A Good Handgun Rest May Be The Most Important Part.
A steady rest is important when hunting with a handgun. The scope, ammo, and of course the gun itself get all the attention. I think there are a few reasons for this. Men especially don’t want to admit they can’t do something well. Asking how to rest your gun in a Facebook Group or forum might label you as a sissy who can’t handle a large gun. I’m guessing nobody could consistently hit a basketball at one hundred yards without some sort of rest, but who knows. I could be wrong. The other reason handgun hunters don’t talk about shooting rest is there just haven’t been many good options. This post may seem like a bit of a commercial for the Trifecta Handgun Rest, and that would be true, but I hope you will also gain some insight as to what to look for in a handgun rest for hunting.
Most handgun hunters start cheap
The picture above shows the typical configuration many hunters start with. A pair of $30 sticks are simple to set up and lightweight. It seems like the way to go, right? I started out with the exact same thing in my early days, and it cost me a few bucks (not money). The first concept to think about is consistency. if you can do the same thing every time, you will be able to hit the target the same way every time. Look at the picture above and notice the line under the shooter’s hand. There is no support for the back of the gun. Without support for both the front and back of the gun, the shooter now has the entire length of his right hand and arm dangling free. Leverage does not work in our favor in this situation. Fiberglass sticks are also limited on elevation adjustment and are somewhat flimsy. They are much better than nothing, but perhaps not the best option for maxing out your gun.
Forgiveness leads to consistency
A handgun rest should allow the gun to settle on at least two touchpoints including the butt of the handgun and the frame just in front of the trigger guard. All of our Handgun Rest at Trifecta handgun allow three touchpoints. The third is the trigger guard touching what we call the Trigger Guard Guide Wheel. This third touchpoint is super important when trying to make a quick move on a game animal. The hunter can feel where to put the gun instead of looking at it. The gun will be at the same rest location every time. A steady rest is important when hunting with a handgun, and the Trifecta Handgun Rest allows the hunter’s gun hand to rest comfortably on the Control Freak Bag so he can relax and keep the same hand angle.
Speed is important
There used to be a plastic handgun rest on the market that was popular with many handgun hunters. I know the name, but don’t want to say it. The rest was designed to fit on a certain brand of a tripod. Over the years I have asked people how they changed aim points to track moving animals using that system, and never received a positive response. The rest had no way to adjust up and down other than to pinch an added rear bag, or move the front tripod leg in and out. Our Trifecta Handgun Rest uses a fluid head that will adjust very quickly A handgun hunter should be able to keep his eye on the intended target at all times, and shoot when the animal stops in a good position.