RANSOM REST TESTING

Shooting buddy of mine and I are going to be testing some different reloads on Wednesday using a borrowed Ransom Rest.  Anybody got some tips from your past experiences that would be helpful?  I know the mounting base we will be using is solid.

First thing to do is to download & study the instructions.

What steve said!
Twice!

1st magazine 6 rounds.. shoot the 1st round and then move your sights or the RR and fire the next 4.( you're throwing away the 1st round feed from an open slide)  stop( there is a live round in the chamber so care is warranted)  and insert the 2nd magazine or better yet reload the same mag with 5 rounds and continue to fire all the rounds. This has 10 rounds feed the exact same way on target..

Yes this will help and yes a different magazine can screw up a 10 round target..  if you test enough you'll most likely find a single mag that produces the best accuracy.

lessons taught to me and experienced


be consistent to a fault in how you reset the rest

Hang on here???
I have always gotten totally pissed off because I would shoot a super tight 5 shot group and then the second 5 would not be even close to the 1st 5! You think that’s because of the mags? Now I need to go test again! Lol

Know for a fact its the different mags
Do it like Jimmy explained it.
Jon

What are you testing for?  That can determine procedure.  It is good to know if the first round from a magazine shoots out of the group.  Afterall, there are no mulligans when we shoot for score.  Does a magazine shoot differently from others?  Good to know, but these are difficult to prove, and again, from the hand is different from the rest.

Consistency and repeatability is important.  I don't change the elevation (or windage) of the base, once set.  I staple new paper where the group is going.  It is also useful to see the aggregate group of 30-50 rounds.  We often shoot ten good ones on a single paper after several trys, discard the others and think that is representative.  Not so, unless it is repeatable.  I pull (pinch the trigger) by hand because I have had hardball double using the rest with the mechanical pull. The RR is useful because one can shoot hundreds of rounds in a short period, and not tire.  What it most often shows me is that my gun and ammo are fine - I just need a little work on my fundamentals.

Good luck!
 
Forgot to add that it is important to remember that the RR returns the FRAME to the same spot - the results may be different for different guns depending on the relationship of the barrel to frame.

James Hensler wrote:Hang on here???
I have always gotten totally pissed off because I would shoot a super tight 5 shot group and then the second 5 would not be even close to the 1st 5! You think that’s because of the mags? Now I need to go test again! Lol

Yup, did a test on 15 different mags a while back. a couple were exceptional, most were good, and 2 were repeatedly horrible.

Most of them were good to very good, so only 10% were really bad. All fed flawlessly and never gave me any problems, so didn't have any other reason to not use them.

I would also recommend, on Ransom testing, is to run 10-15 rounds through the pistol before going for testing results. One, it fouls the barrel. Two, it settles the pistol into the adapters. Pause about 1/2 way & wiggle the pistol a bit to see if there's any movement and retest the A,B, & C nuts to see if any need snugging up.. Three, use the same mag for the complete 10 shot test, as was mentioned. Four, The Ransom will most likely NOT shoot as well as out of the hand. However it WILL shoot 10-20 groups with consistency, which is very hard to do with a hand hold.

Ransom suggests that an even gap be held between the inserts when the pistol/inserts are tighten up. I find I get vertical stringing when I keep an even gap. I blame this on my setup. My .45 inserts are cut for an arched mainspring housing and my pistols have a flat mainspring housing. I think the pistol rocks a little in the inserts causing the stringing so I tighten the rear screw tight on the inserts.

Mount the Ransom Rest to a 1 inch or thicker (whatever you can pick up) wooden base.  Solid hardwood is best, heavy exterior type plywood if you have to. Then mount the wood base to your solid pedestal (concrete or steel).  You can't just clamp it to a bench and I do not recommend mounting the rest directly to steel or concrete base.  

Typically, I find the looser the fit of the gun, the more the magazines can affect repeatability.  On the other hand, magazine springs are not all exactly the same either, so you get different stresses with different mag.  I find the Wilson mags do not have much effect on my groups.  

CR

Greetings,

Returning the rest to home after firing a shot...

Pull rest back about 10 degrees and return it to home with steady movement.

If you hit the hard stop to fast the rest will bounce back and you will likely get a high shot.

If you do not feel the rest return without bouncing, try again.

Should the clutches produce a jittery motion, take the rest apart and clean the friction discs per the Owners Manual.

Actually, not a bad idea to clean the discs before you leave the house.

The discs glaze over with use and when real bad recoil is far from consistent.

Cheers,

Dave

Jon Eulette wrote:Know for a fact its the different mags
Do it like Jimmy explained it.
Jon

Damn Jon I never knew this All this time! 

Without a doubt THIS is the best advice I have received in a long time!

Just like jglenn said but in addition, I always use an old credit card to shim the elevation stop for the throw away shot. After every shot I pull the RR so that the pistol is pointing vertical. This will bring the powder to the rear of the cartridge consistently. Then smoothly with both hands return the pistol to the level stop. Do not at any time touch the pistol when returning it to level.

Bill

Also, don’t over tighten the knobs.  You want to simulate the pistol as held by the hand not in a vice. Don’t reef it down like it’s a leaky tap.  Just snug like a new tap.  

Fire a full magazine then check the tightness of the knobs.  

Load 6 then 5 or use a 10 shot mag but that doesn’t test how your mags affect things.  

Also remember there are lots on this board that refer to it as “The RANDOM Rest” for many reasons.

It can be "fun"

And watch Accuracy X YouTube’s to see how it’s done.

Here's a link to some magazine testing pictures to go along with what Jon, Cecil, and JGlenn are saying. 
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t13139-accuracy-testing-article-in-shooting-sports-magazine

If anyone is looking to buy a Ransom Rest, my cousin has one with quite a few pistol holders. If interested I can put you together with him. Send me an E-mail.    rkittine@aol.com

Bob

After I have the pistol all settled in and I'm ready to do serious testing.  I shoot 4 out of the mag of 5, remove the mag and reload it with 5 for the 10 shot group.  That seemed to get rid of the 6th shot flyer that occurs.
Phil

Very good suggestions. It's an ammo burner for sure. Grip pressure and fit quality is critical. Over-tightening can be as bad as under-tightening. I have made two modifications to mine: I put a small neodymium magnet under the elevation adjustment screw. I reason that this creates a more uniform "pull-off" force from recoil, making it less sensitive to how you reset the pivot. I also installed a small ball bearing (rubber tape on OD) on the trigger bar, retained by two brass shaft clamps. This keeps the applied trigger bar force perpendicular to the trigger surface, with no lateral friction. My best 50 yd 8-shot group from my wad gun (185gr XTP's, 2x fired Starline, WC magazine, 3.8gr e3, 150 primer, 13# spring). First shot was the one out high/right. Bristol IN has a very nice Ransom bench. After those results I have deemed that the pistol is not what causes my pathetic scores.