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Over the years, I’ve sighted in rifles using everything from inexpensive plastic rests to high-dollar ones and numerous bag-style rests. I usually chose bag rests, or even sand bags, over platform rests because of the time spent moving and adjusting them back into position between shots. Though I really like the stable platforms of full-length shooting rests for accuracy, I’ve never found one that allowed me to get back on target without having to almost completely readjust the entire setup—until now.
Caldwell’s Fire Control Full Length Rest is a stable, easily adjusted rest for shooters desiring fast follow-up shots.
Innovation
The genius of the Fire Control rest is the Fire Control mechanism, which allows minute adjustments to be made with only one hand between shots with almost 5 feet of adjustment in any direction at 100 yards. After each shot, the shooter only has to move the control arm in the direction needed to line up the target and fire away.
“What makes our Fire Control rests so special, is the advanced alignment system that allows a shooter continual, one-hand adjustment of downrange crosshair alignment with a multi-directional control arm,” said Brandon Butler, marketing manager at Battenfeld Technologies. “With Fire Control technology, there’s no more shifting your rest or moving your gun.”
Easy Set Up
Set up of the Fire Control is fairly simple and straight forward. First, set your desired height using the three adjustable legs—the legs end in points to prevent sliding around on the table. Then, slide the rifle against the fore-end stop to ensure consistent placement and adjust the rough elevation in line with the target with the course adjustment. Once set, the entire unit is run by the Fire Control mechanism, at least until you decide to swap out rifles.
Field Test
I tried the Fire Control with three rifles of varying caliber—a Marlin .22 Win. Mag, a Patriot Ordnance Factory 6.8 SPC and a .50 caliber Thompson/Center Fire Storm. While all three rifles shot well from the Fire Control, the 20-round magazine of the POF was almost too tall for the unit, requiring a touch of creative adjusting at the range to make it work. A shorter magazine would have worked best, but I did like that the Fire Control could be raised high enough to work with a standard AR magazine.
Overall, the Fire Control did its job quite well. It was stable enough for good accuracy and it really decreased time between shots. However, the Fire Control is not a recoil-reducing rest like Caldwell’s mainstay, the Lead Sled. You’re going to feel every shot, especially with heavy magnum loads. Regardless, the Fire Control will get you sighted-in and heading back home a lot quicker. That is if you want to head home any sooner.