F class question on rest

[82boy]

I am going to try my hand at f class shooting, one of the local clubs is having a match later this year. I am going to shoot in the open class, and was wondering what is the best way to support my front rest. I read the rules, and see that you can use a board under the rest. I have also see company's that sell feet that attach to the legs of a rest. (And they are expensive.) I thought about making a set of feet out of fender washers, andnuts, but I am concerned that this may not work the best.
My question is what is the best way to support the rest, and is there any thing I am overlooking? Are there cheaper alternatives to the Sinclair feet?

[82boy]

Also what about mats? I thought about just using cardboard. Is there a better option to this?

[memilanuk]

See my reply on the other site... but cardboard is not going to work well. It'll probably slip-n-slide and be uncomfortable. Main thing with a mat is it keeps you from getting soaked/muddy if the ground is wet, keeps grit from gettin' in your britches if its dry/dusty/sandy, and keeps some padding between you and the ground if you have a paved (concrete) firing line... in other words, mostly comfort. A camping ground sheet might work, but there are some decent shooting mats (Midway, Dillon, TAB) for not too much $$$ so I don't think its worth going too far down the home-brew line unless you are really tight on funds.

[teele1]

Patrick, try to find a elevator mat. I've got one and it works great. More durable than my Midway mat. I just welded up some 3/4' washers to some 1/4' fender washers for my front rest legs so the don't sink into the dirt. They center up on the points of my rest legs. teele1

[Dirk]

If you are shooting on anything but cement, then you do not want a board under your pedestal rest (it will rock on uneven terrain). BTW, a board can extend no more than 2 inches beyond the foot print of the rest. If you are shooting on grass or dirt, you definitely want to have big wide feet of some sort to keep the screw feet from sinking in.

[Blue Avenger]

are there rests with a wider print then others or is there a rule on that also?

[Dirk]

There is no rule concerning how big a foot print the rest can make. Some rests are wider than others. The dimensions are usually stated in the manufacturers specifications.

[memilanuk]

AFAIK, Dirk is technically correct. There is a limit as to the size of *board* or plate that you can put under a rest (cannot exceed the dimensions of the rest by more than 1" in any given direction) because people were putting their front rests and rear bags on one 2' x 4' hunk of 3x4" plywood so both parts were on one contiguous slab, and others were putting little tiny 'levelers' on their boards, turning them effectively 'tables' or 'benches'. Maybe only 2" off the ground, but still a 'bench' in spirit and in function. People kept trying to push the envelope because the rules don't attempt to address every single possible way that you could fashion a rest.

In theory, you could try to get around that rule definition by simply having a huge honkin' bottom plate or legs on your front rest. If you did, though (and especially if you tried using a big 'plate' bottom rest that is obviously over-sized) I'd expect the match director to throw a B.S. flag and invoke rule 3.18 from the main body of the Highpower rule book:


3.18 General - All devices or equipment which may facilitate shooting and which are not mentioned in these
rules, or which are contrary to the spirit of these rules and regulations, are forbidden. The Match Director, Official
Referee, Jury Chairman or Supervisor shall have the right to examine a shooter’s equipment or apparel. The
responsibility shall be upon the competitor to submit questionable equipment and apparel for official inspection and
approval in sufficient time prior to the beginning of a match so that it will not inconvenience either the competitor or
the official.

[Dirk]

Here is the ACTUAL rule, and it's 2 inches bigger than the rests foot print....

3.4.1 Rifle Rests -
(a) F-Class Open Rifle (F-O) - The rifle may be supported by any means which provide no positive
mechanical method for returning it to its precise point of aim for the prior shot. Subject to:
(1) No more than two rests may be used. If two rests are employed, they may not be attached to each
other.
(2) The use of any form of a table is prohibited. Separate flat boards or plates not exceeding the
dimensions of the individual rests by two inches are allowed to be placed under the front and/or rear.
No leveling screws or protrusions are allowed on these boards or plates. They must be flat on the top
and bottom.

[memilanuk]

Here is the ACTUAL rule, and it's 2 inches bigger than the rests foot print....

...and assuming the rest is centered on the board/plate, that's one inch wider all the way around.

[Dirk]

That is not how it is interpreted in these parts. It is interpreted to mean 2 inches from the edges of the footprint all the way around.

[memilanuk]

Granted, I shoot mostly F/TR, but the same rule still applies. Last year there was a bit of a flap over the matter @ FCNC, further complicated by the fact that some bipod designs such as the Remple & CenterShot 'pods change width as they change height (a function of the adjustment mechanism) making what exactly constituted two inches outside the footprint somewhat of a debatable issue. Fortunately for me, when shown my setup the NRA Referee decided that what I was using (flexible cutting board from the grocery store, rolls up) did not constitute a plate or board and was not subject to the rule (nor would a floor mat from a car, by extension).

You might be able to convince someone else that the 2" means all the way around... but if you come to one of the matches I run or help admin around here, if your rest measures 12" wide and your board underneath measures more than 14" wide... you can file a complaint later with the NRA if you want, but you won't be using that board that day until I see something different.

YMMV,

Monte

[Dirk]

That's what I love about NRA rules. They can never come up with rules that can't be interpreted several ways. The club I shoot F-class at interprets it as I said. You are a tough match director indeed! You may or may not be correct, but you are tough.

[earl39]

(2) The use of any form of a table is prohibited. Separate flat boards or plates not exceeding the
dimensions of the individual rests by two inches are allowed to be placed under the front and/or rear.



I don't see the reason for disaggreement. Note the word "DIMENSIONS" .

Rest measures 10 inches left to right and 12 inches front to rear the board would be 2 inches larger or 12 inches by 14 inches and as Monte said if the rest was centered the board would stick out 1 inch in any direction. Now what is not clear is does the board have to be cut to match the outline of the rest? such as a 3 footed rest is a triangle so must the board also be a triangle? Now that could cause some confusion. I don't stay awake at night thinking about this stuff since i use a bipod.

Gary

[frank1947]

at my club .223, .308 shoot on the ground every other cal shoots on bench F/Tr on ground and in some cases they dont care shoot on bench if you have a problem getting on the ground.

[memilanuk]

...every other cal shoots on bench ... in some cases they dont care shoot on bench if you have a problem getting on the ground.


For local club matches, have at it.

For NRA sanctioned matches... only people allowed to shoot from a bench/table and still have their scores count per the rule book are ones with a waiver/dispensation due to medical disability - see section 22, rules 3.4.1(a) & (b).

[frank1947]

I will never travel to shoot a NRA sanctioned match we have 40 shooters every wk locallly and we have a good time and really dont care about all the real rules scores are not turned in, they have made it comfortable for who ever shows up to enjoy shooting 600 yards thats all we have. Now 600 yard benchrest is by the rules thats huge match.