I got this in early last week, put it together and took it to the range the next day. I timed myself for assembly - 43 minutes including unwrapping the parts. And I lost about 5 minutes looking for the screw that holds the front cradle down on the ram. Obviously the #!!@# who packaged this left it out but fortunately I have 6 mm screws in my shop to finish the job. So as I prepared to check to make sure my screw was the right size and length, I realized the "missing" screw was already threaded into the ram. Take it out, put on the cradle and screw it back down. My sincere apologies to the fine person who packed this. All the parts were there. Assemble was easy. Run the ram all the way to the top to fasten the top part of the front cradle to give yourself room to work. Getting those screws started can be a little tricky, Use one of the included hex wrenches or a screw driver to hold the clamp down till you get the screws threaded and it's easy enough. I turned the rest over on it's side when finishing up this step.
How does it work? Very well. In fact I had already used another one at the range a few weeks back while helping someone sight in his rifle. I guess that really pushed me into going ahead and buying one. The Lead Sled it fairly heavy and I was checking the sight in of an old (and unfortunately now obsolete) .225 Winchester at 200 and 300 yards, It's a low recoiling rifle and I didn't use additional weights and probably won't for heavier rifles either. I found the adjustments easy and fine with no backlash. I did generally have to reset it somewhat between shots but I've never used a bench rest that didn't require some readjustment between shots. It was very easy to precisely set the crosshairs on the target and the crosshairs stayed in place as I got into final shooting position. After a bit of tweaking the sight in at 200 yds I was able to hit a 4 inch gong at 300 meters (330 yds) with my last two shots so it will hold the rife steady. I did not have any wobble in the front cradle even when elevated. The Caldwell site addresses this saying they have corrected that problem with earlier ones. When I first assembled it I did notice that I had to gently push the ram down when near the bottom but when I had the weight of a rifle in it, I did not have that problem. I did lubricate it and had no problems at all when I took it to the range even without a rife in it, There is a thick recoil absorbing pad in the rear cradle and that effectively makes for a much longer length of pull and I had trouble getting my eye close enough to get a full image in this scope. That pad is not removable.
And last I put my rifle in it to clean it. The way it's made, all my rifles are secure in it, not true in other rests I have/had. That's one of the reasons I bought it - not a lot more expensive than some of the plastic vises on the market. I didn't bother with the rubber hold down strap. I expect most will find it of little use. All my rifles, including varmint rifles with broad, flat forends, set below the top of the front cradle so the strap would be above the rifle. I hold the rifle down with my left hand with any bench rest.
Yeah it's made in China but it is all steel and is well made. The ability to adjust the distance between the front and back cradles is another reason I bought it.
| Minimum Height | 12.75 Inches |
|---|---|
| Grip Material | Rubber |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 31.25 x 14 x 5.75 inches |
| Package Weight | 11.07 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 30 x 12 x 16 inches |
| Brand Name | Caldwell |
| Warranty Description | Limited Lifetime Warranty |
| Model Name | Lead Sled DFT 2 |
| Suggested Users | unisex-adult |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Battenfeld Technologies |
| Part Number | 336677 |
| Style | Shooting Rest |
| Included Components | Lead Sled DFT 2 |
| Size | Lead Sled |
| Sport Type | Hunting |
