Ransom Rest Process

With all of the discussion on whether someone needs a ransom rest or not in another thread, I thought I would move my question here.  I'm lucky that I don't have to buy one as there is one at my range. 

Anyway, any time an ransom rest is mentioned by someone in a thread there will be 3-8 people who post that it takes many years to learn how to use a ransom rest.  I've played around with the one that is at my range and I don't see the difficulty.  I understand the need to be very methodical and I think the most variable part is probably how you tighten down your frame in the grip adapters.  But, I will admit I don't know that much about them and always enjoy learning from the folks here.

Could someone tell me the "shot process" they use when they are using a ransom rest and any additional tip/tricks and things not to do???

Thanks!
Doug

I don't agree with the difficulty expressed by some here. I had one for many years and just followed the instructions. Some say that taking the "trigger tripper" off and using the trigger finger on the trigger is a better technique, but I've tried both ways and didn't see much difference. Make sure that you don't touch the gun between shots, but use the little "platform" to re-seat the rest. I used to use a ten shot magazine in the 1911 to avoid disturbing the gun, when shooting a ten shot string. For a few years, for a base, I used a 30 gallon steel drum topped off with a steel plate. The steel plate had four long-legged, threaded 1/2" rods running down into the concrete that I had used to fill the drum. It worked just fine when sitting on a concrete pad. I made a platform out of wood, per Ransom's instructions and screwed the rest onto it (per instructions). I used four large "c" clamps to mount the rest to the base. The only tip is to be methodical and use the same pressure when pulling the trigger, re-seating the rest, etc.

If the rest has a solid base, and the inserts are in good condition, its not hard to get good results, load a mag with 7 rounds, shoot two to settle the gun in and last 5 for the group, you don't need to shoot more than 5 to see if a load or gun is accurate, the big deal is for those that want a 10 shot group, now you have to be very careful to exactly duplicate your first group this often is where people get frustrated.

No where near an expert but here is what we do.

1. First and foremost concrete or steel mounting NO wood benches. The best mount I've seen is a steel I beam imbedded concrete with a thick (1"?) steel plate welded on top with holes for the rest (bring your own)
   
2. When I am almost tight with the grip adaptors I put some upward pressure on the barrel
   
3. At this point check to see if you can do a mag change without disturbing anything, readjust as required
   
4. Then preset the recoil friction
   
5. I have had better luck using my finger to fire the gun verses the mechanical one on the rest
   
6. Getting ready for the string we shoot 5 shots retighten the grips and adjust the recoil friction - you don't want it slamming back but there needs to be movement,  5 more then tighten if needed again
   
7. Now we are ready for the first string
   
8. We have tried full mags and only 5 rounds in the mag.  It seems that with some mags we get variation when fully loaded.  Although we don't have enough data on this.
   
9. When you push the gun back into place do it exactly the same way every time and don't slam it back into place, it may bounce up and you will get a high shot.  I put both my hands on the grip mounts and push it back down.
   

I quit using the mechanical trigger release because I got a double tap using it.
SAFETY when pushing the gun back down keep your hands away from the muzzle - I've seen one person use the palm of his hand on the muzzle with his fingers out in front. 

Using the rest became too much work, now I get the results I need off a sandbag which took some time to master as well!

- Dave

I've never been able to get good groups off of a sandbag; I can get better ones shooting one-handed (you know, bullseye-style!)

For the Random Rest, in addition to the tips above, I suggest:

1. Read and follow the directions
   
2. Tighten screws "A" and "B" alternating, finger tight. It's hard to explain, but about how tight you would shut off a faucet that is in good working condition - not how you would shut off a faucet in a 60-year-old house!
   
3. Tighten screw "C" only enough that it will seat, and not back out
   
4. Use the "ear" (and not the gun) to re-seat the rest after each shot
   
5. Place a bottle of water on the bench. Do not shoot the next shot until the water in the bottle has stopped vibrating
   

I got better results once I stopped cranking down screw "A" and "B" as tight as I could make them.

For me, the Random Rest is only a guide. The final evaluation is shooting a given gun/load combo in training and competition, and being very diligent in calling my shots. If the shots are within 1" of my call 90% of the time, and I can get high X-counts at 50 yards, we're good to go.