As one matures and takes the science of shooting more seriously, one’s attention inevitably turns to the tools of that particular trade; the things that make these exploits both more efficient and more accurate.
Like a lot of other shooters who blindly stumbled my way into firearms shooting in some high school friend’s back forty (or wherever else we could go and get away with it), things were pretty informal for almost a decade . I don’t even think I shot off a bag in that entire amount of time, at least not out of a desire to learn anything.
Naturally, the sea change began when I started hunting, and then handloading, in my late twenties. I bought a cheap bag for the rear of my stock, and supported the front with… well, whatever I could find. Then I moved up to renting the various clapped-out adjustable rests at the range, which were a step in the right direction, but too wallered out to suss out optimal bullet seating depth or charge weight. As an aficionado of wood-stocked magnums, I also did not want to use a lead sled. A bipod with a bag in the back would do, but I had no provisions for mounting a bipod, and no awareness as to the best solution for that particular problem either.
There is also the final factor that I ultimately consider with every decision I make, every piece of kit that I look at — the financial sense of the thing. I was not about to spend over $300 on some weighted bench rest contraption that I’d have to cart around out to the public lands and ranges that I shoot at (looking at you, F-class shooters). So in addition to being a good value for the money, it would also have to be convenient.
Flipping through the Caldwell catalog, I arrived at the Stinger rest. Ostensibly named for its scorpion-like appearance, it checked all of the boxes for me: portable metal construction, capable of handling short-barreled ARs and longer hunting rifles alike, easy adjustments, and stability.
On The Range
Front elevation is quick-adjust via a high-ratio manual knob, while the rear adjustment for the stock is fine-thread and takes longer to make quick adjustments. Since I invariably bounce around between platforms during a given range session, a coarser thread pitch for faster adjustments would perhaps be a welcome change. If you have a Monte Carlo-stocked rifle, you may notice a tendency for the rifle to cant a bit in the rest (this would be a good point of improvement for a future redesign), but it’s nothing that seriously impedes range sessions.
Other than those two small quasi-quibbles, this might be the perfect rifle rest, especially for those who have to cart their gear around every time they go to shoot. Weighing in at 8.6lbs per Caldwell, it’s neither too light that it is easily buffeted by wind or poor technique, nor too heavy that it becomes a chore. It’s Goldilocks.
The rapid adjustment knob makes it easy to get back on target and to switch platforms with ease, and the location of the front support can be moved in or out as needed. I shoot my 11.5″ AR off of this rest and there is no issue at all with getting a comfortable setup.
Shooting off a concrete bench (also an incredibly important and overlooked component to accurate load development) or a more portable shooting table with some warps and waves, the Stinger is rock-solid. If you are one of those guys who likes to put their hand on the scope while you shoot, you might see some vertical play from the backlash in the front adjustment splines, but otherwise, it forms a solid, immobile rest.
I have never been to the range without this rest since I’ve picked it up, and I cannot see that changing unless Caldwell somehow manages to re-invent this particular wheel, too.
