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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) Palm rest staff length (Read 9748 times)
stubbicatt
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Palm rest staff length
Aug 27th, 2015 at 9:04am
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Guys. I got a repop palm rest fitted to my rifle. Is there any rule of thumb for how tall the staff ought to be? Presently when holding it in a comfortable position, the rifle is pointed way high. I can do trial and error method of shortening it, but wondered if there was a good rule of thumb.

Sorry for the rookie question. Not sure this is the right forum, but it seemed sort of a gunsmithing question.
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #1 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 9:36am
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None that I know of. I simply hold the gun, and use various blocks in my left hand to determine when the gun sits level. Once I trim the block to get level, I then cut or adjust the shaft on my palm rest to that length. Mine all have about 1"-1.5" of adjustment, so I need to get it close enough to use the final adjustment.
  

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57thahc
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #2 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 10:32am
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ASK MORE QUESTIONS: Nothing dumb or ROOKIE about something you aren't sure of! This is a great place to get info,you ask,get answers,others also find answers just reading what comes out. Has happened to me,also new SS people you will meet,just by this forum. 57thahc Smiley
  

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marlinguy
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #3 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 10:36am
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One other thing I forgot. My block usually has a V notch in the end so the forearm sits in it. It helps to have a 2nd person to put tape on either side of the block, once you've got length and position located. Then you can mount and cut the shaft to length.
  

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UtahDave
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #4 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 1:03pm
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This is a good question.  I've been struggling to understand what is the "best" way to hold the rifle and set the palm rest length.  I wonder if anyone has some photos showing a classic pose.  I understand everyone is built differently but some photos of the best offhand shooters might be useful.   

Dave
  
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RSW
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #5 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 2:51pm
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There is a whole how-to book available on schuetzen shooting. It's available from the books page on this web site. To access it go to:
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The book is listed there, titled:
Loading and Shooting Traditional Schuetzen Rifles
  

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marlinguy
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #6 - Aug 27th, 2015 at 9:01pm
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The shooter in this picture is using a fingertip hold, but it's the same for a palm rest, as to where his elbow position is. A palm rest simply allows you to hold the rest, rather than use fingertips.
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Another:
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stubbicatt
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #7 - Aug 29th, 2015 at 5:42am
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Well today is the day for trimming and trial and error. 

Thanks so much for your help fellas.
  
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boats
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #8 - Aug 29th, 2015 at 8:00am
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You want to leave a inch or so for adjustment to suit different firing lines/target placement. Some ranges bit uphill or down hill, position remains the same adjust the palm rest shaft to get the rifle to come to rest on target

Have a number of photos of different offhand shooters from one of our matches. Send me a PM with your email address will forward 

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stubbicatt
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #9 - Aug 31st, 2015 at 2:32pm
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Update:

Thanks a bunch guys for all the help. I trimmed the staff, and I feel it is still a bit long. But rather than continue to cut on it, I tried using the grub screw that governs the angle of the staff. I reckoned that if it had a more acute angle, it would effectively lower the rifle vis the left palm. I also tried raising and lowering the right elbow to lift or lower the back of the rifle to arrive at a consistent firing position. This technique is not all that effective I don't think. At least not enough to change the gross angle of things, maybe it would be helpful in fine tuning elevation once the base setting of the palm rest staff length were arrived at.

While changing the angle of the palm rest does lower it a bit vis the left palm, the rifle weighs a ton more with each angle increase. So I reckon I'm back to a more vertical staff angle, and cutting maybe 1/4 inch off and trying it again. As it is, the staff is bottomed out in the socket, which has tension screws one can tighten to sort of clamp onto the staff were one to find a happy place less than all the way into the socket.

I'm going very slowly here in effort to "measure twice and cut once" as Mr. Ross Perot used to say.  Wink

Oh. Another question: I find that keeping my back straight is the most comfortable and steady position so far, rather than sort of scrunching into the rifle. However with an erect head position, I find that I cant the rifle a bit inboard. I had no issues doing this when I shot high power, as I could adjust the sights around the cant. The issue, of course, becomes one of assuring that the angle of cant remains consistent. I'm conjuring up a sort of bubble arrangement, rotated a bit around the axis of the barrel so that a quick glance would assure that the cant is consistent, shot-to-shot.

Suggestions or ideas?
« Last Edit: Aug 31st, 2015 at 2:49pm by »  
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #10 - Aug 31st, 2015 at 2:58pm
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Cant is not a bad thing long as it's consistent. One thing about Schuetzen is same distance all targets.  High Power or Silhouette canted gun you have to adjust Elevation AND Wind when moving up or down the target distances. 

Our 200 yard target you need to think about wind setting change on a canted gun when moving up or down the sight but not much. Mostly when shooting one range or another that may not be precisely measured

My outfit is traditional and carries a traditional front sight with spirit level that registers perfect vertical it's not adjustable.  If I shot a non traditional gun would probably cant my rifle a lot, and have a twisted butt plate & Cheek piece that was set up for Cant. Spirit level adjusted to show when the gun is in the optimal position. I can hold a Canted gun tighter.

Upright no back bend is OK but best shooters with the highest scores crank back so the guns weight is centered between the feet.  Look at Olympic Air Rifle shooters, most have lot of back bend

I like my rest to follow the angle of my forearm, not right angle to the rifles bore.  Weight increase on the muzzle end is a good thing long as it's not to much

It's all very personal though

If you have access to a free rifle like Anschutz 54 with fully adjustable furniture you can change the set up until it's right then duplicate it on your Schuetzen. thats how I set my CPA up. Lay it over my old Anschutz Super Match every thing the same

Boats
  
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marlinguy
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #11 - Aug 31st, 2015 at 5:34pm
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As Boats mentioned, it's personal feel, and it's important to be as comfortable as possible once it's done! Keep playing with it until it feels right.
My guns with palm rests and Swiss buttplates all balance well when I'm holding them, and the buttplate is under my arm. I can open both hands and the gun wont fall or change position. So closing my hands doesn't require I grasp the gun tightly to hold it.
  

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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #12 - Aug 31st, 2015 at 5:41pm
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Same with me no effort at all to hold the gun, it will stay in place hands relaxed.  Weight is on the palm rest supported minimally by the hook butt plate and cheek piece

Come to think of it Hook Plate is part of the equation. I set a rifle up one time flat shotgun butt plate and palm rest. Did not work well at all

Boats
  
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bnice
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #13 - Aug 31st, 2015 at 10:00pm
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to get a little more elevation instead of adjusting your palm rest you can also open you stance a little more. Muzzle will go up.
  
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Re: Palm rest staff length
Reply #14 - Sep 1st, 2015 at 12:12am
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Quote:
Update:
Oh. Another question: I find that keeping my back straight is the most comfortable and steady position so far, rather than sort of scrunching into the rifle. However with an erect head position, I find that I cant the rifle a bit inboard. I had no issues doing this when I shot high power, as I could adjust the sights around the cant. The issue, of course, becomes one of assuring that the angle of cant remains consistent. I'm conjuring up a sort of bubble arrangement, rotated a bit around the axis of the barrel so that a quick glance would assure that the cant is consistent, shot-to-shot.

Suggestions or ideas?


I don't use a palm rest but when I lean back with my weight over center of gravity and relaxed, my rifle is canted about 15 degrees. I have never worried about it being perfectly consistent. It just seems to find that position naturally.  One less thing to worry about  Smiley   

With my 33-47 Ballard, it takes about 4 minutes adjustment for windage and about 1 for elevation from the bench settings.  22 RF Ballards don't seem to care about adjustments from bench to offhand.
  

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