Idaho – -(AmmoLand.com)- The older I get, the more critical accuracy becomes to me. When culling animals, I like to do headshots, and to do headshots; you must have an accurate rifle. And to have a precision rifle, you have to spend the time on the range. And for fine-tuning your rifle, you’ll need a proper bench.
I don’t usually go to the local rifle range, instead opting to go out on the high desert to do my shooting, which means I have to carry my own table, chair, sandbags, etc. My buddy Ron Spomer gave me one of his old benches, but it is a massive, clunky thing, and while setting up/tearing it down, you could easily pinch a finger off. And to top it off, it is heavy and not very Bueno in the compactible department.
Caldwell Stable Table Lite
So when I discovered the Caldwell Stable Table Lite, I had to have one. As soon as it arrived, I loaded up the truck with guns and took off for the high desert to do some shooting.
One mistake I made though that I’d caution you against. I was in a hurry that morning so I decided to assemble the Caldwell Stable Table Lite out in the desert. Even though tools are included for assembling, it would have been easier at home with my own tools. With that said, it wasn’t a hard assembly.
Compared to my bulky shooting bench, the Caldwell Stable Table Lite was a slice of heaven. It is lightweight and compacts nicely into a flatter package. In fact, so small that you can take it to the range in most cars. This is a big feature because you can also set it against the wall in your garage, and it will not be in the way when out of use.
The bench can be swiveled so it is functional and comfortable for both left & right-handed shooters. I was surprised at how stable it is, which of course is a huge deal. The surface of the table is small which is good/bad. It is good since it is compact but bad in that I like to have multiple boxes of ammo, binocs, camera, etc. on my shooting bench. AmmoLand’s Fredy Riehl says I want to bring “everything but the kitchen sink.” So, I will still take along a card table to set all of my accessories on. But if I were in on the designing process, I’d have done it the exact same design. Otherwise, you’re back to a huge bulky bench.
Growing up as a kid, we had a shooting rest on the farm. But since I’ve grown up and moved away and my needs have changed to where I need something portable to be able to do all of my testings as is required being an Outdoor Writer. The Caldwell Stable Table Lite fits the bill. And for an MSRP of only $129.99 (with FREE shipping as of the date of this article), it is very affordable. And like I said, it is much more compactible than the other shooting benches that I have tested.
And as is usual, we will finish with the specs:
- Weatherproof tabletop is 34” W x 23” L and weighs less than 30 pounds, and the all-weather seat is 17” in height with a total weight limit of 250 pounds
- EASE OF USE: Table unfolds to set up, and the ambidextrous seat pivots around the rear table leg for maximum shooting comfort
- VERSATILITY: The entire table can be adjusted to accommodate left or right-handed shooters
- DURABLE: Features a weatherproof benchtop and molded seat for prolonged shooting comfort and use
- CONVENIENT: It features a lip on the front ¾’s of the tabletop to keep ammunition from rolling off the benchtop and push activated buttons for folding.
- Perfect solution for use on rundown or overcrowded ranges.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”