Bench/F Class front rests.
Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:15 pm
This is one for the Bench & F Open shooters.
I shoot an F Open rifle with a Farley Co-Ax II front rest. It weighs around 16Kgs and is a PITA to lug around but I like most F Open shooters use it because, erm that is what other people do and there is not a huge selection (OK some F Open shooters use bipods but they are few and far between) Now I have to admit I dislike such front rests, they are heavy, awkward and for the most poorly designed, oh and hugely expensive as well. I think mine is around USD1000 new and some are approaching USD1400. Now I was lucky as I picked mine up as new for considerably less than this so that was part good but it is STILL TOO HEAVY!.
So why the cost – that is easy, they mostly come from far away prices and are machined to high tolerances for a small market so they are bespoke items.
Why the weight? Well I can only assume they are heavy because they are primarily built for bench rest where they need to be stable sitting on a concrete bench but for F Class they are stuck on the ground so far less chance of moving around, so does this mean they can be lighter? My view is yes, a lot lighter in fact. I sketched out some ideas for the 'perfect front rest' a while ago and talking to 20Series today had me resurrect the idea, plus having used a Farley for the last year or so I have some more ideas, so I guess that will be my next project then I will be able to get rid of the Farley and start carrying something a lot lighter.
Does anyone have any views on this? Anyone want a Farley, or maybe something new and different?
I shoot an F Open rifle with a Farley Co-Ax II front rest. It weighs around 16Kgs and is a PITA to lug around but I like most F Open shooters use it because, erm that is what other people do and there is not a huge selection (OK some F Open shooters use bipods but they are few and far between) Now I have to admit I dislike such front rests, they are heavy, awkward and for the most poorly designed, oh and hugely expensive as well. I think mine is around USD1000 new and some are approaching USD1400. Now I was lucky as I picked mine up as new for considerably less than this so that was part good but it is STILL TOO HEAVY!.
So why the cost – that is easy, they mostly come from far away prices and are machined to high tolerances for a small market so they are bespoke items.
Why the weight? Well I can only assume they are heavy because they are primarily built for bench rest where they need to be stable sitting on a concrete bench but for F Class they are stuck on the ground so far less chance of moving around, so does this mean they can be lighter? My view is yes, a lot lighter in fact. I sketched out some ideas for the 'perfect front rest' a while ago and talking to 20Series today had me resurrect the idea, plus having used a Farley for the last year or so I have some more ideas, so I guess that will be my next project then I will be able to get rid of the Farley and start carrying something a lot lighter.
Does anyone have any views on this? Anyone want a Farley, or maybe something new and different?
