In our Shooters’ Forum thread about Portable Shooting Benches, Forum member John H. of New Mexico (aka “Skratch”) showed off a nicely-crafted mobile shooting bench that he can haul with his ATV. This trailer-mounted, movable bench is built on a central tubular spine that also serves as the tongue for the trailer, which attaches to a standard hitch. The bench offers two (2) shooting positions so it works for both left-handed and right-handed shooters.
Up front, for storage, a surplus .50-Cal ammo can is secured to the trailer frame. The V-shaped middle section of the wood benchtop looks to be reinforced with a metal stiffener frame on the underside. The front section of the bench is supported by twin tubular uprights attached to the box-section axle housing. The two wooden bench-style seats (on left and right) ride on a cross-tube. At the ends of that cross-tube are adjustable legs for additional support.
Great Rig for New Mexico Varmint Hunting
There are plenty of great varmint hunting areas in Skratch’s home state of New Mexico — you’ll find some huge prairie dog fields there. But to get the best results on a varmint-hunting field session, you need a solid shooting station that can be easily hauled to new locations as needed. It looks like John (aka “Scratch”) has come up with an outstanding “War Wagon” for his New Mexico varmint safaris.
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On Sale this week in Cabela’s Bargain Cave is the Big Game Swivel-Action Shooting Bench. This tripod-base bench is certainly not as sturdy as a premium portable bench, such as the Stukey Bench or the D.O.A. Tactical Bench, but then the Cabela’s Big Game Bench sells for a fraction of the price of high-end shooting benches. This Big Game Bench retails for just $109.99 (Bargain Cave sale price).
Cabela’s Big Game Swivel Bench is pretty easy to set up. Since it weighs only 39 pounds, it is much easier to transport than some of the massive swivel benches on the market. If you’re looking for a “casual duty” bench that doesn’t cost much money, Cabela’s $109.99 bench may suit your needs. Most of Cabela’s buyer reviews are quite positive — read and draw your own conclusions. We do wish the 29″x29″ benchtop extended out further (to provide more room for front rest and rear bag). But we expect, for some readers, this $109.99 bench will suffice, offering decent function at a bargain price.
Bench Sale Tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
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Building your own portable shooting bench is a great winter do-it-yourself project. You can build a sturdy bench for well under $100 in materials. Compare that to some deluxe factory-built benches which may cost $450.00 or more.
A wide assortment of home-built shooting bench designs have been featured on the internet. Renovation Headquarters has put together a web page with plans for eleven (11) different shooting benches. Each bench is illustrated with a photo and link to FREE Plans and building instructions. You’ll find all-wood designs as well as benches that combine a wood top with a metal sub-frame or legs.
The new Shooterest Shooting System is a hitch-transportable, twin-station shooting bench that deploys directly from your vehicle. You can shoot EITHER with the bench attached to the hitch (and vehicle), or the Shooterest Bench can be detached for stand-alone shooting. The reversible table-tops handle both right- and left-handed shooters.
The Shooterest’s designer, Brian Auer, is a mechanical engineer. He builds Shooterest benches with his brother and father. Brian comments: “The three of us fabricate everything ourselves in our barn workshop in Rathdrum, Idaho. Basically, you can hook up the bench (fully assembled and ready to use) to your vehicle in a vertical position so it won’t hit the ground or extend past the 3-ft legal limit beyond the rear bumper. When you arrive at your shooting location, you pull one pin and move the bench to the horizontal position. You then drop the front stabilizers, maybe adjust your table height if needed, and you’re ready to shoot. The tailgate on a pickup also serves as a handy table to stage ammo, clips, guns, etc. If you don’t want the bench mounted to a vehicle (or if you don’t have a 2″ receiver), you can set the bench directly on the ground using the same parts that attach it to the vehicle.”
Preload the Bench for Added Stability When Hitch-Mounted
Given the fact that vehicles have springs, we were concerned that there might be a little vertical play in the Shooterest when deployed mounted to a hitch. Dan Auer, Brian’s father, explained that you can eliminate any potential “bounce” by putting in a little preload: “With the bench on the hitch mount, just lift up the table a bit and extend the front stabilizers (legs) an inch or two. That preloads the system and pretty much takes up the slack in your truck springs. You end up with a very stable platform that way.”
