Our friends at Battenfeld Technologies Inc. sent the Caldwell Lead Sled 3 and other accessories to review.
This ultra tough gun rest takes shooter error out of the equation.
Here is what I found when I reviewed the Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest.
The Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest arrived at my door step in a flat box. With directions in hand the assembly was complete in under 20 minutes.
Looking over the Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest, you will notice the large fingertip elevation adjustment wheel. This allows for quick and easy elevation adjustment.
The long gun stock is held by the heavy cushioning of the advanced shock eliminator technology pad. This allows for the repetitive recoil abuse to be significantly absorbed.
If you are a scope user this is a really great feature to keep your optics shock free.
The "sled" part of the gun rest allows the use of barbell weights, lead shot bags, or sand bags. The rear foot on the Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest allows for fine adjustment of elevation as well.
The Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest is manufactured with heavy recoil in mind, and you can choose the weight that fits your recoil management. When shooting lighter calibers, skip the extra weight when recoil is not an issue as this rest alone weighs in at just under 15 pounds.
My Caldwell Lead Sled 3 Gun Rest came with four Caldwell Shooting Supplies Shot Carrier Bags. You can load these tough-built, zippered bags with lead shot or sand and save a little by making your own weights.
Also included was the Caldwell Shooting Supplies Orange Peel adhesive targets. You can identify bullet impacts really quickly with these incredible 12" bullseye targets; scoring shots is an absolute breeze. Even hearing protection is insured with the additionally supplied Caldwell E-MAX Low Profile Electronic Stereo muffs. These incredible electronic ear muffs allow for amplification of normal sounds, yet cut out sounds above 85 decibels. It also has an audio input jack that will play your .mp3 music. You can listen to your favorite tunes on the gun range, but still hear range commands and protect your hearing with a 23 noise reduction rating.
So how well does the Caldwell Lead Sled 3 do when it comes to improving your overall shooting experience? With varying weight amounts of 25-pound lead shot bags utilized from 50 pounds all the way up to 100 pounds, I soon found out.
Long guns utilized in this test were the all new Henry Arms Lever Action Rare Carbine in .410 (while shooting shotgun slugs for groups, and coming up in a future review), an old Russian Mosin Nagant surplus rifle, and a vintage Savage 4C bolt action .22 rifle.
Adjustments for elevation were simple to make with the front adjustment wheel. For windage adjustments, I just nudged the rest left or right and was locked on target.
For the lever action shooter, I found I had to cycle the weapon by tilting up the action between shots, but that's sort of expected. For a pump action weapon, you would have to remove the weapon between each shot.
But for bolt action and top loading weapons, loading is delightfully easy and your weapon stays put between shots. Below are some test shots from the Mosin Nagant using surplus ammunition, as well as the .22 rifle on a windy day against the Caldwell Orange Peel Adhesive Targets out at 100 yards away. As you can see, bullet impacts show up quite nicely.
While reviewing this whole set of great Caldwell products, I was thoroughly impressed. I'd suggest it for just about anyone, whether they live at the range or merely require a good, reliable gun rest for the few occasions its really needed.
Be sure to check out their website to see all the great products that Battenfeld Technologies has to make your range time more accurate, comfortable and ultimately more enjoyable.
NEXT: WE REVIEW CLENZOIL FIELD & RANGE, THE SHOOTING INDUSTRY'S SECRET SUPER-PRODUCT
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