“The Bull” Rifle Rest by MTM Case-Gard provides a light, stable, sturdy, and inexpensive base for zeroing firearms and testing ammo. It is easy to assemble and easy to adjust to fit a wide variety of firearms.
Over the course of six months of testing, I used the Bull with break-barrel air rifles, semi-automatic rimfire rifles, bolt-action centerfire rifles, semi-automatic centerfire rifles, muzzleloading rifles, and lever-action centerfire rifles. It adjusted well to provide a stable and sturdy rest for every firearm with which I used it.
I have used other rests that have had difficulty accommodating rifles that use 30-round detachable magazines. That was not a problem with the Bull.
The Bull is made in the USA. At the time of this writing, it cost $43.63 at mtmcase-gard.com. If you want a rifle rest that is easy to use, reliable, and easy to transport, the Bull is a good choice.
Background
Until recently, I used a Lead Sled for most of my range work. The Lead Sled provided a stable platform, but it had three major drawbacks.
The first major drawback to the Sled was weight. The Sled is constructed of heavy steel and is weighted with a sand bag. I guess that means that the Sled is technically a Sand Sled rather than a Lead Sled. In any case, hauling it back and forth from the range took some effort.
The second major drawback to the Lead Sled was that it was not well suited to rifles with long box magazines. Firearms that were placed on the Sled sat close to the base of the Sled. That left little room for magazines that extended more than a couple of inches below the bottom of the firearm.
The biggest drawback to the Sled was that its use impacted the length of pull of the firearm being tested. The back of the rear support came between the user’s shoulder and the butt of the firearm. This made the Sled great for absorbing recoil. But it also extended the length of pull. This, in turn, increased eye relief on optics. It also moved the position of the cheek weld on the comb of the stock back an inch or two. These factors created a significant difference between the way a firearm felt and functioned on the range and the way it felt and functioned in the field.
I began looking for a rifle rest that did not exhibit these drawbacks. When I received a press release about the Bull, I requested a sample for testing and evaluation. MTM did not reply to my request (I think that they felt that one of my previous reviews was not sufficiently positive). When I did not receive a reply to my request, I eventually just went out and purchased a sample instead. Before long, a 16.5 x 14.5 x 6.5 inch box was delivered to my home.
First Impressions
The box was imprinted with a number of items of helpful information. It confirmed that the Bull is made in the USA. It provided the web address for MTM Case-Gard ( www.mtmcase-gard.com ). It included MTM’s physical address (MTM Molded Products Company, 3370 Obco Ct., Dayton, OH 45414). And it included a photo showing the Bull accommodating an AR-15 with a standard-capacity, 30-round magazine inserted.
When I opened the box, I found that it contained an MTM Case-Gard product catalog, the five major parts of the Bull, a plastic bag with the smaller pieces, and assembly instructions.
The assembly instructions were clear and well-illustrated. I began assembling the Bull at 8:48 pm and was finished by 9:01 pm. The process was easy and straightforward. I completed it with my own 10 thumbs and a screwdriver in just 13 minutes.
Description
The Bull is made of a sturdy gauge of gray, high-impact polypropylene.
The base is 16 inches wide at its broadest.
The distance between the face of the front yoke and the back of the rear yoke can be adjusted from about 17 to about 24 inches. Adjustments are made by sliding two smaller parallel tubes that are attached to the rear yoke within two larger parallel tubes that are attached to the front yoke. Two set-screws can then be used to secure these tubes at the desired length. The lowest point of the opening at the top of the rear yoke is about six inches above the surface upon which the Bull is placed.
The elevation of the lowest point of the opening at the top of the front yoke can be adjusted from about 8 to about 12 inches above the surface upon which the Bull is placed. Adjustments are made using a hand-wheel which engages a threaded column. A set-screw can secure the threaded column when the front rest is at the desired elevation.
Two slip-free rubber feet support the front of the base, and two similar feet support the rear of the base.
The Bull weighs only 1.5 pounds.
