Problem with prone.

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bullseye308

bullseye308

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Smyrna Tennessee
I recently fought and mostly won a battle with throat cancer, but have some unusual side effects. The big one is I have a feeding tube coming out of my chest right below my sternum and I now also have a hiatal hernia at the same location.

That being that, I have a new rifle I want to shoot and I’d like to shoot it prone. The place I shoot at mostly is just a flat rock about 125 yards long out in the woods and you have to bring everything, and take it with you when you leave. I also had rotator cuff surgery last year on one shoulder and need to get the other one done, so dragging in a table, chair, guns, ammo, drinks, et al... just isn’t realistic.

The rifle is a Savage Axis in 223 and for now I just want to get it sighted in and start testing loads. What I’m trying to figure out is what I can lie on that will be “comfortable” and have a cutout to not put pressure on the tube, or some kind of circular pillow, or something I haven’t thought about that would work. Something that will protect an area about 6-8” is what I’m looking for.

Any help here folks?
Thanks in advance.
 
Congratulations on winning your battle with cancer.

Instead of insisting on shooting prone, I urge you to create a different supported position, perhaps seated with a bipod or tripod support for the rifle. A portable stool and a small camera tripod with a padded top should provide a very stable sight picture, without compromising the feeding tube. These should be pretty easy to carry to your range.

I’m 77. I understand compromises required by aging. I respect your desire to shoot well and precisely. But you take care of yourself first, and the rifle second.
 
First let me say you are one tough dude. You have my respect and admiration.

My suggestion would be to try different things at home using items that are handy. Take up a position with your rifle on the living room floor and use some pillows and whatever else you have to take pressure off the areas you need to protect. Once you have it figured out you’ll know what you need to bring with you. How you get it there will be the next problem to solve. Having recently fought a much bigger battle I’ll bet you’ll lick this one pretty easy.

Keep us updated :thumbup:
 
The hemorrhoid pillow may just be the ticket. The inner tube is another possibility. Both could be inflated to a comfortable pressure and is probably just what I’m looking for.

I have tried closed cell foam with a hole cutout, and a few other things, but still not just right. Another problem is just before I got the cancer I had a triple bypass and had my chest split open, so I can’t put a whole lot of pressure on my sternum. I’ll go hunt up an inner tube and a hemorrhoid pillow and go from there.

You guys are awes. Thanks again.
 
I’d buy a couple shooting mats and have a local harness shop layer them up, cut a recess for your tube, and “quilt” them together. Maybe add “rails” of additional thickness along the sides of your chest to take some pressure off of your center chest.
 
Ok so hear me out here, the Caldwell shooting chair sounds best here, if prone is really mandatory, treeless saddle checks the boxes just strip the stirrups and fenders, shoot off the rear... I'd rather shoot from the chair though....
 
The short solution is a good cushion to sit on, and a sitting-height tripod. If you can get the tripod height right and one elbow on a knee, you'll do as well as prone.

I'm sure you could find a prone solution, but you've a nontrivial set of requirements.
 
Considering all your physical problems I believe I would look at another option than prone. edwardware had a good one. Prone is out for me simply because of age and arthritis. I can't hold my head in position to shoot prone for any length of time without developing a stiff neck and a severe headache. Getting from prone to vertical isn't easy either. I sometimes use a very old folding stool. Hinged frame, canvas seat, and a sturdy camera tripod with a top cushion I cobbled together and it works well.
 
Sounds dangerous to me (I'm not a doctor). If whatever improvised device you are using interferes with your tube, injury, etc., isn't that bad? You may want to consider a lightweight lawn chair and a bog-pod. Both fold up compactly for easy carry. Or better yet, bring someone more able-bodied to help you with your stuff.
 
doubleh said:
Prone is out for me simply because of age and arthritis. I can't hold my head in position to shoot prone for any length of time without developing a stiff neck and a severe headache.
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That's exactly what motivated me to end a quarter century of HP rifle competition and concentrate on coyote hunting.....not to mention the need for a winch truck to get me off the ground afterwards.

doubleh said:
I sometimes use a very old folding stool. Hinged frame, canvas seat, and a sturdy camera tripod with a top cushion I cobbled together and it works well.
Click to expand...

Excellent suggestion! Sitting on a short chair or stool and a set of shooting sticks can provide benchrest stability with a bit of practice and sticks are cheap.
35534422252_87512fdc0e_c.jpg
Short children's camp chair enables placing elbows on thigh. The AR pistol grip facilitates pulling rifle tight into shoulder, for an extremely stable position, very close to that obtained from a bench.
35572531161_db14ba6c00_c.jpg
Taller sticks, while not quite as stable as sitting, are quite effective. Leaning into the sticks and grasping rifle sling & sticks w/left (rt hand shooter) while pulling rifle tight into shoulder stabilizes position.

