Best portable shooting Bench?

MTmud

New member
I'm looking to buy a portable shooting bench, preferably a rotating type. Doesn't need to be light wieght, just something I can load in & out of the truck myself. I really like the look/feel/adjustability of the new RCBS R.A.S.S. system, but I'd prefer a table top style.
I'd also like to find something solid enough to handle everything from a normal varmint rifle up to a 35lb .50 BMG.
Any suggestions?
 
Cabela's used to make a dandy one for just under 300 bucks. I looked at the new RCBS one up at the new Cabela's store in Post Falls Id. and it's about 400 bucks. Nice bench, but I like the three legged ones better. They are easier to set up on rough ground.

I built mine out of an old exercise machine my old shooting partners wife was hauling to the dump. I'm going to build a swivel one this summer. Our gravel pit/shooting range has nothing so you have to take your own bench and target holders.

This is the RCBS rotating bench.

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This is one I'm considering for ground squirrel hunting. It's to light for a sighting in bench.

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This is the one that Cabela's used to sell and I like it really well.

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This is the one I built out of an old exercise machine.

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Bob, your exercise machine is one of the best designs I've seen! I do like the old Cabelas version too.
The RCBS looks to be a little complicated, but I like the feel--it's really solid, I just wish they made a table top version.
The real trick is to find or build something that'll work on rough/uneven ground and yet be solid enough to shoot my .50 cal on occasionally.
Thanks for the photos guys, giving me some ideas. There are dozens of exercise machines for free or cheap. My wife may be proud of me for a brief moment if she sees me bring one home!
 

Cabelas stills sells a rotating table type bench. I just bought one for $229 and will be breaking it in on the dogtowns this weekend. It is solid and easy to set up. Only complaint is that the table top may be a little on the shallow side. I may add an extension or replace the top later. I also own the cabelas elite folding shooters bench. It is rock solid, just clumsy and watch your fingers!!
 
The only thing I really didn't like about the RCBS besides the four legs was the spindly little leg adjustment screws. I'm a big guy and at 260 pounds I can see those long adjustment bolts bending as I scoot around on it. I sat on it at the store and could wobble the legs on the adjustment screws.

I put one of the Cabela's bench's at a ranch I worked at and it's a very good bench. It doesn't have the adjustments the RCBS does, but it's sturdy as the dickens. I'm going to build one like it this summer.
 
You can buy a 30" X 48" folding table that also folds in half and has a polymere (plastic) top. 3/4" piece of plywood cut to whatever dimensions suit you best. I drilled 4 holes in each side of the table, which, by the way, has adjustable height legs and I cut two pieces with the same dimensions from one sheet of plywood. Carriage bolts hold down the plywood and I can use one or two benches. If I shoot with a buddy, I can flip the top on the right hand side to accomodate a lefty shooter. You can also bolt whatever you like to the top of the bench (plywood), I just use a Caldwell Steady Rest. Table at Walmart = $40 Plywood = ? Had it already in the garage. Varnish & bolts = $8 Works great for me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

Jeff

Also bought a folding steel chair at Walmart = $8 and a cushion = $4
 
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This is one that my son-in-law got for our last PD trip...It was nice and sturdy but he felt is was a pain to set up and take down while moving from one spot to the next..

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He's not a 'little guy', so the sturdiness was not a problem, but I don't know about a 50 BMG (I think they are about 17#?)
 
Make your own for about $125 from scratch. Make it as sturdy as you want. 1.5" pipe for legs, welded leg brackets that are bolted to the table top, 2 layers of good quality 3/4" plywood, and paint. Sets up as fast as you can screw in 3 legs, about a minute. Fits flat in your trunk or in the back seat of your car. 3 legs is a lot more stable than 4 on uneven terrain.

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I like this table a lot, but the next one I build will be even sturdier with 2" or 3" pipe legs and 3 layers plywood. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
take a look at natchez in their may/june flyer or on the net. they have one that looks like the rcbs but has a table top for only 199.95.If you have the cat. its on page67.
 
MTmud, I don't mean to steal your post. I just have some questions myself and this may be the perfect post to learn more. Hope you don't mind.

I keep looking for a bench with a table that swivels up and down for elevation. Is there such a beast out there?

Also, I'm looking for a shooting rest to sit on top of the table; one that will also swivel up, down, and from side to side, with minute adjustments - something to use for groundhog shooting.

Appreciate any suggestions.
 
I built this same table from plans in a Shooting Times magazine in the early 80's.
http://www.larrywillis.com/shootingbench.html
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I have built two more for friends and given copies of the plans to others.
I'm glad the plans are now posted on the internet, as I lost my copy some time ago.
I have the parts for another I need to finish for a friend now, but like stiff neck above this one will be bigger.
36" x 48", 2" pipe for legs, and I'll add a 3/8" 3rd layer of plywood to the two 3/4" layers already shown.
This one is intended for use on one farms long flat river bottom, and doesn't need to be quite as portable.
I also have some 1 1/2" aluminum conduit set aside for a posible light weight version after the heavy one is finish.
The main advantage I find with this design is that being left handed, my one bench works well for all.
mutwagn
 
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I'm looking for a shooting rest to sit on top of the table; one that will also swivel up, down, and from side to side, with minute adjustments - something to use for groundhog shooting.




6mm06, take a hard look at the new caldwell Fire-control joystick rest. I bought one off a guy just last weekend for $215, Midway has them on backorder.

I used my Fire-Control rest on rockchucks yesterday off my portable bench. The rest allows you to get on a moving critter very quickly. With a tug or push of a joystick. The rest weighs about 15lbs. and has 60 minutes of adjustment with the stick, then more elevation with a twist knob.

I now prefer this rest more than "bag sqeezing" your rear bag to aim and spinning elevation into a front rest, then having to turn your windage knob. The joystick is one fluid motion, and is a joy to use.
 
I built a combination "Booger bench" with a top like the last post. I hacked off the banquet table legs and made a smaller diameter leg for each foot that slides in and out. There is a set screw on a large knob for each leg. Makes setting up in any terrain simple. Works right or left handed and handles a "fifty" just fine. I also use a Caldwell Lead Sled for working up the big kickers with 50 lbs of shot. Weight has never been a problem. I did take the time to router all edges and seal it against the elements. Probably been using it about 10 years now. Looks brand new. One tip is to mount the front banguet legs on a 1" plywood pad. This way the front is a little higher and when the legs are folded in they nest neatly. I also put crutch tips on each leg. Non-slip fat footprint.
 
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I use a $40 plastic folding banquet table I got from costco. It is light and fits flat in the back of the truck. It is steady enough to shoot ground squirrels at 200 yards.
You just have to find a place that has level ground.

Good Luck
 
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