Testing
Over the course of eight months of testing, I used the Bull with a wide variety of rifles: a Gamo Swarm Magnum Pro Gen 3i break-barrel air rifle in .22 caliber, a TriStar KR22 semi-automatic in .22LR, a Savage 110 Storm in 6.5 Creedmoor, a Saiga 223 in 5.56 NATO, a Traditions Firearms Nitrobolt bolt-action muzzle-loader (yes, it really is a bolt-action muzzle-loader) in .50 caliber, a Henry Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO, and a Dark Mountain Arms StowAway in 5.7x28mm.
As the seasons changed from early autumn to winter and then to spring, I was able to test the Bull in temperatures ranging from 75 down to 22 degrees Fahrenheit. I was also able to test it in weather conditions ranging from sunny to overcast to raining to snowing. The Bull just did its job quietly and effectively regardless of heat or cold; sunshine or cloud; and rain, snow, or drought.
The rifles varied in length from the 31.78 inches of the Dark Mountain Arms StowAway to the 46 inches of the Traditions Firearms Nitrobolt. I was able to easily adjust the Bull to the appropriate length for each rifle that I tested.
The Nitrobolt kicked hard enough that I quickly switched over to the Lead Sled instead. The Bull is not designed to absorb recoil. The recoil from the other rifles was mild enough that I could handle it without discomfort while using the Bull.
The elevation adjustment of the Bull offered a wider range of options than the elevation adjustment of the Lead Sled. This saved me from having to go into the pole barn to search for pieces of wood to put under the feet of the Lead Sled.
The rubber feet of the Bull did a good job of holding the rest steadily in place while in use.
I was impressed that such a light rest was able to provide so much stability to the firearms that it was supporting. I was also impressed that it worked so well with such a wide variety of rifles.
Some MTM Case-Gard Reflections
The products that MTM Case-Gard makes tend to surprise me with how well they work. Many products made out of plastic tend to be flimsy and easily broken. When I pick up a MTM Case-Gard product and feel how light it is, I don’t expect it to work very well or last very long. But then the product goes on to surprise me by working effectively and by holding up under sometimes harsh conditions.
I reviewed MTM Case-Gard’s ACDC30 Divided Ammo Crate in an article that was published on SurvivalBlog.com in October of 2023 ( https://survivalblog.com/2023/10/02/mtm-case-gard-acdc30-divided-ammo-crate-thomas-christianson/ ). I found that ammo crate to be sturdy, stackable, and moisture resistant. It now holds my most frequently-used 6.5 Creedmoor ammo.
I also own an MTM Case-Gard PR-30 Handgun Rest. I use it in all of my handgun testing. It has proven to be sturdy, reliable, easily adjustable, and effective under a wide variety of weather conditions.
It was experiences like these that motivated me to give the Bull rifle rest a try. The fact that MTM Case-Gard products are made in the USA was also a point in their favor.
Conclusions
The Bull Rifle Rest by MTM Case-Gard is a light-weight, surprisingly sturdy, inexpensive, and effective rifle rest for zeroing sights or testing ammo. I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer
MTM Case-Gard provided me with a sample of their ACDC30 Divided Ammo Crate for a previous review. Gamo provided me with a sample of their Swarm Magnum Pro Gen 3i break-barrel air rifle in .22 caliber for a previous review. TriStar loaned me a sample of their KR22 in .22LR. Savage loaned me a sample of their 110 Storm in 6.5 Creedmoor. I subsequently purchased that test sample from Savage. Traditions Firearms loaned me a sample of their Nitrobolt bolt-action muzzle-loader in .50 caliber. Henry Repeating Arms provided me with a sample of their Lever Action Supreme in 5.56 NATO. Dark Mountain Arms loaned me a sample of their StowAway in 5.7x28mm. I tried not to allow the kindness of these vendors to impair my objectivity in this review, and I believe that I have succeeded. I did not receive any other financial or other inducement to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.
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