Any lead sled users out there?

[south_ridge]

In a couple of weeks I will be moving closer to the farm which will give me a better chance for some extended range sessions. I have also recently purchased a .338 Winchester Magnum, and when you put these two items together it has me thinking about a lead sled. I currently do most of my sighting in and practice off a simple rest with no weight.

So my questions are:

1) What are your lead sled comments, pro and con?
2) How easy is it to shoot from a crude bench (something like a table)?
3) How easy it is to shoot prone?
4) How well does it fit kids?

If I get one, I will probably get the DFT which has the dual tubes and makes it easier to shoot lever-actions and #1s/#3s. With my current rest I have to move a #1/#3 every time to load a new shell, which is somewhat annoying compared to shooting the bolt-action rifles.

I know there is no substitute for shooting from field positions, and I intend to do my fair share of that as well. But I'm just wondering if this is a wise purchase for somebody who sights in a few guns a year and just likes sending some big rounds downrange.

Thanks in advance...

 

[XP100]

I had a customer come in the shop with a large caliber rifle with what used to be a beautiful burl walnut stock. He used a lead sled and the recoil blew the stock apart at the wrist. It shattered it. The recoil had no place to go.

 

[vaturkey]

All with shotgun's with turkey loads and also with a 7MM mag. I think if you load it down with 100 lbs of shot it won't move much under recoil and that does indeed cause problems with busted stocks. We use it with two 25 lb bags of shot and then put it into our shoulders. It will still jolt you pretty good, but it tames the recoil by at least 50 percent. I know we don't shoot off the bench rest without it as by the 3rd Mag shell (without it) you are starting to flinch big time.

 

[hawk_driver]

Have also heard problems with tearing up scopes with lots of weight on the sled.

I use a Pact shoulder pad instead. I shoot a 358 Norma, alot, off of a bench and it works great for me.

 

[picketpin]

Recent issue of RIFLE had an article about Lead Sleds and cautioned several times to ONLY put enough weight on the sled to "reduce" the recoil levl to acceptable.
The HAS to be some recoil or you are in fact causing a bunch of problems.

They likened using a lead lead with 100 pounds onit to the same as simply putting the butt against a brick wall and torching it off. Something is going to break!!!

If the rifle generates 48 pounds of recoil why use 100 pounds and try and reduce recoil to zero???

RWt

 

[south_ridge]

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm just going to shoot with my standard rest. I don't reload, so most of my bench work is just for sighting in and the occasional practice session. I can mix in enough .22 LR, .204, and .223 to keep the .338 from killing me (and keep from developing a flinch).

I've shot my dad's .338 quite a bit, and a handful of rounds at a time punching holes in paper is about enough for me.

 

[wwb]

A hint for shooting a boomer at the bench....

Make sure the rest is high enough, or the stool low enough, that you're sitting upright when you shoot. Too many guys sit too high with the rifle too low, and end up with their torso darn near horizontal. The net effect is that your body is much stiffer in this position and can't "roll with the punch". I'm sure you can guess the end result.

 

[cruzerlou]

I was giong to buy a lead sled buy bought a Steady Rest rifle rest instead .
iIt dosen't have the tray on it like the lead sled does but I filled the front bar with bird shot and guled the rubber caps on it and it does great .
Theres enough roon under the gun so if you want to you can lay bags of shot on it and get the same effect as the L.S. and if not it still soaks up 95% of the recoil but it can move a bit so I don't think it would berak a stock like the L.S. did .The only thing i don't like about it is that the stock rest isin't wide enough for my M1A it's just 1/8 too small for the stoock to fit in it but I just put my harris bipod on the gun and use bags for the stock .maybe I could get tighter grops with he S.R. but not enough to matter .
Lou

 

[Rocdoc]

Good info guys, was gonna buy a Lead Sled mostly for a 375 Ruger my brother is going to lend to me for an upcoming trip, but remember lots of folks breaking stocks when they were first on the market, guess I know the reason now.

