How to Build a Solid Rifle Shooting Table/Bench

Build Your Own Table/Bench for Sighting in Rifles and Other Guns

Successful trophy deer hunters’ sight in their deer hunting rifles at least every year before the deer hunting season begins. From a confidence standpoint, hunters’ need to be certain their firearm is dead-on at a predetermined range; usually 100 to 200 yards depending on hunting stands and type of hunting terrain. Have you ever wondered how to build a solid rifle shooting table/bench? In this article I have laid out a plan that I drew up and then built it. You can build the same one as I did or use this article with pictures as a starting point to design and build your own shooting table/bench. From the pictures and description I give you, even a novice handyman should be able to build one very similar. Your shooting table/bench doesn’t have to be exactly like mine; go ahead and design your own to fit your needs. The whole table and bench are about 4 feet wide by 5 feet long. You will notice that the shooting table I drew up and built caters to right or left hand shooters. It also allows someone with a spotting scope to sit next to the rifle shooter. Around the top of the table I have installed 2X2 treated railings that keep items from falling off onto the ground. The large shooting table top is carpeted with outdoor carpet to protect firearms and keep items from rolling around or falling to the ground. The 4X4 treated posts can be cemented into the ground or placed deep enough, 2 feet, for added stability.

I placed my shooting table 25 yards from the first target backstop and 100 yards from the other downrange target backstop. My bullet backstops are about 3 feet tall and have sides made of 4X6 timbers tied together at the top and filled with dirt to a depth and height of at least 3 feet. For safety, I suggest shooting somewhat downhill with a secure and safe background of dense woods, swampy lowland, or 10 foot high mounds of thick dirt banks. Do not set your shooting range up that has any human activity downrange, buildings in the line of fire, or domesticated animal activity within 1 ½ miles beyond your last backstop. You can’t be too careful when discharging high power rifles.

Draw Your Shooting Table/Bench on Paper to Scale

You will need to start off by making/drawing a building plan on paper. Draw it to scale; I like to use a scale of 1 inch = 1 foot. By using that scale ½ inch on paper = 6 inches of material, ¼ inch on paper = 3 inches of material and so on. Using this scale will help keep things simple throughout the building process. Think through what you want in your own solid rifle shooting table/bench. Make it big enough, comfortable, and solid; you don’t want it to wiggle or move as you are sighting in your deer hunting rifle. Sometimes things don’t work out as planned; don’t be afraid to adjust things/materials (size & measurements) as you are building your shooting table/bench.

Materials Used in building a solid rifle shooting table

1 – ¾ inch 4’ X 8’ treated plywood (bench top & seat were cut out of this)

2 – 10’ 4X4 treated posts (each cut in half and sunk 2’ into the ground)

1 – 8” 4X4 treated post (2 pieces cut @ 42 inches each – 2’ into the ground – 18” seat top

2 – 8’ 2X6 treated (bench top supports/joists)

3 – 4’ 2X2 treated (side rails)

4 – 8’ 2X4 treated (bench top support, 2 – 4’ lower braces, & 2 seat supports)

¼“X 6” galvanized carriage bolts with washers & nuts

¼”X 4” lag bolts

2“deck screws

6’ X 8’ outdoor carpet (glued to table top, stapled at edges, and tucked under and stapled)

2’ X 4’ carpet padding for seat

Exterior construction glue (wood to wood & carpet to wood)

Total Cost of Materials; approximately $100 – 125.00

Tools Needed To Make Shooting Table/Bench

Post Hole Digger

Sledge Hammer

Tape Measure

Saw

Drill & drill bits

Hammer

7/16ths wrench/socket & ratchet

Screw driver/gun

Long level

Scissors

Pencil

Exterior 9/16ths staple gun/hammer

DFT Lead Sled – A Must Have Precise & Stable Rifle Sighting In Aid

Every whitetail deer hunter wants his or her rifle sighted in perfectly. I’m sure everyone would agree on that statement. Well here is a shooting aid that will help take the human error out of sighting in your favorite deer hunting rifle, shotgun, or muzzle loader. I’m talking about the DFT Lead Sled. The DFT Lead Sled has solid locking adjustments for precise sighting in of a deer hunting firearm. When using this Lead Sled you don’t have to worry about recoil flinching, trigger creep, precise breathing, and other nuances’ that effect how you sight in a rifle or shotgun. About the only thing that will affect your bullets down range accuracy is wind. The Lead Sled is steady as long as it is on a steady, solid, level platform. When using a Lead Sled, don’t be surprised if you shoot ½ inch groups at 100 yards with a quality rifle and scope setup. I recommend using a bore snake cleaner after each shot and a 4-5 minute wait between shots to ensure a cool barrel.

Next Article – The Harvest