Caldwell The Rock BR Adjustable Ambidextrous Rifle Shooting Rest for Range, Sight In, Precision Shooting and Shooting Stability

I really like this shooting rest. Smooth adjustments and very solid. Can't beat it for the price. After reading other reviews, I did buy an Protektor Owl Ear Front Bag to replace the Caldwell bag that came with it.

when you are sighting in a new scope the easiest way to keep you from being the issue is this gun vise!

Easy to use. well built

Review of the Caldwell Rock BR Rifle Shooting Rest. I give it four stars.First off, if you are looking for a simple “I like it” or “I hate it” review without content then this review is not for you. Personally, I loathe those kinds of reviews. However, if you want more, please read on. And Yes, it is long but hopefully it’s thorough.I know there are some negative reviews of this rifle rest, but I hope to provide you with enough information to make an informed decision on your purchase of this item.If you are looking for a competition rest this is not it. If you are looking for a good solid platform to sight in your hunting/ tactical rifle this rest will do just fine.Remember no shooting rest is any better than the foundation it’s on. If your shooting table/platform is wobbly then no rest will be free from movement. It has been noted that this rest has movement in it. This is true. There is about .004 thousandth (thickness of a razor blade) of an inch of play on one side. This is between the course ADJ collar and the base on one side, not all the way around. Note: this measurement was taken at a room temperature of 73 degrees. Aluminum and cast iron expand and contract at different rates so, at other temperatures, this .004 measurement may change.I noted a slight movement only at the max extended range of the course adj collar. If you think this is a big thing, ask yourself if your shooting table has more than .004 thousands of an inch of movement. If so then this whole wobble thing in the words of Shakespeare is much to do about nothing.If this movement problem still bothers you then we should talk about wind drift, bullet spin, bullet flight time, bullet drop, terrain angle, bore twist, heart rate, breath control, trigger pull weight, barrel throat length, and the earth’s rotation. I think that sledgehammer has taken care of that nail. So, let’s move on.Let’s “Get Down To It” with the numbers. (Can you say, “Humble Pie”? And yes, I am that old.)Lot NO. 02/28/19The base is 15 X 9 inchesLow-height is 7 3/4 inches (from base to cradle ear)Hi-height is 11 3/4 inches (from base to cradle ear)For the supplied green/black rest bag height subtract one inch.The fine up/down adjustment has a max travel of 2 1/2 inches.The course up/down adjustment has a max travel of 1 3/4 inch.Total travel adjustment is 5 1/2 inchesMax ADJ foot screw adds 1 3/8 inches to numbers above.The Caldwell BR feet’s additional height is negligible due to the design. The feet measures ¼ inches thick and are 1 9/16 across.The three black adjustment knobs are 1 1/2 inch across.The cradle can be traversed 3/4 of an inch each way from the center.The fine black adjustment wheel measures 5 1/2 inches across. (Mine came with a few casting imperfections which I took care of with a small metal file and touched it up with a black magic marker. (No big deal, think made in China.)The rifle stop is 2 1/2 inches in front of the cradle with a low adjustment of 1 1/2 inch a high of 2 1/2 from the base of the bag rest.The rest also comes with an unfilled black low bag. I did not use it so I will not comment on it. (Kept it but put it back in the box.)How about the nuts and bolts of the rest, so to speak.The rest comes partly assembled. The supplied metric Allen wrench/hex key comes with the rest. The assembly is rather straightforward. However my thoughts go like this, if you cannot put this thing together, then you really don’t need it and you should not be handling a rifle/gun or weapon of any kind.Here are some “tips” that may help you in the assembly of your new rifle rest. First, run your large adjustment wheel up and down the screw shaft several times to break it in. This will help the parts to mesh better.Next, apply lubrication to all the moving parts. All the adjustment screws and to the coarse adjustment shaft and the fine adjustment shaft. I used Advanced Weapons Technology Extreme Force lubrication on my rifle rest. This is some really good stuff. (Amazon sells it.) Also, put it on/in the thrust bearing’s open side/face side, the side where you can see the ball bearings. The open side should be placed face down next to the coarse adjustment collar. The collar has a bearing race built into it that works with the thrust bearing. (If you do this you don’t need to add a big washer to it. Duh!)Don’t forget to oil the cradle’s transverse adjustment screw and the screw attachment points. Also, any cradle movement slop can be adjusted out with the screw nut.Lastly, use blue Loctite/thread locker on the GIB plate screws and just finger tighten the screws, or it will bind the cradle assembly making it hard to adjust from side to side.Oh, I almost forgot, don’t drop the cast-iron base. While cast-iron is strong it is also fragile/brittle. If the fine adjustment screw/knob is not tight the two halves will come apart. This is easy to do if lifting only by the cradle half of the rest.There you have it, that’s all I know about the Caldwell “The Rock BR” rifle rest.If you have gotten this far, I thank you and I hope this review has helped you.The bottom line is this: It’s a very good rifle rest for only $130 bucks.Rubber biscuit not included! Bow Bow Bow….Laterrrrr…. -Your Old Uncle Sawberry.Note: All nomenclature comes from the owner's manual listed on page number eight. See: “Bill Of Material”.

Very well made. Rock solid.

Just received this last night. I thoroughly inspected it and found the quality to be very good for the price-point. It's made in China, so the workmanship doesn't compare to a Sinclair rest. However, the rest and its parts show care in assembly and design. Most of the parts are cast, with some plastics in certain areas. The only machined part that I could see is the coarse adjustment tube. The leg spikes are straight (not bent like some reviews here & elsewhere).The rest that I got (manufactured June '14), comes with a bubble level again. Very nice.There is no wobble in the windage adjustment, although it is possible to adjust for this in case there was. There are no stripped screws or threads anywhere. Threads are all tapped properly and should allow adequate torquing to keep adjustments tight.The fit between the base hole and coarse adjustment tube is a tad loose for my liking, but as long as you don't extend this rest to its maximum height, the rest should stay stable.I read a review in Cabela's where a customer resorted to installing a brass tube inside the hole of the base in order to get a tighter vertical fit. That would be a nice option if you have access to a machine shop. However, for this price-point, you get a cast rest with a cast-in hole that's merely polished inside. The only way to tighten the vertical adjustment is by the adjustment screws.What can I say? I prefer a machined rest with tighter hole specs that's American made, but I cannot afford it. This Caldwell rest is an amazing value for value-minded individuals like me.And of course, Amazon's awesome price with an additional $10.00 discount made this deal even better.

This gets 5 stars because it is a great value. I have shot off some high end precision rests. This is not that. It is also $150 (or less) and works as well as my abilities warrant at this point. I dont use the windage all that much because I have found that free floating the barrel gets me better groups than clamped tight.

This thing is great, my best shooting rest I have, and I have a few.