The shape of benches.

I shoot from a wheelchair, and would highly recommend the T-shape. The shown U-shape bench may prevent easy access or use.

Please use the T-shape and allow enough leg and foot rest room to get under the benches without craming your toes. Height is also a consideration.
 
These are what we use at Cenral Jersey Rifle & Pistol Club. The article was in Precision Shooting. The author used to run the winter league at our range.
Hope this helps. They are movable so the High Power shooters can run their matches also. There are a couple of changes I would make to the design. Rubber wheels instead of steel. Change the shape of the top slightly more like what is at Rachel's Glen. Other wise these are great benches and they don't move at all.
 

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Murphy ...

Take a look at Mr. Coleman's modified "T." That one is highly recommended. It's spacious and would accommodate all types and shapes of shooters including those that are wheelchair bound. You'll get many pats on the back and compliments by building that one. Art
 
A friend who is an avid shooter is in a wheel chair. After stome study, I feel that the availability of a very low portable elevated platform,maybe 3" or less high with a suitable ramp built in, would be the best way to solve the problem of too high of a bench for someone in a chair. He has one of those narrow chairs that are designed for the more athletic users.
 
To Wilbur,Boyd and others.

Thank You for your overwelming support. Am leaning towards a T bench with concrete top and concrete filled pipe legs,but of course what ever I work out will then become a comittee decision. Our new range is located near the town of Esk Queensland Australia. Will send some pickies when our new range gets going. Just one little thing before I leave. Couldnt help but notice the bare concrete bench tops in Wilbers post. Here in Australia the big ranges put carpet on their concrete bench tops,just wouldnt like to see any of those lovely rifles get scratched. Reguards Murphy.
 
Here in Australia the big ranges put carpet on their concrete bench tops

I can suggest one reason to not carpet your bench tops. After a while the carpet will become absolutely saturated with Lead
and will become classified a hazardous material.

The lead will come from priming compounds and people shooting unjacketed bullets.
 
Murphy,
No serious bench shooter that I am aware of likes carpet on a bench top. One does not want anything that has any degree of spring or give in it under one's rest and/or rear sand bag. If you want to accommodate the less serious, you can provide a pile of carpet pieces cut to bench top shape.
 
Murphy,

I can't say for sure but I'd be willing to bet money that the for real benchrest ranges in Australia do not have carpet on the bench tops !

Concrete filled concrete blocks, 3.5 courses high (700mm) with a 100mm deep concrete top (total height 800mm) seems to be a pretty universal construction method and makes for a nice solid bench.

SInce you are an Aussie pop into www.benchrestbulletin.com.au and have a talk to the benchrest shooters in Australia. They would be only to happy to share information and highly likely can give you plans for a really good bench design. If you are going to do the work you want to do it properly and do it once !!

Looking over your old posts it seems like you may be more of a general shooter than a benchrest shooter. The guys at the site mentioned will surely be able to offer advice on bench design but may also be interested to hear about what you are doing. There is an active benchrest community in Australia and a new range suitable for proper matches would be newsworthy I am sure.

www.benchrestbulletin.com.au

Bryce (New Zealand)
 
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Murphy ...

Just one little thing before I leave. Couldn’t help but notice the bare concrete bench tops in Wilber’s post. Here in Australia the big ranges put carpet on their concrete bench tops, just wouldn’t like to see any of those lovely rifles get scratched. Regards Murphy.

