Shooting From the Bench?

Question

What is the attraction from shooting from the bench when you have the option to shoot from the standard positions? I am not talking about sighting in a gun or testing a particular ammo load. Nor am I talking about the sport of precision bench rest shooting which is an exercise in hyper accuracy.

I mean the folks who fire 100-200 rounds a session, from the bench (often at fifty yards) with no apparent goal other than making noise. Some shoot a larger group from the bench than I do standing and they are pleased with their results.

Answer 1

Being as shooting is an individual sport, people will do what they like, and, oftentimes, think that they're some kinda "sniper" based solely on the fact that they spent $3,000 on a rifle and $1,200 on a scope!Since they're not competing with anyone else, people will generally brag about some truly abysmal shooting, simply because they don't realise they suck, and don't know any better. Shooting from the bench is a good way to practice "breaking the shot", i.e., making sure the trigger breaks at the top or bottom of the breathing cycle, as well as helping to learn to get the appropriate sight picture.

Answer 2

I shoot thousands of rounds from bench rest, what's your point? If it bothers you so much, simply don't watch them! I'll guarantee the thousands of rounds I've fired from a bench have made my fundamentals a LOT stronger than some weekend warrior wannabe who thinks they know it all. I enjoy target shooting, bench shooting helps build good muscle memory, breathing control, repeatable target picture, setting my scopes for various distances, improves hand eye coordination, and it's just plain fun to fire 5 bullets into the same hole at 100 yards.I don't shoot competition, unless you want to count silhouette shooting match's.I don't fancy myself a sniper either, the media has ruined what the wprds "sniper" and "sniper rifle" used to mean. The most expensive scope I have is a 180 dollar Bushnell, not hardly a "sniper" scope, but it gets the job done. The most expensive rifle i own is a Bushmaster M4A3, not even close to a sniper rifle.Combat accuracy is what it was made to deliver, and that's what it delivers. My "target" rifles are not what ANYONE would consider a "sniper rifle" (Savage 93FVSS) .
So rather than pass judgement on people who happen to enjoy shooting sports a bit differently than you do, why let it bother you so much? Are they hurting you in some way? Are they somehow preventing you from shooting your targets at the rifle range? Or is it that you just don't happen to shoot the same way they do, and you feel somehow better than they are?

Answer 3

I shoot from the bench and get reasonable accuracy...better than I could get standing.

Shooting soda cans at 100 yards standing would be quite difficult for me. More hits = more fun.

Answer 4

I'm sorry, folks with different strokes. Maybe u know more than they do, or is it they know something you don't.
Maybe the reason for the bench rest is to keep the gun facing downrange, even at rest.
Pat yourself at the back, maybe you're just a good shooter than they are...

Answer 5

Good question. I have noticed the same thing, and I don't know why people do that.

But I try to be open minded. I figure if you own a gun, you're at the shooting range, and you're safe, you're my kind of person -- to each his own!

Answer 6

I think you nailed it. They just want to make noise. I go to the range and shoot 5 to 10 rounds to see that my gun is shooting where I want it to. I think some do all the shooting just so they can brag how much they shot this last weekend.

Answer 7

Walk up to them and ask them why the next time you see them doing it... Whats your point?

Answer 8

My guess would be that they are practicing the fundamentals.