Ransom rest setup/tips

I think I'm ready to make a good attempt at Master next season. It seems to me that dialing in my loads and equipment will give me my best chance. To that end I'm planning on getting a Ransom Rest. So, what's the best setup? I'll be using it at Canton McKinley for those familiar with the range. Thanks

Greetings,

Keeping the friction disks clean is important. The link below details the process...

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0ahUKEwivm5LJh_vOAhWJjZQKHTy_DoAQFghXMAI&url=http%3A%2F%2Fransomrest.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F02%2FRANSOM-MASTER-SERIES-REST.doc&usg=AFQjCNF6QJQnkB5p_3zJ3_TYCw8e-3uk9Q&bvm=bv.131783435,d.amc&cad=rja

Cheers,

Dave

You will need a solid base, like a concrete pillar or steel beam. A lot of the bullseye ranges will have one installed at the end of the line with a steel plate drilled for Ransom Rest holes.  Clamping to a wooden shooting bench probably will not give you consistent results.

orpheoet wrote:I think I'm ready to make a good attempt at Master next season. It seems to me that dialing in my loads and equipment will give me my best chance. To that end I'm planning on getting a Ransom Rest. So, what's the best setup? I'll be using it at Canton McKinley for those familiar with the range. Thanks

1st see if you can borrow one, I was hot to buy one too but my buddy has one that I can use any time I need it and that is only about 2 or 3 sessions a year to teat a new gun or new loads.  Usually he calls me and says he's headed out to do some testing or I call him and we both end up trying out some new loads.

Absolute must is a stable bench or platform, concrete being the best.  Then you have to be able to secure it to the bench.  The RR I use has the elevation and windage adjustments which makes it easier to set up and it's mounted on a 16x24" piece of 1.75" thick lam beam which we clamp (3 clamps) to the concrete bench.  We are trying to get permission from the range to drill in and epoxy some inserts using the RR bolt pattern so you could just screw it down.

The pistol benches at Canton move too much, but I thought the range to the left had some sturdy benches.

- Dave

Ransom now has a one piece unit that includes the windage adjustment.  Cheaper than the RR plus windage base.  Check their website.

The stable base is VERY important. Even concrete and Steel has varying levels of stability. Somewhere on here is a link to the base that Jerry Keefer Uses. I think it is over 1.5 yards of concrete and some really heavy steel. 

The next thing is to avoid touching the gun as much as possible. You will see videos where people reset after the shot by pressing down on the barrel. DON'T DO IT!!. After the shot you should reset by pressing on the rest itself.

I did not know about the cleanings, but I do have a friend who recently replaced his 40+ year old rest because of the work that it needed. His Base at home was a 55 gallon drum filled with concrete and sand. He got good results from it in his testing, but his major testing was done at his club that that system was 2 I-Beams welded into a 90 degree angle and set in 3 feet of concrete with about a 30 inch diameter. 

The base that I am using was built at my club by Keefer when he was testing back in the 90's. It produced some good results then and my results from clamping my unit (mounted as per instructions onto plywood to that stand were pretty good (sub 2" results at 50 yards with my loads, and my inexperienced use. 

I can't find the post that Jerry did about the base on here right now, but I have a link to the photo of the base with the barrel tester mounted. It is massive. The one at the club is not as large or as stable. But it seems to work ok. I believe that Jerry built it too. 

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I can't say for certain what they might have on the pistol side at Canton other than the wooden benches but the rifle side does have some very sturdy benches. I'll probably set up there.