 

[cruzerlou]

BTW if your shootin a heavy kicker in a Steady rest it's still gonna kick you ,not as bad as off the bags but you'll still feal it .when shooting my Weatherby Vanguard in .300 Wby mag I stiil wore my PAST recoil pad that made it about like a 12gr doubble barrel with 3" oobuck mags in it cause like Isaid it moves, it's more for mechanical accuracy than recoill reduction .
Lou

 

[keyston44]

I've been using a Lead Sled for about 6 years now and wouldn't be able to sight in and develop loads for some of the guns I have if it wasn't for this rest.
I haven't had a need to put any weight on the rest, it weighs enough on it's own. It still moves on the bench, but I don't get the punishment.
I have a 54 cal muzzleloader that only weighs 6 pounds and it was just too much to handle from the bench. This gun was the reason I bought the Lead Sled.
I just bought a Marlin 1895 Guide Gun that I'm working up load for with 425gr bullets at about 1800fps. It's a big help in this chore.
I haven't experienced any point of impact problems or cracked stocks.
So now you have an opinion of the Lead Sled from someone that actually has one instead of internet gossip.

Key

 

[Joe S.]

I only used it once. No weights. It was awkward feeling for me so I went back to my rolled up sweat shirt laid over my ammo box. Lol

Worked good so far

 

[tek4260]

Something has to give when you shoot a kicker. Just the cost of admission when you play with the big boys. There is no way I'd use a lead sled on anything over a 22LR. I care about my firearms too much

 

[cellar701]

I use a lead sled with one bag of shot and I've never had any problems with damage to rifles, including lever 45-70s and .338 Win mag. It does "give" with the shot, but reduces felt recoil.

However, the solution which works best for me is to shoot "standing" from the bench. I'm around 6'2" tall and typical benches at the range are too low - when I get settled it's a lot like shooting prone and recoil with even moderate kickers can be an issue in all but short range sessions.

I use shooting sticks (I made my own standing sticks) which allow me to shoot standing - an example and some discussion in this article:

http://www.safarisnamibia.com/http___www.rifleshootermag.pdf

and an added benefit is practicing hunting skills at the range...

I also made a shooting bench platform which raises the height of the bench around 12 inches. I take it to the range with me - kind of bulky, but it works in allowing me to shoot with standard bench rests, and allows me to sit up straight (vertical) behind the bench to shoot. Thus, upper body "gives" with the recoil, reducing felt effects. Stick an extra pad (I use a padded rifle case looped over shooting shoulder to cushion between shoulder and butt pad of rifle), and it works great. I reload and can load down a bit for the range sessions which helps as well.

You are moving to the country, so you can perhaps build your own "standing" bench rest to accomplish the same thing.

As far as the kids go, I don't let them shoot the heavy kickers until they are physically ready for it, and I don't think it's a good idea to alter the physics of the experience for them with something like a lead sled.

 

[keyston44]

tek4260,
Looks like your gonna have to add the Lead Sled to your guns enemies.
LOL

Key

 

[tek4260]

Yea, they wreak havoc on the Handi Rifles loaded with Buffalo Bore 45-70's around here.

Seriously, let em recoil like they are supposed to and don't destroy your stock. If you can't take the recoil, buy a smaller caliber. Besides, you get more ooh ahh points in my book when you cleanly take game with something like a 222, rather that blasting them with some super goober ultra magnum.

 

[EVR]

I won one at a fundraiser once. I wouldn't use it on one of my heavy kickers for all the reasons noted here, but I did use it for a couple years mounted on the shooting deck of the Polaris Ranger for clearing my plantation of ground squirrels. With a .223 as a means by which to eliminate all holding error and kill as many of those things as possible, it was a fine tool. A thousand ground squirrels later, I appreciate it, but would avoid adding weight and shooting a heavy kicker. Yes it does change the recoil characterisitics of a gun.

Like backing up the butt with a brick wall.