done shooting I saw the studs in the stock and gave myself a good kicking. Especially since I am on everyone elses case to take them out.

These bags will help with load development A LOT. Not hard on the rifle either.

You can get them direct:
http://www.dog-gone-good.com/Order/order.html

Yes I always take them out when shooting off of bag because the rifle slides in the bags but a sled is different some don't even touch the bottom of the cradle but like you I left it in once and was letting other people know Incase they hadn't thought about it geez

Ok we are alike then. Funny how one slip up brings reality crashing down on us.

Bigeclipse said:

i know the negatives of a lead sled such as putting too much weight on it can hurt your rifles and it does not help improve you as a shooter. The issue I'm having is I'm not 100% confident shooting some of the lightweight rifles I have for groups. Many on here have suggested that light weight rifles are a different beast all together and you need to do things like hold them into your shoulder a little harder and also downward pressure, preferably on the scope. This goes against free recoil setups which was what I typically do. I actually have found this does indeed help. My problem is, adding downward pressure on the scope while staying on target is diffulk. If I were to use a lead sled dft 2, it actually adjusts for windage and elevation leaving me a free hand to gently put some downward pressure on the scope. I understand lead sleds can change point of impact but can they change groups as well OR will you get the groups you would if you had very little human error as a shooter? I do also like the fact the sled takes human error out of the equation during load work up only. I'm still working on my shooting form so once I developed a load using the sled at least I would know the load I developed is good and if my shot is off then it is because of my shooting and not my load. Thanks!

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Like every other tool. the lead sled has it's place and its strong points.

I use one for certain task and other means for other task and find the lead sled a very useful tool. I test fire all rifles in the lead sled because I can hold the rifle stationary and re moat fire it for safety. I don't add any weight to it because it already weighs 18 Pounds. I use Velcro to hold the rifle down during firing because it is consistent.

For load development, I like it because if set up right , it does not add externally forces than could alter the results. I want it to remove any human factors so the results are what the rifle and load is doing. Once the load is developed, I like to use bags because
they are more like real world results while hunting.

The best results have been while using the Sled, I have 4 hunting rifles that consistently
shoot groups below 1/10th MOA (My best was .034 5 shot @ 100 yards in the sled) The same rifle and load will only shoot in the .140s to .160s off the bags and my faults to deal with.

So In my mind, It is the best way to do load development in order to measure small changes in the different loads. (The best example is with only a change in the primer on one of my most accurate rifles the difference is only .023 thousandths) without the lead sled I cannot shoot well enough to see this difference in these two loads.

I use the lead sled that is fully adjustable and take care to get the best site picture each time and it helps a great deal. PS: I don't like shooting with ti because it doesn't fie me very well and is uncomfortable, but load development is another beast and it is the perfect tool in my opinion for this use.

Just My Opinion and uses for this tool.

J E CUSTOM

It doesn't matter how small the groups are on a lead sled.
If you cannot reproduce the POI and consistency in a field position you are wasting ammo, barrel life and time.

tbrice23 said:

It doesn't matter how small the groups are on a lead sled.
If you cannot reproduce the POI and consistency in a field position you are wasting ammo, barrel life and time.

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This is absolutely true but does not change the fact that you do not want shooter error giving false or poor data during load development. Having said that I can't shoot worth a **** from a lead sled. A good solid front rest like a Caldwell Rock Br, Sinclair, or Bald Eagle with a good rear bag from Protektor will treat you well. Shooting from a bipod prone takes practice. The lighter the rifle the more finicky they get with how you load the bipod. Do load development with a method you know works then practice how you intend to shoot in the field.

Part of shooting tiny groups is that it gives you confidence in your set up the more confidence you have the better you going to shoot in the field or on the range