Hold that foreend!

[Rick Mulhern]

Back several years ago I posted a photo over on the Sharps Rifle Forum showing my method of testing loads and accuracy thereto of my BPCRs and I was somewhat chastised because of the front rest that I WAS NOT USING! This is my front rest:

Untitled by Sharps Man, on Flickr

A rolled up shooting mat with a 2" piece of galvanized pipe stuck in the center to keep it from collapsing too much. I use this because early on when I tried the popular system of a commercial rest I could not obtain what I thought should be optimum accuracy from my rifles. IMO with heavy recoiling rifles to gain maximum accuracy the shooter's forward hand needs to be placed near the foreend of the stock and in this manner the recoil is somewhat dampened along with helping to prevent the rifle from jumping violently upward! As soon as I abandoned the commercial rest I started out with and went to my current method as shown above I proceeded to appreciate the accuracy of not only my loading procedure but also the fine rifles build by Kirk Bryan and family! When I use this method of shooting, whether it be from a bench or afield I make certain that my forward hand is resting upon either the roll above or my backpack which I have with me! I have taught all my grandchildren this procedure and they all are fine shooters...all 7 of them. I am well aware of the F-Class shooters that would think that my diatribe on this would be horse-schitt and that is their perogative but their style of shooting and rifles are quite different from what I and many others are using!

Here's an article that may interest some of you:

http://www.ballisticstudies.com/Knowledg...orend.html