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Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

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JEBar
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Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Tue Jul 11, 2017 10:27 pm

as can be seen starting on page 2 of this thread ===> http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.p ... T&start=20 , I've been researching a Caldwell Lead Sled DFT since early December of last year .... they have recently come out with with a new model they have named the Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2 ===> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NC ... UTF8&psc=1 .... after much thought I decided to "pull the trigger" so to speak and order one ... I'm convinced that using it can help take out some of the human wobble when trying to shoot groups .... once I figure out just how small of a group (at various ranges) the rifle is capable of shooting, it then becomes my goal see just how close I can come to making it do so

initially I envision its major uses to be :

1. helping sight in scopes on 10 rifles

2. patterning various types of shotgun shells in 4 different shotguns, each with up to 5 different choke tubes

3. development of both hunting and practice loads in 7 different calibers with various grain bullets in each


it is supposed to arrive Friday and I'm looking forward to using it .
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by Henry88 » Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:58 am

I guess that is the queen of the show, JEBar.

Looks like it's built to last about 3 lifetimes :D
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Wed Jul 12, 2017 8:51 am

I sure hope so .... because we will be using it with some heavy recoil rifles (like our 45-70 and 300 WBY Mag) I figured it would be best to go with a heavy duty model .... our oldest son is developing a 100+ yard range behind his home .... doubt he will be finished with it until late this year or early next year .... once developed our portable shooting bench and the Lead Sled will be stored there and I expect them to get heavy use ....
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Wed Jul 12, 2017 9:28 am

in the last 50 years there is no telling how many scopes I have sighted in .... do I have to have a Lead Sled to sight in a scope, absolutely not .... that being said, the video shown in this link ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QMLhlqSf7A <=== provides a pretty good look at why I'm really looking forward to using one

another, shorter, video showing how using a Lead Sled allows one person to easily sight in a rifle (I love the British accents) ===> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZlS4wiec9w
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by tractortad » Wed Jul 12, 2017 11:53 am

I've got one of the older Lead Sled DFT's - works great - even with the 45-70's. They are good with lever guns because you can cycle the lever between the two center tubes without taking the gun out of the cradle. I think you'll like yours - especially with the improved rubber cradles. The only downside with them I can think of is that they're kind of heavy to lug to the range....
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:27 pm

evaluation appreciated .... the weight and bulk issues are are well understood .... they are ones we have been working around for well over a year with our Herter's Shooting Bench ===> http://www.cabelas.com/product/HERTERS- ... %2Bbenches<=== for us the good news is, both of the local ranges we frequent allow us to drive my pickup right up to the spot from which we want to shoot .... neither would be items I'd want to carry very far .... my hope is the Lead Sled and Herters Bench will work well together
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Wed Jul 19, 2017 10:39 am

still haven't had an opportunity to use our Lead Sled .... 100 lbs of shot due to arrive tomorrow so I've now decided to hold off until sometime thereafter .... in addition, its simply been to hot and humid for me to spend much time out on a range .... the older I get, the less tolerance I seem to have for extremes in heat and cold .... I am sure looking forward to putting it to work
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Thu Jul 20, 2017 12:44 pm

the 25 lb bags of (#4) lead shot arrived today .... to put it mildly, the folks at Caldwell know exactly how large to make their bags .. 8-) .. understandably, the 4 bags came in 4 different boxes .... as can be seen below, the bags in which the shot was placed for shipment fit right into the Caldwell bags .... handling them has reinforced the fact that they are indeed heavy .... my hope is we will only need to use all 4 when firing our strongest recoil long guns .... I don't see them pulling double duty because they are too heavy for use as bags on which to support a rifle/shotgun when firing from a bench
Attachments
170720 001 Lead Sled Bags 001.jpg
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170720 002 Lead Sled Bags 003.jpg
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170720 003 Lead Sled Bags 001.jpg
170720 003 Lead Sled Bags 001.jpg (55.31 KiB) Viewed 3488 times
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Fri Jul 21, 2017 10:28 am

because we frequent several different private ranges, for the last few years we have been using a portable Shooting Bench ===>
http://www.cabelas.com/product/HERTERS- ... ng%2Bbench <=== a little while ago I set it up and put the Lead Sled on it .... it appears it should work well .... I anticipate having to cut some plyboard to place between the 3 legs of the Lead Sled and the bench surface
Attachments
170721 001 Lead Sled on Bench 002.jpg
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170721 001 Lead Sled on Bench 003.jpg (42.62 KiB) Viewed 3481 times
170721 001 Lead Sled on Bench 004.jpg
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170721 001 Lead Sled on Bench 005.jpg
170721 001 Lead Sled on Bench 005.jpg (56.26 KiB) Viewed 3481 times
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Re: Caldwell Lead Sled DFT 2

Post by JEBar » Wed Aug 02, 2017 10:48 am

the OEM lower strap shown in picture 1 was the only flimsy component of the Lead Sled ... it broke immediately .... a call to their customer service indicated they knew of the issue and had just received a shipment of stronger straps .... they sent the top one (free) and it arrived today .... I can't tell any difference in length, width or thickness but the replacement feels much more substantial .... so much so that in picture 2 it can be used to squeeze the front rest so that it grips the rifle .... I'm now trying to figure out the best method of mounting up to 4 sandbags .... right now in picture 3 you can see 2 bags in the holding plate and one on the bottom single bar .... I can go with a second one on that bar or I can place one on top of the double bar so that it would be between the bar and the bottom of the rifle .... the experiment continues
Attachments
170802 001 replacement strap 001.jpg
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170802 002 replacement strap 002.jpg
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170802 004 bag placement 007a.jpg
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