A while back I was searching for a rest to develop loads for my .44 mag. Since my son and I had already purchased a Outers varmint rifle rest for use with our rifles, my first consideration was to purchase a new Outers Pistol perch which mounts on the varmint rest base, but is designed to use with pistols. Two things kept me from making this purchase, both stemmed from the fact that none of the local shooting supply houses had one in stock for me to look at. First, the way the pistol perch is designed it appears that the rest portion is actually raised from the surface of the bench. It just looks uncomfortable. Secondly I didnt want to order one only to find that I really didnt like it, and have to go through the hassle of shipping it back to the place of purchase. I finally decided to purchase the Hoppes mini bench rest and mount it in a board so as to have it replicate the Hoppes mini pistol rest. My mistake was in buying the mini bench rest. It is not anywhere near as sturdy as the full size bench rest, and therefore does not provide as solid of a rest. Just this past weekend I stopped by a store, which had a Lohman pistol vise on display. I had never seen one of these in any catalog or any other store. It actually closes around the barrel of the gun to hold the gun in the same place shot after shot, although Im not sure how it will work on the heavy kickers like the 44. Since I have recently purchased a Contender frame and am planning on purchasing barrels in .22 long rifle, .223, and 7 X 30 Waters, I might consider the Lohman vise. (If anyone has any experience with one of these, please let me know your thoughts.) My recommendation would be to spend the extra money and buy a good solid rest weather it be the Hoppes, the Sinclair, the pistol perch, or any of the others available. By the way, you can view the Lohman pistol vise by going to the Lohman Mfg. web site.
