Front/rear sandbag questions

I have a Model 12 Benchrest in 6BR and it seems rather sensitive to changes in the sandbags. The rifle has a 29" heavy barrel (making the gun muzzle heavy), and the buttstock might be jumping in the rear bag. The bag is a Protektor Deluxe with mid-ears. Are there any rules of thumb for how tightly packed the sand should be in the bags themselves and the ears of the rear bag? I'm not a bag squeezer, but I don't know if the bags should be hard as rocks, or a bit more squishy. I will be buying heavy sand as soon as Sinclair can ship it.

Any suggestions?

Welcome to the site.
My experience with the 12 benchrest is the same as your's. The gun is most definitely floating in the rear bag, due to the nose heavy situation. Yes the 12 benchrest has another problem as well do to the height of the action and barrel in the stock it torques, and moves the same in the front bag. I found that the best way of shooting this rifle was to take my no-trigger hand and lay it on the back of the stock and place pressure done on the back keeping the stock in the bags. Many have flamed me stating that I was full of it when I made the same claims as you.

On heavy sand forget Sinclair's. Call Protektor direct they sell it for a dollar a pound, and if you have it shipped to a FFL they will pay the shipping cost. The bags should not be rock hard, it will affect the way the gun rides in them. The IBS rules only state that "The rear sandbag shall be a bag, or combination of bags containing sand only. Zirconium silicate, known as “heavy sand”, is allowed. No other metallic sand will be used by any competitor. A vertical spacer under the rear bag will be allowed as long as it incorporates no adjustments for windage or elevation. The vertical spacer shall not contain any protrusions, which can be inserted into the bench top or the sandbag. The rear sandbag shall not be contained in any manner. The rear sandbag cannot in any way attach to the front rest."

A person is wrong if they flamed you guys because of your shooting experience. The 12 benchrest is a unique shooting machine, and requires a particular setup to get the best from the gun.

More important then amount, or type of sand in the bags is the type, and quality of the rest and rear bag. Simply stated, it takes a best-quality rest and rear bag (sorry caldwell, hoppez, etc)! It seems the 12 Benchrest, due to its lenght & barrel weight demands the most stable front rest and rear bag combination. BTW, I use regular, fine-grain silca sand, not heavy sand. I tend to pack the bags tight with sand.

I have not had any problems with my SEB rest and SEB rear bag. The 12 benchesrt just lays there, period.

I can shoot my 12 Benchest .308 free recoil, and have no trouble with the rifle coming out of the rear bag!

[img width=600 height=450]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Savage%20Bench%2012/SavageFreeRecoilHold.jpg[/img]

[img width=600 height=399]http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q228/ultramag44/Savage%20Bench%2012/SavageFreeRecoilTarget.jpg[/img]

To 82boy and ultramag44....Thanks so much for your input! I find most shooters offer sincere advice based on THEIR knowledge and THEIR particular rifle. However, in the case of the Savage Model 12 Benchrest, it's a different ballgame, as you guys well know. It's good to hear from somebody who's "been there, done that." At least now I know I'm not the only one with the problem.

I'm just an amateur benchrester (no competitions), having an enjoyable time (that's what retirement is for!) trying to get the groups as tight as I can. I buy decent equipment, but sometimes I have to draw the line. For example, I was able to afford a Caldwell Rock BR rest, but couldn't think of buying something that costs in the four digits.

I'll experiment with your suggestions, and work on my "table manners" a bit. I believe the bag setups are a big part in getting that rifle to group a little better. I can usually get a 5-shot 200 yard group to come in under an inch, but I know the gun will do better.

Thanks again!