The Shooterest bench system comes in Deluxe and Standard models, both with twin independently adjustable platforms allowing two shooters to shoot simultaneously. The $489.00 Deluxe version features 3/4 inch plywood tops and seats, plus a convenient center-mounted deluxe shell deflector screen. The $389.00 Standard shooting bench has painted 7/16 OSB plywood tables and seats, with standard deflector screen. Both models share these other features:
Bench can be used mounted to vehicle OR stand-alone (detached)
Fully-assembled bench can be transported on vehicle receiver
Bench is constructed from strong, durable steel tubing
Bench can be disassembled to transport inside vehicle
Tables adjust for sitting or standing shooting positions
Seats are 3-way adjustable for height, fore/aft, width from centerline
Adjustable stabilizer legs can be adjusted for uneven terrain
Tables are reversible for right- or left-handed shooters
Bench is wheelchair accessible
For more information, visit Shooterest.com, call (208) 661-5973, or email sales [at] shooterest.com. Currently, Shooterest Benches can only be shipped within the continental U.S. ($40 flat rate) & Canada ($90 flat rate). Installation Tips: Shooterest benches come with one hitch pin, but a second pin will be required for attaching to the receiver on the vehicle. We recommend a drop receiver for any receivers mounted higher than 25 inches on the vehicle.
If you want a good, solid portable bench that doesn’t wobble, or move unpredicatbly from shot-to-shot, consider the Stukey Sturdy Shooting Bench. No it doesn’t spin, and it doesn’t have an attached seat. But the very simplicity of the Stukey bench is why it works so well. The legs lock up absolutely solid, and there is no attached seat to bounce the bench. As Royal told us: “I don’t like hookin’ my butt to my reticle”. If you have a seat attached to your bench, a slight movement of your body on the seat can impart a wobble to the bench top. That’s no good if you’re trying to shoot 1/4-MOA groups or hit varmints at very long range. As Royal says: “You’re never going to tag that 900-yard prairie dog is you have any wiggle in your bench. It just translates to too many minutes of angle out there.” Makes sense.
The Stukey bench has a patented leg attachment system — a floating nut plate/socket/collar arrangement that assembles quickly without tools. The patented connection provides a rock-solid lock-up between the legs and frame. And these benches are strong — check out the photo of Royal’s pick-up truck supported by four of his benches.
Currently, the Stukey bench does not have adjusting leg heights. However Royal says that the triangle leg design accommodates most terrain. He just takes a level with him into the field and adjusts the bench orientation until the top is not tilted. Stukey benchtops have cut-outs on both sides, so they fit both right- and left-handed shooters. Simply move the seat to your preferred side. Total bench weight is roughly 65 pounds (30 lbs. for the top and 35 lbs. for the legs.) For more info, visit Royal’s website, www.ShootingBenches.com. The Stukey bench costs $545.00 (without shooting stool).
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Cabelas.com is offering a good deal for shooters looking for a budget-priced rotating shooting bench. The Caldwell® Stable Table, a 60-lb tripod-style bench, offers a 34″L x 23″W top surface with a bench seat that adjusts from 16″ to 22″ in height. The polymer top has two integrated carry handles. These handles double as anchors for two gun-holding forks that can be used when cleaning your rifle. Leg adjustments keep the table and seat parallel even on uneven ground. The overall unit breaks down into seven pieces using a quick-release pin system. Maximum weight capacity is 350 pounds.
Right now, if you purchase the Caldwell® Stable Table (item IK-230810), Cabelas.com will include a FREE set of electronic ear muffs. Rated at 21db NRR, these electronic muffs filter out gunfire sounds and other loud noises while still letting you hear voices and range commands.amplification of low-level sounds while blocking out harmful noise. There are two volume controls — one for each ear. Six AAA batteries will provide roughly 250 hours of run time. Note: Batteries must be purchased separately.
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Here’s an interesting new product that earns major points for innovation. Shooters Ridge has invented a shooting bench with wheels AND flip-up sides so it can serve as a field transporter. the Shooters Ridge new bench/cart is officially called the Voyager™ Shooting System. The Voyager features large 20”-diameter wheels with tubeless tires, a generous 12” cushioned seat and weather-resistant frame and hardware. The wheels come off allowing the Voyager to fold flat for storage and transport. The Voyager is surprisingly solid in the field, but we would recommend you chock the wheels, or dig in the rear handle/foot to stabilize the cart during firing. Current “street price” is about $320.00, and we’ve seen the Voyager cart as low as $309.99 at Tactical-Store.com.
Videos Show Voyager System Used as Cart and Shooting Bench
Shooters Ridge has two excellent videos on its website that show the Voyager bench/cart in use. They show varminters rolling the cart into position, setting up the bench, and then shooting. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VOYAGER VIDEOS (Select Voyager from sliding menu on Video Page).
