Shooting Bench

coyoteman23

coyoteman23

New member
What is everyone using for shooting benches? I would like to buy one but nothing I have looked at has everything I would like on one. Has anyone out there built there own. This is what I am thinking about doing. If you have a homemade bench would you mind showing some pictures and maybe some dimensions. Thanks.

coyoteman23
 
I don't have any pictures but I use a 6' folding table that is cut in half with hinges and a lock so it can be folded up and carried pretty easy. It has a handle like a suit case. It's kind of heavy but I only have to unload it out of the back of the toyota and I'm good to go. It seems plenty solid for me. It was in my shed when I bought my house so I don't actually know what is involved in making it, seems like it should be pretty easy.
 
i am in the process of building my own here is my shooting bench plans strictly for zeroing my rifles and pounding AR500 out past 1200yds, i don't plan on getting used to it, i like to keep my fundamentals in tune with my training for hunting season, ya cant bring a bench to hunt cats and yotes!!!
 
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Build one to dimensions YOU need......
 
huntsman, I'm jealous of your bench and everything on it! Does that thing have a granite top? I'd be afraid to spill my drink on that thing! To cool!
 
huntsman you playin some ball as well, i got a few wilson containers i get each summer for some much needed BP!!!
 
No granite, It's just 1 1/8 OSB scrap left over from a construction site. Routed, sanded and 3-4 coats of exterior poly finish.

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Heres another . Booger bench I made from the same stuff.

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huntsman22's bench is one nice setup.

I had the high school carpentry class put one together for me many, many years ago. I found the plans for it in some hunting magazine, but can't remember where. It is built out of two pieces of 3/4" plywood and they glued them together and sealed it with something that is really impervious to just about anything I have spilled on it. The legs are made from 1 1/2" black pipe and are 29 1/2 inches long. The top, in the front, is 27" wide and it runs that width for 15 3/4" towards the back and then there is a taper that angles in on each side that is 9" long to make room for the shooter to get behind the rifle. The taper stops and then the wood runs straight to the back for 15". The narrow part at the back is 14 3/4" wide. It is an ambidextrous bench and looking back, I wish I would have just had it made for right handers.

Just for kicks I found the receipt for the cost of the bench:

Pipe-----------------$ 5.25
Couplings------------- 4.68
Bolts, nuts, washers---1.44
Plywood---------------9.44

TOTAL--------------$20.81

I used to haul this thing out to the rifle range before they had cement benches built there. It isn't something you would want to lug around for prairie dog shooting though. When I use it for a cleaning station in my reloading room I have the gun vise turned the other way so the butt of the rifle is on the narrow end of the bench and the barrel is out on the wide end just like you'd have it while shooting.

I have it set up as a cleaning station in the photo below.

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The next photo shows the underside. The pipe nipples are welded to a plate which is fastend to the bench using carriage bolts. The nipples are welded onto the plate a a slight outward angle.

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The next photo shows how I have installed conduit hangers on the bottom where I place the legs and then use lag screws to tighten the hangers so the pipes don't fall out. I have also installed a handle on the bottom for ease of carrying the whole thing. It is one heavy bench and it doesn't move around if you use it for shooting.

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Silverfox's bench is STOUT. The only dimension I'd change is making the 'tail' 12 inches wide. That way you can kinda 'hook' your elbow over the edge without resting it on top. Gives a better 'feel' for your heartbeats while snuggled in. And no sore elbows.........
 
Mine is a lot like Silver fox's - I used 3/4" particle board for the table, threaded pipe & pipe couplers for the 3 legs (nice to unscrew the legs for storage & transport). I countersunk the bolt holes for the pipe coupler/leg bases & filled them with epoxy after bolting on the couplers to keep the top smooth.
I found the basic plan on the web by doing a search for "shooting bench plans" or some such. It is pretty stable, & it works fine for my purposes, but I am not a bench rest shooter.
 
Originally Posted By: huntsman22No granite, It's just 1 1/8 OSB scrap left over from a construction site. Routed, sanded and 3-4 coats of exterior poly finish.

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Heres another . Booger bench I made from the same stuff.

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I built one like huntsman22, works real good.
 
I like mine a little taller... i have legs that are 33 up to 35 inches...a regular office desk is 29 or thirty inches off the floor and i like to be up higher... but depends on your upper torso and how high your seat/bucket is...
I have found I also like 4 legged tables(more stable)... I thought I would only like 3 legged ones(because of uneven ground)...not had a problem finding a place to set up 4 legged tables...
the bigger the pipe legs...the more stable.... 3or 4 inch aluminum conduit is great but I think would be pricey $$wise
I had a guy cut and weld pipe coupler on a piece of steel at about 10 degrees for legs.. getting this cut at an angle and welded is a hassle for me.... the rest is pretty easy

I have made a couple of them .... half sheet of plywood and then cut it to suit yourself..... frame underneath of 1 in square tubing will stiffen up the wood top... if you can get one welded..
 
Lowe's has pipe couplers (I am not sure that is the right term) with bases (angled about right) already on them. They make great bases for the screw in pipe/legs & no welding or fabrication is required. You can just bolt them onto the bench top.
 
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1" cabinet grade alder plywood and 1" black pipe legs.

Light enough that an old guy with a bad back can still lift it in and out of the truck with legs attached w/o any problems.

I'm going to build another one and it will be 4" longer.
 
Huntsman I'm not trying to be a Smart*** but is that a car-jack you are using for elevation on the front of your gun? I've never seen anything like that before! If it aint you just give me a darn good ideal! LOL "Cheap people have cheap ways" Also nice looking table! THAT THING IS SWEET!
 
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A friend and I built a couple of benches for a prairie dog shooting trip a few years ago. The idea came from another friend who is a member here. I can't remember the cost, but I think we might have about $30 each in these tables.

We just bought some plywood and some folding table legs from Home Depot, and cut the plywood to a custom shape for both of us. To allow the use of longer screws for more stability, there is a piece of scrap plywood mounted between the table and the legs. We also offset the front and back legs so they would fold flat by lying between each other as opposed to on top of each other.

They work great for portable tables.

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