GET THE BEST FROM THE BENCH
Mention the word “bench” and two shooting scenarios come to mind. The first is benchrest, a sporting discipline initially associated with US centrefire shooters of the 1950s using the then super-accurate .222 cartridge. But benchrest now applies to airguns too, and can take place over some extremely long distances thanks to the growth in popularity of FAC models.
The second bench scenario involves a group of shooters who are now unable to adopt the stances they used to adopt when they were younger. Both of these scenarios are widely adopted and enjoyed today, and our sport is better for it. But there are several other reasons to plonk yourself down at a bench. It’s excellent for setting up a rifle, zeroing a scope, testing ammo, checking a rifle’s muzzle velocity and finding out its muzzle energy, especially with a non-FAC rifle when we want to ensure it’s not just consistent, but legal. That’s not all though.
The bench provides a safe environment in which to troubleshoot a setup and check the performance of a gun after any maintenance or repair work has been carried out.
If your rifle was a Formula One car, its home would be the racing circuit, while the bench would take the place of the pits.
