How It Works
The overly simplistic explanation for a ransom rest is this. It is a shooting vice for your handgun.
While, in theory, you could simply bolt your gun to the bench, figuratively speaking, that whole “recoil” thing will be problematic. I imagine that uncompensated recoil, over and over again, will wreak havoc on your vise-like setup and your gun over time, if not during your first shooting session. Remember, part of the goal of using such a setup in the first place is to make sure the handgun maintains its precise point of aim after each and every shot.
Here’s where the Ransom Rest design shines.
Yes, there is a “vice-like” component. We’ll dig into that more in a minute. But for now, know it basically clamps the grips of your handgun in place. Next, that entire assembly is hinged and managed by a large “recoil” spring, which allows the handgun to rise (think muzzle flip) with each shot. There’s really no need for the mechanism to attempt to return the gun to firing position, so its purpose in life is to allow recoil to happen and help dissipate all that force by allowing the gun to move with each shot. The spring applies some resistance to the action to keep the movement under some semblance of control.
When each shot is complete, you’ll find the muzzle pointing upward at an angle as a result of the allowed motion under recoil. As the operator, you simply push the handgun back down into the firing position and repeat the process. There’s no ambiguity about the position, as elevation is controlled by an adjustable threaded pin. Simply dial it into the desired position, tighten the locking “nut” and press the muzzle down until it’s stopped by the elevation pin.
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