While we prefer field benches that isolate the seat from the bench top, the versatility of the Voyager impresses us. You can use the Voyager to get your gear in and out of the field easily, yet it sets up quickly as a mobile shooting bench. If you’ve ever hauled a 100+ pound shooting bench around a varmint field you know it’s no fun. With the wheeled Voyager, you can easily roll to a new firing point, hauling your gear along with you. The folks at Shooters Ridge also say the Voyager is sturdy enough to haul game out of the field.
“Varmint hunters, big game hunters and all-day target shooters will appreciate the versatility of this new shooting bench,” stated Tom Knudtson of Shooters Ridge. “Whether it’s hauling game or gear, the Voyager is a rugged piece of equipment that pulls double-duty in the field. In my opinion, its quick conversion to a shooting bench is an amazing advancement.”
COMMENT: The concept of an easy-to-move bench that works as a cart is a good one. This editor has built a few gun-carts before. With wheels, wood, frame, and axles, one can easily spend over $125 just on materials. So, the $320.00 price of the Voyager is pretty reasonable, considering its hauling capacity and design features.
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Are you looking for a stable and affordable shooting bench for your next varmint safari? Well, why not build your own? Clemdog, a talented wood-worker and avid varmint-hunter, has designed a sturdy, portable bench you can build for $75.00 in materials. The bench is made from plywood attached to Rugged Buddy sawhorse legs which fold open and engage securely with patented snap-locks. These tubular steel legs cost about $60.00 per set. Clemdog’s bench can also be built with banquet table legs. These are cheaper, but heavier (and some extra assembly work is required).
Clemdog Shows How to Build Your Own Bench
Clemdog has created a nice video that shows, step-by-step, how to build his portable shooting bench. Clemdog writes: “I am amazed at the number of shooting tables on the market today. I’ve seen them in catalogs at prices ranging from $75 to almost $500. While I’m sure it’s a pleasure to shoot from one of the high-end benches, I wouldn’t want to drop the cash on one, nor would I want to assemble and disassemble one each time I repositioned. The vast majority of the lower-end tables or benches are so rickety that it would be difficult to shoot accurately from them. If you have a saw and a drill, or can borrow one, here’s how you can make your own portable shooting and reloading bench for [about $75.00].” Just watch the video below:
Instructions for Table Fabrication
Clemdog says: “Start with a 3/4″ plywood panel, available at Home Depot or other lumber yards for about $15. Pay a few bucks more for a birch or other nice veneer, it will look fantastic if you varnish the table. The panels come 48″ x 24″. You will also need some wood glue, and about 15 #10 wood screws, about 1-1/4″ long. Check out my video on how to build the bench using a set of folding Rugged Buddy 34″ sawhorse legs. If you opt for standard banquet table legs, you will need about 20″ of scrap 2×4 and four to six 3″ lag bolts with washers and nuts to bolt the 2x4s to the table top.”
At the end of his video, Clemdog offers some sound advice: “Don’t buy a crappy bench, or spend hundreds of dollars on a bench. Build your own. It will be a fun project and it will last you for years.” For more info, visit Clemdog’s personal webpage, which also hosts a series of reloading videos.
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Varminters — here’s a corporate acquisition that could affect you. Kansas-based Coyote Jakes, Inc. has been acquired by Sellmark Corp., a Texas company with a diverse line of consumer, military, and law enforcement products. Sellmark will take over manufacturing and distribution of Coyote Jakes products, including the popular swiveling shooting benches. Sellmark Corp. will continue to offer (and honor) a lifetime warranty on Coyote Jakes shooting benches.
Coyote Jakes shooting stands are made of Grade 1 Steel or high-grade aluminum. With their stable, ground-hugging 3-legged platforms, Coyote Jakes’ benches provide 360° rotation and support up to 350 pounds. The steel shooting stand weighs under 65 pounds complete, while the aluminum version weighs just 45 pounds. The shooting platforms break down into seven (7) parts for easy transport.
Coyote Jakes’ founder David Krien states that: “Sellmark’s ability to market and build brands will bring our product to more consumers.” James Sellers, CEO of Sellmark, said, “Coyote Jakes has always been known for the highest quality gun rests and shooting tables in the industry. The addition of the Coyote Jakes line [gives us a] leadership position in these product categories.” In addition to the Coyote Jakes product line, Sellmark Corp. currently manufactures shooting chairs, tree stands, trail cameras, rifle scopes, night vision equipment, boresights, red-dot sights, and military sights.
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