Putting carpet on concrete tops is a generous gesture by your ranges; however there are some disadvantages as explained above. Here, most benchrest shooters I know usually place a towel or small piece of carpeting under their rifle to catch ejected cases to prevent dents, place loaded rounds on prior to use or keep dust and dirt from contaminating equipment. Some have elaborate cutouts that don't interfere with the front rest and rear bag, but each is brought to the range by the individual shooter and designed as they see fit. It's an individual thing. I've never seen a rifle placed directly on a bench. They usually go from a case to the front rest and rear bag. Art
 
Mickeys Are Great

I have shot off of every design known. I like the modified "T" that we shoot off of at Rachels Glenn. Mickey did it right.
If you will notice, there is no obstruction in the middle to rub your knee caps against. At Midland, we shoot on a "T" bench, but the center is a row of building blocks, and you will rub your knee cap raw by the end of the week end.
This is just my personal choice........jackie
 
I like the U shaped benches we have at New Braunfels.
They give the shooter a ton of room. But work best with the right port left bolt actions.
Another thing they do is allow a shooter to store his rest and bag on the opposite side if he is sharing the bench.
They could be about 4 inches deeper however.
Ted
 
Bryce

I'm not sure about other ranges in Australia but the Belmont Range in Brisbane does have carpet on the benches. Every time I've shot there I've just folded the carpet over the front of the bench.
Since this range is open 7 days a week as a commercial operation I can see merit in this to help protect the bench tops.

Murphy,

I can't say for sure but I'd be willing to bet money that the for real benchrest ranges in Australia do not have carpet on the bench tops !


Ian Owen
 
This should prove to be a popular shape:
 

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Ted ...

The benches at New Braunfels should be 6 inches wider and 8 inches deeper! The human race must have been smaller when they built those. Art
 
4 out of 5

Of the benches I've shot off of while visiting downunder, only one had carpet. All were excellent benches.
 
I've shot off the U shaped benches at Denton, Seymour and New Braunfels and the t shaped benches at Mickey's and other places. I shoot ejectors on my rifles with right bolt right side eject. There is no place for the empties to eject on any of the above three U shaped benches. I wind up having to build up a platform on the side of the bench to catch the empties. I'll take Mickey's bench any time over any U shaped bench that I've used.
 
I vote for the one with the notch

This style is very handy when shareing benches..you can leave your rest and bags on the "other" side ,,or just observe benchrest ettiquite and move em around in an orderly fashinon....
To me they are more accessable and when the notch is of the right depth and width (shooters are progressively getting larger!!!hahah.me too) they work great no matter which side your ctgs. eject from....and if you leave the front open there is no wall of blocks there to "cramp your style"or get in the way of your legs and feet!!!...and OBTW...I like wooden tops...great for rail guns and work great with conventional front rests as well.....Roger
 
Ian Owen,

Interesting !

I have seen a few pictures from the Aussie shoots and never any sign of any carpet anywhere, hence my comment. I figured the carpet Murphy was talking about was to be permanently attached to the top which obviously would be a bad idea !

I guess the pictures I saw had the carpet removed or happened to be a different range or something.

Odd that they'd even bother at all but there ya go !

Have a good Zuppa, can't make it but would have liked to get down there again. Funds are a bit tight and one more shoot would about chew through all the bullets I have left. Still waiting on an order for Ultra's from SInclair, been 8 months now and still no word !!

Take care.

Bryce
 
Here is a design that came out of an older
Lyman reloading book. I build sereal of them and they work well in either wood or concrete.

BenchrestDrawing.jpg


Fred M.
 
Two good things

Here is a design that came out of an older
Lyman reloading book. I build sereal of them and they work well in either wood or concrete.

BenchrestDrawing.jpg


Fred M.

about this design is the shape of the seating area and the extra room in front of it. Too many benches are made with long, narrow tails on them and it leave little room for operating a left prot rifle or ejecting either side. I don't have shoulders so I like and need to get behind my rifles. Long benches do not permit this and allow one to extend one's muzzle over the front of the bench. Another fault of some benches it the thickness of the members that the tops are fastned too. Many of them are made from 2x8 or 2x10 and this doesn't allow room for one's leggs without touching the benches. there is no need for any more than 2x4 there I don't believe.

I like concerte benches but I would prefer them with plywood tops on them. Concerte is terribly abrasive to everything one places on them. Our club painted ours with epoxy paint but it gets pulled off by theose who MUST mark their rest position with tape and those who MUST drive the tips of their rests to China. Plywood would forgive both of those items.
 
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