Some friends and I own property on which we built out a shooting range. Because of terrain maximum is about 70 yards. I am looking for a portable folding shooting bench to bring out there. Something like this Caldwell

https://www.caldwellshooting.c...ting%20rests&start=1

but there were no reviews so I thought I would ask here.

Absent reliable information to the contrary (i.e., from someone I knew and trusted), I would be leery of a setup like that with the seat attached directly to the bench. I would prefer a free-standing bench and my own (separate) seat.

I have a Stukey bench that is as sturdy as any permanent bench I’ve used, but, alas, it now costs about twice what I paid for mine and thought was expensive back then. Perhaps there are others of a similar design at a more reasonable price. If you can afford the Stukey, though, I can heartily recommend it.

https://www.brownells.com/manu...ng+benches/index.htm

Yikes! That is clearly a serious bench. I went to their website to see if they had any lesser models. Nope. Just a picture of four of their benches supporting a full size truck perched on top! More than I need (or want to pay), especially for the limited distance of my range. Point taken about a free standing seat, that was a concern that occurred to me in looking at the Caldwell and similar.

I found this article, and it appears all the “portable” benches have attached seats. I suppose that’s actually good for a lightweight model to add stability, but then I believe I’d like one that doesn’t have the seat attached directly to the center post of the bench.

https://www.rangermade.net/best-shooting-bench-table

Seeing as you own the property, and the intent is to use the bench at that specific location, why not just build one yourself and leave it there? It would likely be much cheaper to go that route, and far more stable than most of the collapsible models available on the market. My buddy built one for his backyard range....it's rock solid and I believe he has less than $100 in it. If you wanted to be able to move it around to various distances on the range, I've even seen some designs that incorporate wheels that only contact the ground when you lift up one end of the bench...so you get portability without compromising stability.

One of the guys at my gun club has one of those portable jobs...I'm not sure who makes his, but it looks like a PITA to set up, and it's pretty flimsy once it is. I usually just shoot prone off a matt, or out of the back of my truck if the grass is wet.

I bought one of these decades ago in a Salvation Army for 20 bucks, an adjustable projector stand




Tabletop is approx. 12"X 24", adjustable height from 30" up past 4 feet. Very sturdy, made of metal and aluminum. They make plastic ones now with a larger tabletop, but this one is great for a temporary shooting bench.

Look at the MTM High-Low Shooting Table. I have one and like it a lot.
About 100 bucks.

thanks for the replies. Building one my self is not really all in the cards for me, I don't have the tools or skills to build something like this. I also thought about picking up a used basic wood picnic table and bench if I could find one as a cheaper alternative, even though not purpose built for a shooting bench it seems to me it would serve the purpose. Sigfreund appreciate you taking the time to research and find the article, reviewing various benches. Very helpful. As you note all the portable benches have incorporated seats and none of the ones reviews seem to say that design is problematic.

I bought one of these for my Son's home range. It was too heavy for shipping so it had to be picked up.
I have not seen it yet but my Son is VERY happy with it.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/e...eluxe-shooting-bench

Budget factors in, amount of intended use. I do a bit of prairie dogging, mobile rests are important. I met a gunsmith years ago, he said, get away from the truck.

A few I’ve used have been a Husky ‘workbench’ with a chair & rest. One of my favorites is the Browning ‘Strutter’ chair with shooting sticks. It’s portable & rather steady for shooting.

I purchased this one 5 years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/Caldwel...b%2Caps%2C230&sr=1-1

It has been excellent. Portable, sturdy and very well made.
It looks like they have since changed the seat design a little bit (mine is round and padded).
Other than that, looks like the same table I bought 5 years ago.

If you're looking for a portable shooting bench, this one is excellent. The table is not all that big, but it's big enough. It is a portable table, after all.

Here's mine:

I shoot off of a bench like that and its been great!

That set up looks better in your picture than on their website! Thats where I started my search, then found others lighter and hand the money. I know the ST will do the job, and I know you get what you pay for but I was interested in peoples experience to find out if the less robust tables are still good enough to do what I need it to do. My set up is shorter distances than the long range shooters and smaller calibers. But I definitely don't want to cheap out and be disappointed either.