Bench shooting vs Bipod

[captainemil]

I have a small range next to the house, with a bench and a lead sled. You can shoot very well on the sled. I put on a bi pod and started to shoot with it instead, I noticed that at 500 yds I was 6" low at 600 yds I was 10" low and at 700 yds I was 15" low. Sand bags was few inches better across the board. I tried the other 2 guns and give a inch or two they shot the same way. The calibers used were 6.5x284 7 mag and 300 win mag. This all started because a few weeks back I was using the 6.5 on a doe hunt, I got one at 411 and another at 565, I missed at 735 yds, both does were hit very low so I had to see what was going on. I had no idea that there is that much difference between a bi pod and a bench. Has any one else experienced this ?

 

[mrb1982]

I am not a super experience long ranger by any means, but somewhere I read about this so from now on I always do everything with a bipod and rear bag as I would do it in the field. That way I know I can carry it over I guess. If anything it is a confidence thing maybe, who knows. The more experienced guys will be able to help you out on this more than me though.

 

[royinidaho]

Google on "bug holes from bipods"

I don't use flex legged bipods thus don't concern myself with "loading" . . .as much.

Shooting bench with pedestal rest, sand bags or bipod up front with rear sand bag all equal same POI.

Prone with pedestal, sand bag or bipod up front with rear sand bag = same POI as above.

 

[BrentM]

I have seen and heard people shoot low from the pod as well. It has to do with PRONE vs sitting and the angle of the face/eye to the bore line of the scope. Many of the experts who shoot bench and yet hunt will rezero from the prone if they have issues with POI from the different positions. Every "body" is different so I think for you it might need to adjust how you shoot prone or zero for prone/hunting situations.

If at all possible identify what you do differently that makes you shoot low and correct that so you are consistent from each position. There are couple of vids out that address, Gunwerks has one I beleive. I think the shooter was .25moa in the vid. Not bad for bench to prone shooter positions.

 

[dragman]

I believe it's all in your shooting style. My POI doesnt' shift from the bench with my FarleyII with a joystick with a 20lbs protektor bag, to my Sinclair tactical bipod with my 3lbs rear bag off my shooting table. BUT it took me a long time and a lot of trigger time to develop a style that would do that. laying down and shooting prone it shifts as the stock is hitting my shoulder differently so the recoil is different and shifts the POI.

 

[BrentM]

I believe it's all in your shooting style. My POI doesnt' shift from the bench with my FarleyII with a joystick with a 20lbs protektor bag, to my Sinclair tactical bipod with my 3lbs rear bag off my shooting table. BUT it took me a long time and a lot of trigger time to develop a style that would do that. laying down and shooting prone it shifts as the stock is hitting my shoulder differently so the recoil is different and shifts the POI.

I might have read this wrong but I think you are saying your POI changes bench to prone as well.

I have a raised cheek piece I built for my rifle to keep my eye more aligned consistent with the bore of the scope. This helps me keep my zero point whether prone or seated the same. For example I generally shoot 1000 to 1500 and do it prone, but occasionally I drag the table up the mountain or shoot off the 4 wheeler or seated if I have to deal with brush. My MOA adjustment from 1000 to 1660 has remained the same in seated and prone positions. My method is that I just try and put my cheek on the pad the same, shadow the scope the same, and shoulder the butt the same. Early on I scoped myself due to improper form and quickly looked for a better solution to this low profile angled head and eye position.

 

[dragman]

I might have read this wrong but I think you are saying your POI changes bench to prone as well.

I have a raised cheek piece I built for my rifle to keep my eye more aligned consistent with the bore of the scope. This helps me keep my zero point whether prone or seated the same. For example I generally shoot 1000 to 1500 and do it prone, but occasionally I drag the table up the mountain or shoot off the 4 wheeler or seated if I have to deal with brush. My MOA adjustment from 1000 to 1660 has remained the same in seated and prone positions. My method is that I just try and put my cheek on the pad the same, shadow the scope the same, and shoulder the butt the same. Early on I scoped myself due to improper form and quickly looked for a better solution to this low profile angled head and eye position.

I cannot speak to the prone really as I don't do it. I shoot from fixed benches or table. or flipped down tailgate and a stool lol.
I am not a brush beating hunter If I take the long range gun it's with my table. I am sure that my POI would change if I tried prone, but don't know if it would be from the change in eye allignment or from how the gun is ridding on my shoulder VS how it's sitting on my arm when I am on the bench/table.

 

[BrentM]

Gotcha. In the northwest mountains it is pack it or stay home. I rarely shoot from a bench or like source other than for load development. I do all my shooting in the same terrain I hunt. It has been educational and quite the challenge but shooting 1300 yards at 8000 feet in all sorts of wind, temp, light, and a host of other various inputs puts a guys brain in hyper drive. first round cold bore hits in this play ground is way more difficult than shooting my bow. LOL

 

[rjmarine]

i always recheck my poi from bags to bipod. i find all my rifles are not the same in how much this can change. i think there are many things going on to change your poi from the bags to bipod from eye angle to how firm the ground is the bipod is sitting on to bedding and wood or synthetic stock can also be a huge factor for this . most bench's are built to be rock solid. in the field it is almost impossible to find that perfect rest.
so for me i always work up a load that will shoot very well on the bench. if it is a load i will be using for hunting in that given rifle i will then sight it in with the bipod.
it helps that i can do all this from my back door

 

[BrentM]

i always recheck my poi from bags to bipod. i find all my rifles are not the same in how much this can change. i think there are many things going on to change your poi from the bags to bipod from eye angle to how firm the ground is the bipod is sitting on to bedding and wood or synthetic stock can also be a huge factor for this . most bench's are built to be rock solid. in the field it is almost impossible to find that perfect rest.
so for me i always work up a load that will shoot very well on the bench. if it is a load i will be using for hunting in that given rifle i will then sight it in with the bipod.
it helps that i can do all this from my back door

Well that is really not that helpful. Ha ha. I can shoot at our family farm within reason but it is not easy like the back door. Jealous.

 

[rjmarine]

Well that is really not that helpful. Ha ha. I can shoot at our family farm within reason but it is not easy like the back door. Jealous.

i hear you on that
i think about all the shootinggun) i do and if i had to go to a shooting range with maybe other shooters there and all the time it would take . makes me really glad i can do it here in my own back yard

 

[Joe King]

I almost never shoot from a bench anymore, even my load testing is done prone now. Part of the reason is that I can tend to fight a bench, most of my shooting in the field, be it varmints, targets, or game is largely prone any way so I figured why mess with with something I'm not always comfortable with when I don't use that in practice anyway. Gets me some strange looks from time to time .

 

[mrb1982]

I almost never shoot from a bench anymore, even my load testing is done prone now. Part of the reason is that I can tend to fight a bench, most of my shooting in the field, be it varmints, targets, or game is largely prone any way so I figured why mess with with something I'm not always comfortable with when I don't use that in practice anyway. Gets me some strange looks from time to time .

I do the same thing. I feel as if it is a bit of a confidence builder, and that it keeps me in check on my effective killing range. The bad part I am finding since I started getting into prone/long range shooting, is that I have lost my ability to even think about shooting offhand. If I see a deer, the first thing I do is put my bipod out and lay down. hahahaha

 

[BrentM]

Good points. I shot a boat load today doing load development over a chrono. Bench shooting was the best set up for this. I like to shoot prone otherwise since it is the way I will do it in the field most of the time anyway.