Seeking advice on shooting rests and consistent rifle positioning

I currently shoot my 223 bolt guns off the bench using a Caldwell sandbag with U-notch on the front and one of two bunny ear sandbag rests at the rear. While my rifles and I are capable of shooting 0.3 - 0.5 inch groups at 100 yards, the performance is very inconsistent over the course of an hour or two at the range. I will find a position on the bags where I really get into a groove and score some nice groups but eventually, things shift out of position and I have to reset the rifle on the bags. After that, the point of impact may shift or groups start opening up. I shoot multiple targets on a 24x48 target stand and as I move up or down or left to right between targets, the point of impact sometimes shifts on me. I am fully aware of the fact that my actions behind the rifle contribute a lot to my success or failure. Scope parallax adjustment may be a factor also and something that I plant to focus on more. However, I can't help but think that I could control one big factor by getting a repeatable setup on the bags.

Would an adjustable front rest like the Caldwell Rock BR help with establishing a repeatable rifle mount on the bags? If so, is this a good model or are there others I should be considering as well?

Thank you.

I like shooting with adjustable rests. The one I like especially well for the money is the Bald Eagle slingshot style sold by Grizzly tools. It has a very usable adjustable windage top which can also be improved in the home shop if you like. I've not felt the need to alter mine, by the way. Also, you will want a rear bag to hold the buttstock, kind with the little bunny ears on the top filled with heavy sand, preferably zircon.

I have a good Sinclair adjustable front rest and several different rear bags that have gotten a lot of use, but I never felt that the adjustable rest was really stable and repeatable.

I eventually tried the Sinclair F-Class Generation 3 bi-pod, primarily for prone and bench load development. With a large rear Protektor bag or an Edgeworth bag, I found that the configuration is very stable and the bipod doesn't hop like a regular bipod and doesn't have to be front loaded.
Those particular bags aren't cheap, but they stand up under years of use. My Protektor bag has been in use for almost 8 years and it is a good as the day it was purchased.

I now have two of F-Class bipods so I can switch between rifles when barrels get hot during load development testing in warm weather.
There are two models, one with an azimuth adjustment and one without and run about $225 to $250 but often go on sale at Brownell's.
I find that I can shoot for several hours at a bench and never have an issue with losing a stable and repeatable set up.

At least 6 other guys at our range have tried my set up and bought that model bipod because they couldn't believe how stable it is when used with a good rear bag.

Have you considered that your POI change could be due to the heat of your barrel? I get about 6 shots out of mine that are 1 moa @ 200 yards then are completely unreliable after due to heat.

I just saw a fellow at our local range using one of the Sinclair bipods from the bench. He said he liked using it.

I have an old Forester Appelt (precursor to the Forester Reloading Products company) front rest that was originally a pistol rest and uses a screw adjustable post that supports a flat bracket with a leather bag (sand filled) and it is mounted to an aluminum plate with three 1" steel legs. I got it at a garage sale 40 years ago so I have no idea how old it may be. Behind that I use a tapered "V" bag full of lead shot for the buttstock. Solid.

In the summer for varmints I use a Harris Bipod. In the fall/winter/deer hunting I use a set of cross-sticks because I don't like to lay down in mud or snow.

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Originally Posted by Nub Hippie

Have you considered that your POI change could be due to the heat of your barrel? I get about 6 shots out of mine that are 1 moa @ 200 yards then are completely unreliable after due to heat.

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I have considered that. It's a 42 mile drive to the range and I try to get my money's worth in rounds on the target. The downside to this is that I probably don't allow enough time between groups. I will try to slow it down a little next time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CFJunkie

I have a good Sinclair adjustable front rest and several different rear bags that have gotten a lot of use, but I never felt that the adjustable rest was really stable and repeatable.

I eventually tried the Sinclair F-Class Generation 3 bi-pod, primarily for prone and bench load development. With a large rear Protektor bag or an Edgeworth bag, I found that the configuration is very stable and the bipod doesn't hop like a regular bipod and doesn't have to be front loaded.
Those particular bags aren't cheap, but they stand up under years of use. My Protektor bag has been in use for almost 8 years and it is a good as the day it was purchased.

I now have two of F-Class bipods so I can switch between rifles when barrels get hot during load development testing in warm weather.
There are two models, one with an azimuth adjustment and one without and run about $225 to $250 but often go on sale at Brownell's.
I find that I can shoot for several hours at a bench and never have an issue with losing a stable and repeatable set up.

At least 6 other guys at our range have tried my set up and bought that model bipod because they couldn't believe how stable it is when used with a good rear bag.

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I'm interested in that bipod and will check into this further. Thanks for the tip. I just purchased a Protektor 13B rear bag and it's top notch.

Here is what it looks like with the rear Protektor bag
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