A cheap and effective set of sticks can be made from garden stakes available @ Lowes or you can opt for one of the many commercial sets available. I built a set years ago and they worked so well I have never seen the need to change.
35327293530_5f7e418b7a_q.jpg 35703381685_1cfc87f04b_q.jpg 35572605011_7ab68b0648_q.jpg
Lash sticks together w/para cord (a drop or two of super glue on lashing can prevent loosening of knot over time) and JB weld spikes (2 headed nails) to prevent slippage.
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Adding a bit of ghillie netting makes a very portable mini blind for hunting and in a pinch, a couple of sets of shooting sticks can serve as an impromptu target frame for verifying trajectory @ various ranges.

Regards,
hps
 
Prayers, for continued success in the battle with cancer!

I like what edwardware, doubleh, and hps1 have posted, as age, and some formerly-minor upper back/neck issues, are starting to catch up with me. I bought a sturdy, old-school, pre-owned Gitzo camera tripod, of the “bowl head” type, for its intended purpose, and am thinking about rigging a sandbag rest, to give it another purpose, for shooting of another kind, whether sitting or standing.

Because “old-school” means heavy, in the case of photography tripods, and because our 200mm and 500mm telephoto lenses weight a bit, too, I bought a Burley Travoy, to use in hand-cart mode. (The Travoy is a bicycle trailer, and a hand cart.)

When I was really interested in reading about African hunting, I remember that large-caliber “stopping rifles” were generally sighted with the use of a “standing rest.” This included the sightings necessary to get double rifles’ barrel aligned, and soldered into place, which indicated that precise shooting can be done, even while standing.
 
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Sticks are good . I used them when coyote hunting but my wheel bearings have rusted up and walking the long distances needed to do any good in the coyote game in this area is in the same boat as prone shooting, as in it ain't happening. I certainly don't consider sticks as good as a good bench setup but then benches are kind of heavy to to tote around. I consider the bog pod and hog saddle setup superior to the sticks but weight again comes into play. One reason I use the antique type of folding stool is it's very light weight. I also use a small folding chair at times and rigged up a strap to hang it on a shoulder leaving my hands free. It doesn't seem as heavy as carryring it in my hand.
 
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Varminterror said:
I’d buy a couple shooting mats and have a local harness shop layer them up, cut a recess for your tube, and “quilt” them together. Maybe add “rails” of additional thickness along the sides of your chest to take some pressure off of your center chest.
Click to expand...

I like this idea, but maybe before spending the xtra money, maybe check with a carpet center for remnants left from an install and cut holes in a couple layers. If it works, then maybe have them hemmed and stitched together, or go for the cadallac version, shooting mats.
 
Wonderful advice, as usual. Thinking about it, I’m not real happy getting up from prone as most of my joints are worn out. So I came up with this this morning and an hour in the shop proved fruitful. It will hold 2 ammo cans and 2 rifle cases and a fold up chair. Just slide it out of the truck, roll it to where I’m shooting, unload it, then set it up to shoot off of. Gonna add a piece of pool noodle between the wheels for a front rest if I’m not using a bipod. 8EDD918D-D988-4DB0-865F-55C4FF33AE5B.jpeg 55BC4172-03DF-43E4-8524-125913AF1DE6.jpeg 32BC8C5D-2ADB-4760-90B7-C3E2C4CFE949.jpeg 247312A1-C51A-48EE-8AAE-F6BB5943C2EB.jpeg
 
Yep, I’m thinking prone is not going to work for me at all. I can barely get down on the floor in the house here and have too much neck and shoulder strain trying to get lined up behind it. Then I have to get up, and that isn’t pleasant either. I just hit 50 and it isn’t supposed to be this bad yet.

I usually have a stretchy Velcro band around my midsection to keep my tube out of the way and keep me from snagging it on something and pulling it out again. That was interesting. But with the hernia right there with it, prone is out according to the Dr, I asked. I’m thinking this portable table will be just the ticket and hope to test it out this week.

Thanks again.
 
PWC said:
That looks pretty slick!

Leaving off the 2 legs opposite the wheels, with shorter legs on the wheel end, will give you an inclined ramp that may be more comfortable too.
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Thank you. This is a table to shoot off of. The first 2 pics are in “travel mode”, the second 2 pics are setup and ready to shoot off it. I’ll be padding the bar between the wheels to use as a front rest for the rifles.
 
bullseye308 said:
Wonderful advice, as usual. Thinking about it, I’m not real happy getting up from prone as most of my joints are worn out. So I came up with this this morning and an hour in the shop proved fruitful. It will hold 2 ammo cans and 2 rifle cases and a fold up chair. Just slide it out of the truck, roll it to where I’m shooting, unload it, then set it up to shoot off of. Gonna add a piece of pool noodle between the wheels for a front rest if I’m not using a bipod. View attachment 1007395View attachment 1007396View attachment 1007397View attachment 1007398
Click to expand...
Pretty nifty! Need some shag carpet on the rear 1/3 though so your brass doesn't roll off!!!!
 
JMHO- find someone that would help you
carry your goods to where you need to go,
and help you carry it all back when you're
through
I've helped people myself since I know the
day will come that I'll probably need some
help myself. The thought might be slightly
embarrassing at first, but at least you'll
get out
A neighbor that's passed now used a
shooting table that was built for him
that allowed him to take a few more
animals before he was no longer able.
You never know till you try
 
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