Lead sled or no lead sled?

Originally Posted By: Tim NeitzkeOriginally Posted By: 5spdI am not a fan of any sled like many, bipod and rear bag w/stock tucked into my shoulder.

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Me three
 
I have been looking at these and am really wondering what exactly all the knobs do.

knob #1 looks like it would be in the way of the barrel and the others I assume just lock it in place once adjusted. but #1 really has me wondering.

can anyone tell me? thanks

 
1-Is a stop for the rifle so you can return it to the same spot everytime.

2-You use to loosen/tighten to operate the elevation wheel.

3-You use to hold the whole windage top in place.

4-You use to make left/right corrections.
 
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thanks for that info Beluebow. don't know if I like the idea of #1 though. seems like it is going to scratch up the barrel or the forearm of the rifle especially if shooting something with heavy recoil.
 
I gotta say that I really like using a lead sled for tuning my reloads. It really does take the element of me out.

Sure I need to get better technique. But with load work ups I am not trying to test my skill. I am trying to get the best load.
 
for me, the point of loading my own bullets is to develop something that works specifically for my gun more economically than i can purchase.

In the process of load development, you need to remove as many variables as possible to determine what your gun really likes. For me, that meant getting a sled. My .243 will shoot .413" (measured outside edge to outside edge without subtracting the bullet diameter) all day long with my 95gr load from a sled. I can shot it at around .550-.650" off a bipod.

you don't have to have a sled, but if you are trying to compare bullet A vs bullet B, Powder A vs Powder B, Primer A vs Primer B, OAL A vs OAL B, your results will only be as good as you and your conditions are.

A lot of people don't care about trying different bullets. They are happy with 1" groups and something that is economical and reliable. If this is all you really care about, then a sled is not a necessity.

new scope/new rings.. the sled is very valuable.. the zero will not change just because you are shooting off a sled vs shouldered... but you know for certain that each shot that comes out of the gun on a properly calibrated sled is in fact a result of the specific bullet leaving the gun in that days conditions...
 
Have fun shoot....proper form and recoil management go a long way....lol..I'm still working on both....shooting a known accurate load...as your form develops....with good recoil management..see your groups shrink...myself I love to shoot ..as we all do..proper load development without a descent understanding of shooting fundamentals is counter productive imho...
 
Lead sleds are worth using when sighting in.I have used one for a few years now and it makes sighting in much easier for me anyway. I feel like it takes as much human factor out as possible.yes the sled does move after every shot but it is easy to reset and holds very steady and alot less movement.you just set it close then use the adjustment to dial it in when I pull the trigger I am confident every time that if it is off that it was not aflinch or hard trigger pull.To me I beleive they are very useful,I dont go out and shoot all the time and I am not a super good shot but I know when I sight in using a sled that the bullet is going to hit where I put the cross hairs and if I do miss I know its my fault and not my equipment. My opinion is try one you might be like me and think its great
 
I have had one for about 10yrs and use it alot for sighting in but also practice with bags or bi-pod and freehand.
 
I have a lead sled and while I do like it and used to do load development off it I much prefer the bullsbag I recently bought. A little pricey but for load development I am liking it alot
 
Originally Posted By: Shurshotthanks for that info Beluebow. don't know if I like the idea of #1 though. seems like it is going to scratch up the barrel or the forearm of the rifle especially if shooting something with heavy recoil.

Its nothing more than a stop. Its normally adjustable in height as to not touch the barrel and it only comes in contact with the front of the forearm of the stock. That said.... I removed mine on my Rock BR rest.
 
I have a Lead Sled. I bought it for use when I'm sighting in my Rem 700 7mm Mag. Recoil with it is brutal.

The problem is that I'm unable to get the same kind of natural hold I get without the sled and trying to have some consistency with parallax is a problem. Also, the front support bolt wobbled which made the grouping inconsistent. I fixed that problem with plumbers Teflon tape. I never try to site in my coyote rifles with it. Too easy to use my regular rest and bags.
 
Quote:I'm unable to get the same kind of natural hold I get without the sled and trying to have some consistency with parallax is a problem....While I understand the problem with a 'natural' hold, I'm not sure how parallax comes into it if the scope Ocular and Objective on the scope is properly adjusted at the start...

Since I only use mine for the removal of most of the 'human' factor, I have the same sight picture for each shot and don't have to touch the rifle in the sled once I have my target picture stable, with the exception of 'pinching' the trigger...
 
Originally Posted By: OldTurtleQuote:I'm unable to get the same kind of natural hold I get without the sled and trying to have some consistency with parallax is a problem....While I understand the problem with a 'natural' hold, I'm not sure how parallax comes into it if the scope Ocular and Objective on the scope is properly adjusted at the start...

Since I only use mine for the removal of most of the 'human' factor, I have the same sight picture for each shot and don't have to touch the rifle in the sled once I have my target picture stable, with the exception of 'pinching' the trigger...

Quite simple. I can't hold my head to the rifle and eye to the scope the same way I can when shooting the rifle naturally. For one thing I can't even get my shoulder behind the Lead Sled to reach around to the trigger. So my head is at an odd angle to the scope exaggerating the parallax. None of my scopes have adjustable parallax, either. For the most part the degree of change is small and hardly makes much of a difference at 100 yards but it can still make a difference. I choose to not have hunting scopes with adjustable parallax as I have enough to keep me busy when a coyote is barreling in or out.

IMHO there are other bench rests that offer a steadier hold than the Lead Sled. Frankly, I'm sorry I bought mine. Mine wobbled around quite a bit until I put the Teflon tape on the front adjustment bolt.

Something else to consider. I'm a former bench rest shooter and this I know. Every stress you put on the rifle, hand pressure on the stock, placement of the stock on the bag, touching the barrel, etc, changes in some degree the point of impact of the bullet. Putting the rifle in a machine rest may give you great groups but after sighting it in on the machine rest and shooting it with your hands and pushed against your shoulder will give you a different point of impact however slight. What you want is consistency. I choose to site my rifles in on bags the same way I shot bench rest.
 
Pk1,,,I can not, nor would I, argue with your statement as it is a truth...Quote:Every stress you put on the rifle, hand pressure on the stock, placement of the stock on the bag, touching the barrel, etc, changes in some degree the point of impact of the bullet. Putting the rifle in a machine rest may give you great groups but after sighting it in on the machine rest and shooting it with your hands and pushed against your shoulder will give you a different point of impact however slight....My only concern is obtaining the best group from test loads that I can achieve, with as little human factor involved...

Once I have achieved my best for the firearm/ammo combination, then it comes down to my shooting skills and as long as I know the equipment is performing at it's peak, any negative factors that show up are a result of my imperfection in shooting and lack of confidence in the rifle/ammo is not one of them...
 
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