Very happy with my new lead sled

Took my new lead sled that my wife gave me for Christmas out to the range yesterday and was very pleased with it. I wanted something that would provide more precise aim points than what I can achieve with sand bags and my own shooting ability to "fine tune" my scope settings and compare the accuracy of both rifles and ammo. And of course it's a valuable tool it comes time to add a new rifle and/or scope. Something I should have purchased a long time ago but just never thought was worth the effort.

I would shoot the rifles yourself after to verify the same point of impact is held.

I was wondering if the recoil restriction might somehow alter the trajectory of the bullet but did not see any evidence of that happening. The bullets were hitting very close to what I normally achieve without the sled. But what I did see more clearly was them all hitting to the left or right of the bullseye. And once I had that corrected, I could see the variance in the accuracy between rifles and different brands of ammo.

I've found the sled changes your eye placement on the scope and usually affects zero about 1/2-1" on target. After grouping your load, bag the weapon front and rear and wrap off side arm around to squeeze your bag under pistol grip to maintain zero and see if POI is the same. You won't have that sled hunting, so if recoil is a problem, consider a muzzle break

Thanks for the feedback.

The lead sled will change up your point of impact (POI). The bullet "trajectory" does not change, just your POI shifts. It's fine for reducing recoil and wanting to shoot more with less recoil. But verify your actual zero of the firearm on your shoulder once you are done with the lead sled.

I have had a lead sled for several years and never had it shift POI after sighting in. It's been dead on, on and off the lead sled. The only issue I have had with the lead sled is the front rest keeps shifting down even though I have it locked in tight. Also, I have discovered that placement of the front rest on the forestock has a lot to do with consistency and accuracy. Place the front rest where you normally hold the rifle shooting offhand and it will be just fine. Also, some stocks like the Vanguard and Bavarian style buttstocks don't fit the lead sled very well.

If you are shooting a 22LR or a low recoiling rifle, yes, there may be no noticeable POI shift. If you shoot a 30-06 or magnum rifle with a standard sporter weight barrel, you WILL notice a POI shift. Your shoulder will give more from the bench than the lead sled will, and your POI will normally shift high when shooting from the shoulder. It also depends on what kind of rifle you are shooting, and how much weight you have on the sled. For most of your rifles, you will see a POI shift. This is something that is a given when using a lead sled. I don't recommend them, but a lot of shooters use them to shoot more with less recoil.

Good discussion and something that all lead sled owners can watch for when using one.

Sorry but my experience does not support your theory. I shoot .270 win, 30/06, M1 Garand and 8mm Mauser from my lead sled with no change in POI.

My FIL tried one of these and after learning him on a bipod he ditched it for the bipod. I tried it and never could get a gun to shoot the same on the sled as on bags or a bipod. That would support Chad's point. BTW were not talking run of the mill Rem's and cheapo's. I tried a GAP 300WM, Kimber 300WM, RWS 308, etc. Same results.

Man up and learn to handle recoil and a rifle.

A tack driving, heavy barreled, high magnification scoped 223 will work wonders for a shooter. Virtually no recoil, pulse and breathing still seen and felt, trigger control is still important, and as always follow through is still important.

I've shot a .09" for three with my 260 Rem. And I did it on the ground, prone on a bipod, with a rear bag. I challenge any lead sled to match it.

While they are often used with large bore rifles, I wanted one to eliminate most of the human error in holding a steady aim point.

They are also very useful in performing a one shot sight-in after mounting and bore sighting a new scope.

I also found myself using mine to hold my rifle while cleaning it.

I can not even mike .09" on paper. But I hit a dime with my 30-30 at 85 yds standing because where I shoot you can't shoot prone and where I hunt you can't see from a prone position.

Same for me. Lowest I can usually get, while hunting, is seated, but if I'm checking zero, performing load development, and checking DOPE I'm doing it prone. It is the most stable position I can shoot from, was my point.

I get .08 over the shoulder using a mirror. one shot group.

I see a fairly large difference in poi between using a sled and shooting it from the shoulder. Usually around a inch or better.