Prairie Dog shooting table ideas?

IAyoteHNTR

IAyoteHNTR

New member
I have solidified my plans for a 2-day PD shooting trip to SD the 1st/2nd of June and need to bring along a light/stable hopefully a collapsible/foldable shooting rest/table and would love to see some suggestions/ideas about what to build or buy.

Thanks.
 
I'm looking pretty hard at the Caldwell Stable Table. Is anyone using one of these that can give me some feedback on it? I really like the adjustable features and the 360 degree rotation on it.
 
IAyouteHNTR, the table I have is just like the Caldwell but was made by the original company.
My setup is very heavy and well built. You will have some table movement but I do not find it a problem. The seat height is adjustable. I am a large person so I wish the table was a little larger. I have shot .22LR to .50BMG off the top of the table. You will have to crab walk around the leg to turn 360 degrees.
I bought the carrying cases when I bought mine. I am not sure Caldwell sells the case. Mine breaks down into the table top, upright, seat and leg assemble.
I plan on milling some holes in my setup in an attempt reduce some of the weight.
 
Originally Posted By: IAyoteHNTRI'm looking pretty hard at the Caldwell Stable Table. Is anyone using one of these that can give me some feedback on it? I really like the adjustable features and the 360 degree rotation on it.

This is what I have: http://www.amazon.com/Caldwell-252552-Stable-Table/dp/B00162PRPY Be sure and read the reviews.

I found it in the Bargain Cave at Cabela's for $115. Needed a small repair that I fixed with about 75 cents worth of JB Weld. Good as new.

Last June I took it to Wyoming with shooting buddy Dave. I brought my folding bench for him to use. Well, after a couple days the virtues of having a table that will swivel 360 degrees really started to show itself. After you adjust the legs so that the table is level (30 second job) you just sit in one spot and shoot. No more picking up the table and moving it around all the time. Dave quit using the bench that I brought for him and we just took turns using the Caldwell with one person doing the shooting and one person spotting. Worked great.

Oh, and Dave is a lefty for adjusting the table for him is as simple as loosening the T-handle tightening it back up where it wants it. 10 second job. And seat is adjustable up and down too. I like simple things that work really well. And this for sure does.

If you can find you one at hopefully much less than retail I think you should buy it. Dont think you would ever be sorry. I know I'm not. Dave aint either.
 
This is the one I have, a San Angelo Folding Shooting Table...It folds flat for transportation, has a rifle rest attached that comes with the table and the beach umbrella is a cheap one that I picked up at Wally World for under $10...


My ex-son in law took the one below that swivels but was a pain to put up and take down when we moved to other PD towns on the ranches where we go....Once set up, it worked great...It was almost double the cost of my San Angelo....

 
Thanks for the link Rustydust. I pulled the trigger, so to speak, and just purchased one. I also purchased the carry bag for it from Ebay. I'll try to give my honest review on it after I get it and do a little shooting off of it in the next few months while I do some load development.
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Originally Posted By: IAyoteHNTRI'm looking pretty hard at the Caldwell Stable Table. Is anyone using one of these that can give me some feedback on it? I really like the adjustable features and the 360 degree rotation on it.

I have one I found on sale. It comes apart in 3 pieces I think and you can swivel around on it . I like the platform as there is a little extra room to set stuff. I take it prairie dog shooting in eastern Mt.
 
Originally Posted By: IAyoteHNTRThanks for the link Rustydust. I pulled the trigger, so to speak, and just purchased one. I also purchased the carry bag for it from Ebay. I'll try to give my honest review on it after I get it and do a little shooting off of it in the next few months while I do some load development.
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You sure welcome. As I said I do like mine. I have three other benches but this is what I use all the time now. Spoiled.

Wish I had the carry bag with mine. It all comes apart when you are not using it and a bag to put it all in would make it easier to keep track of everything. Hmmmmmm........Ebay you say?
 
We did it on the cheap side. Folding table, lawn chair and golf umbrella. Easy, stackable, and stuff you may already have.

I made a portable shooting bench using banquet table legs and plywood. Also a cheap alternative.
 
Originally Posted By: IAyoteHNTRRustydust, yes they have them on Ebay for about $40-$42 shipped.

Thank you. I found them. Shipped to my door for the same price as what it would cost me to buy one 30 miles away and then have to pay sales tax on. Sounds like a good deal to me.
 
I also have a Stable Table. I now use it and an Idleback instead of my Troutman Table (old table built on a tripod sold in the first few issues of Varmint Hunter Magazine).

The leveling part of it is nice and I will probably end up mounting one of my video cameras to the top at some point, since there is a lot of room. Here's a picture of my typical set-up:

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and here's the set-up when I have a buddy help film (prairie dog hunting):

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I will probably end up getting a DOA table when I get up to Idaho, but that's 1.5 years off.

Eric
 
Can't wait to get mine delivered next week and go try it out while doing some load development for my new Savage 12 .223.
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I think I will really like this table for my PD trip in June.
 
Here's a table I built, and have used for the last three years. Pretty inexpensive to built, not very heavy, and folds up nicely.
 
I got the Stable Table delivered the other day and couldn't stand it any longer, I had to put it together and see what I thought about it. Of course we just had almost 1 foot of snow come down on us this weekend so I assembled and set it up in the middle of my living room, much to my wife's dismay.
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First off, the assembly was a breeze, just a couple nuts and 1/2 dozen bolts and washers. Everything went together easily and other than the plastic T-handles on the tightening bolts for the main stand to secure the seat and table top and I was impressed with it's sturdiness and quality. Excellent painted finish and a a nice sized, very functional table top. I noticed a little wobble in the table top but if you tighten it down good it gets nice and stable. The seat was just a tad closer to the table than I liked but I noticed I have about 2-3 inches of extra length in the square tube it attaches to that I can drill out some holes just a little further back and then I think it will be just about perfect. It rotates very easily and just a quick tightening up of the post makes it really solid in one place.

I set up my rifle on a bipod on the table top and got the seat set at the right height and I can get settled in really well. I think this will work out really nicely for shooting.
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I also ordered the carry bag they sell for this and although it works out to hold everything in the bag, I wasn't all that impressed with it. It says it's "heavy duty" so I expected it to be a little heavier in the fabric and construction. I'm not convinced it will last very long, but I guess time will tell. A little pricy, $35-$40 depending on where you buy it from, for what it really is IMO. It's just one big square bag with a zipper top with carry handles and a small bag that holds the main hub separately that you then just toss in the bigger bag. I think a nice back-pack bag that would hold the table's main hub and a soft-sided rifle case that would hold the main support pole and the leg extensions would actually be handier for storing/transporting IMO. It's quite bulky and heavy with everything inside the bag. I did get everything inside the bag w/o any trouble and here's what it looks like with the table inside.

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