What's your favorite bench pistol rest or sandbag type.

Thinking of getting a 4x scope to test loads but I need to get some good bags at a minimum. Most of what I have now is geared to rifles. What's your favorite rest/bag setup.

I use a Caldwell for the gun and range bags for my forearms

It ain’t pretty, but neither am I.  Protektor metal tripod rest #52 with wide owl ear front bag #3.  I got the wide ‘ears’ so the slide would not rub against the bag.  The bag is sitting on top of half a brick and both are ‘secured’ to the tripod.  The tripod shelf the brick is in can be raised or lowered by turning it.  I am a right handed shooter and the right arm rests on the Caldwell bag.  I will probably put some felt on the front of the brick so it does not accidentally scar the trigger guard.
 
I too need to get a cheap pistol scope for 50 yard testing.  The only club that I belong to that has a RR uses clamps to secure it to the post.  A fellow BE shooter who tried to use a clamped RR said he was not able to get consistent results.

I do very well with the simple Hyskore rest.   Pointed leveler screws to grip a wooden bench, a fairly heavy mass for stability and a padded hand rest.  Padded elbows on the bench

HYscore rest with a sandbag under the butt. The sand bag keeps the gun from rocking left and right. One of my match guns has an EGW frame mount. I put a 2-7 pistol scope on it. It is still difficult to hold the cross hair in a one inch box at 50 yards. After a few shots, my eyes get buggy and my hands are not so steady. If I stand up and move I can shoot some more good shots.

I am buying a grip mount for scope so I can test my other two 1911 guns. I cannot do as well with a red dot or Ironsno matter how I rest it. Elbows on something soft, so they don't get a beating and can slide.
Access to a ransom rest would be great.

My best groups are around 1.7" at 50 yards. I don't know it that is the max of my shooting or my gun. With a Dot sight I can't get any better than 2.5".

I shoot 5 shot groups because if I change the magazine sometimes I get a 5 shot group in a slightly different place.
David

I already have one of these Caldwell Rock front test.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015057639/caldwell-rock-front-shooting-rest-and-rear-bag-combo

I'm thinking of getting this Protektor narrow front bag.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015253248/protektor-owl-ear-rifle-front-shooting-rest-bag-narrow-leather-tan-filled

And maybe one of these Protektor rear bags with maybe a plywood spacer underneath.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1015252760/protektor-standard-rear-shooting-rest-bag-leather-tan-filled

I could be wrong Mike but that rest seems to be designed more to get you adjusted around the pistol and doesn't do much to stabilize the pistol, it just sits on the felt and in the V notch.

That particular Protektor front bag looks like their #1 small owl ear front bag.
 
https://protektormodel.com/collections/standard-front-bags
 
I have both the Protektor #7 Standard Front bag and the #3 Wide Owl Ear Front bag.  The issue I had with the #7 is the slide would occasionally rub against the ‘ears’ and cause errant shots.  The #3 bag solved that problem for me.

joy2shoot wrote:That particular Protektor front bag looks like their #1 small owl ear front bag.
 
https://protektormodel.com/collections/standard-front-bags
 
I have both the Protektor #7 Standard Front bag and the #3 Wide Owl Ear Front bag.  The issue I had with the #7 is the slide would occasionally rub against the ‘ears’ and cause errant shots.  The #3 bag solved that problem for me.

I already have that bag. I thought a tighter bag might cradle the pistol better. So do you think a looser fit is better. That would save me from buying another front bag.

zanemoseley wrote:
I already have that bag. I thought a tighter bag might cradle the pistol better. So do you think a looser fit is better. That would save me from buying another front bag.

Tight makes sense for rifle stocks and maybe revolvers.  But a pistol needs for the slide to move unimpeded.  If the intention is to rest the frame between the ears, I have learned the hard way that the #7 caused issues.  For me, the pistol and arms rest on bag/bench and tight comes from me gripping the gun two handed.

zanemoseley wrote:I could be wrong Mike but that rest seems to be designed more to get you adjusted around the pistol and doesn't do much to stabilize the pistol, it just sits on the felt and in the V notch.

If you click on the "reviews" tab, you'll get feedback from users.  I had a long talk with Wally, the fellow who designed, builds, and sells it, an what you wrote seems to be a big part of why it works.  The way it's made, it stabilizes the shooter, which contributes to how well it works.

I put mine together, found that it stabilizes ME quite well, but haven't had a free day yet to take it to the range - likely this coming week, and I'll start with my new to me S&W Model 17-5 revolver.  I also found that it fits nicely into a $15 carrying case that can be purchased from Amazon and elsewhere - but the square rails at the bottom needed to be shortened by 1/2 inch to do this neatly.  I loosen two screws, separating the rails from the front and rear assembly, and it drops into my carry case.  

It sounds to me like all the ways people need to adjust a target pistol to a "natural position", so the shooter's body doesn't affect the POI.  With the separate supports for each arm, everything goes to a "neutral" position before firing.  My club has lots of gun rests, but I haven't found any that help hold the gun stationery.  The weakest point in their accuracy is still me. 

It doesn't do anything to "stabilize the pistol";  It does hold the pistol in a stable position, but unlike a Ransom Rest, the person shooting it has to apply the trigger pressure straight towards the rear, and not apply force on the sides of the pistol tending to move it off center.   If used properly, I suspect it can approach the accuracy of a Ransom Rest.....    will know more, and post the results once I try it at the range.

Mike, take some pictures when you get it set up at the range.

Will do.   If I go Monday or Wednesday, it will be a fairly quiet day, and I can try things out, take photos, etc.  Tuesday is typically very crowded, so I get involved in lots of other things.

Lots more videos here:
   https://www.targetshooting.com/video-library/

Most of them I haven't had time to watch yet.

my build 

Dang that looks nice. Does it adjust down to hold a 1911? You custom build it?

yes its a ball screw out of a cnc mill its so smooth its amazing the rear bag is  linear bearings so it slides back and forth to accommodate different handguns

I’ll take 2!!!

Buy once, cry once...  Ransom Rest with Windage Base and Remote Trigger.  

What, no duct tape on any of them?

See pics. I keep in my truck; you never know when you'll need to sight in a pistol.