A fall shooter's project

Fishful Faithful know I’ve never regarded the month of September as one of the best months to catch fish.

I’m not saying you can’t catch fish in September, but unless you can find some hungry trout feeding on drifting ants and beetles, catching can be a challenge.

And the fact my trusty old Winchester .243 and I just haven’t been pointing at the same things lately.

I heartily recommend taking advantage of sight-in days offered by local shooting clubs, but it seems I’m always busy (catching fish?) on those days.

For years I’ve wanted my own shooting bench on which I could take my time, reacquaint with Mr. Winchester, and walk away with renewed confidence.

The bench needed to be portable, easy to store, sturdy and cheap. Something I could set up out in the woods somewhere and step off targets at 100, 200 and 300 yards.

And shoot level.

I realize I can’t blame all my misses on the gun. But despite all the physical and mental distractions that come with a plethora of birthday celebrations, I still feel pretty confident I’m on target with my .270 and .308.

I found plans for exactly what I wanted at www.realitysurvival.com. Free.

I spent $30 for a sheet of ¾” CDX plywood. An hour for layout. Another hour or two to cut it out.

I did have an advantage in using a ¾” mortising bit and chisel in a drill press to cut square mortise corners but a few extra minutes on a saber saw would work as well.

So far this shooting bench has met all my expectations.

Jerry Smalley’s outdoor column appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.