Hi guys,
I've been studying this Schuetzen Shooting game for a few months now and trying to learn as much as possible. Bought a B. W. Darr Ruger # 1 in 32-40 but haven't shot it yet, still to cold for me in my part of the world. 

Bought some books on Schuetzen shooting but have not found an answer to my question. I did talk to a few modern bench rest shooters and asked a few of them this question, why don't they rest the barrel or use a barrel rest like some Schuetzen shooters do, they just laughed at me and about the only thing they had to say about Schuetzen bench rest shooters was that they were struck in a time warp,  and don't seen to know much about bench shooting. 

They also said that if you are looking for bench accuracy do not even think about resting the barrel on anything, and to be very sure that the barrel does not touch anything. Things like that don't bother me as I know we all live in our own little worlds.

 On to the question,
I know that barrel rest are or have been used from all the pictures I've seen of them. But, why do some use a barrel rest and others do not.  I've been studying a lot of pictures of Schuetzen bench shooters, both modern and vintage and it seems that a lot of them use some type of barrel rest about 6 or 8 inches back from the muzzle. Is there any advantage one way or the other, and if a barrel rest is useful where can they be bought, I've never seen them for sale.  Thanks in advance for any Info given.
 S-T

Modern high-power benchrest shooters have very little interest (or knowledge) of what we do. For example who ever told you about never touching the barrel assumed that you were shooting a bolt gun with a one-piece stock (doesn’t everyone). His next suggestion would have been to get rid of the wood and get a proper plastic stock and please get some of those little copper diapers on your bullets so you can get up around 4000 fps. Seriously, if you are shooting a two-piece stock no matter where you are resting the front end of the gun weather you rest it at the muzzle end with a clamp, or set it on the forend of the stock you are placing the weight on the joint where the barrel screws into the action. In a modern bench-rest rifle the action is glued into the stock and the barrel is screwed in not touching anything except the action.Have your friend read the Pope’s comments on The Bullets Flight. It shows pictures of his rifle clamped into Dr. Mann’s rest with a weights pulling up on the buttstock. Different weights created different impact points. 

40 Rod

  What they apparently don’t understand is the mechanical difference between a modern benchrest rifle with a one-piece stock and a single shot with a two-piece stock. They may look at your rifle and see that it is a falling block action but they haven’t thought what that means. When they rest the rifle on the bags the rifle is supported by the stock at two points. The action is attached to the stock usually by glass bedding it into the stock in essence it becomes part of the stock. Then the barrel is screwed into the action and free floated meaning that the only place that the barrel touches the gun is at the threads that hold it to the action. 
  With a two-piece stock the fore end is bedded to the barrel and the barrel is screwed into the action. When you rest the rifle no matter where you put the front bag or bobsled you are resting it on the barrel. You can’t do anything else because the fore end is attached to the barrel.
  The best thing to do is to put the rest or bobsled to the barrel about 3 inches from the muzzle shoot a group then move it back an inch and shoot another group. Keep the rest where the gun seems to group best. 
  I have had my best results at about four inches from the muzzle or about 2 inches ahead of the fore end some guns like one some like the other. 
Ask the benchrest guys why it’s best the let your barrel wag out there in space and most of them will tell you “because I read it in Precision Shooting” 

40 Rod

My most accurate singleshot rifle has a free floating barrel. 

                                                Joe. 

I shoot SS and bolt action rifles, and Competitor and Savage Striker pistols, using a muzzle clamp of my own design-devilishly clever. They all shoot fine with the muzzle clamp.
joe b.

You can free float a forend on a single shot rifle if you have an action with a forend hanger, like a Ruger or Browning/Winchester.  Even so, my Ruger No. 3 still prefers barrel contact just forward of the forend.   

David
Montezuma, IA

my 2 cents worth   i tried a rest on my hi wall and did not get real excited. i found that resting the barrel (#4 B W Darr barrel) was the best. recently got a 1.1" group at 200 yards which is the best i have ever done. the rest gave me 3' groups 
the old saying about each gun is a law unto itself shines through

imho

when Barry is on this website he goes by the name of ol' 7 groove.
most of the old single point hand cut muzzle loading barrels were 7 groove - I don't think that even number grooved barrel realy came into being untill they they started being mass produced. - that's my story and I'm stickin' to it - the rimfire - cdpersons