Icon Logo Gun Mart

MTM High-Low Shooting Table

MTM High-Low Shooting Table

MTM’s High-Low shooting table caught my eye at the Doncaster Shooting Show recently, as it was not like anything I had seen before. It’s an aluminium tripod, fitted with a carry sling, before the injection moulded top is screwed in place from underneath. This allows the modest sized ‘bench’ to swivel through 360-degrees before being nipped up to provide a very stable, almost solid shooting platform. The legs are visually like the sturdy tripods used by surveyors and have a quick release toggle lever, allowing rapid adjustment to your desired height, before a locking screw clamps the legs firmly in position.

Each sharply spiked steel foot implants into soft surfaces with a foot rest to drive it home and once in position, pins the span of the legs to suit seated shooting, or more to my surprise, standing shots. This is something I haven’t seen before and although I know the US prairie dog shooters and coyote hunters like to set up in a fixed location for hours, with callers in situ, I hadn’t really seen the benefit myself – until I got a bad back!

When setting-up, testing and zeroing rifles, I prefer to be prone for the most solid shooting position to remove as many variables as possible. Too many ranges have wobbly benches, which I refuse to use but in the field when shooting for hunting reasons or plinking pleasure, I need to improvise and make-do with what I have. Bipods and quad sticks are very empowering with the latter giving superb stability but who doesn’t love a good standing shot from a car bonnet or better still a handy gatepost?

Strong and stable

story continues below...

Well, I initially thought sceptically about this item, looking out of place and although firm, not totally solid but it occurred to me that it makes a fantastic emergency zeroing platform in the summer when you may be restricted by taller crops. Better still, it’s fun to shoot from; as you can work on your breathing and trigger control, without scratching the hell out of your vehicle’s paintwork. The 17- x 33-inch (431x838mm) top has a textured, non-slip effect, with a rim to prevent the gun or any accessories sliding off and although looking minimal, is large enough for full-length rifles with bipod and rear bag, or front rest bag (my rimfire actually has a long stock, so don’t be fooled by the pictures making the bench look small).

The shield shape is fully ambidextrous without fouling against your chest, yet allowing you to wrap around and over the gun for correct shoulder and head position and of course, the adjustable height makes it truly adaptable with three feet enabling all terrain imperfections to be overcome. MTM have several products like the SPUD cases that make an ideal companion for the seated shots but when standing, the tripod legs pressed into the ground give far better ‘firmness’ than you think.

Legs splayed wide

Steel spiked feet won’t give secure support on hard surfaces, as they can slide and to be honest, driving the feet into a suitable surface is utterly key to getting stability. Legs splayed wide and short gives an 18-inch (457mm) height from the ground, with the greatest stability with full vertical extension and narrower foot spacing raising the top to 55-inches (1397mm) from the floor. It’s a little less stable to lean against but most will find their ideal height somewhere in between and the quick adjustment from the toggled levers is easily accessible and firm enough for a quick positional variation, before you tighten the clamps for full lockdown. I’m 5-feet 11-inches and 90kg and at no time felt I was going to push over or buckle the legs and this has become a great accessory to my semi-permanent range set-up for those days where I wanted to quickly check zero on the rimfires or airguns before setting out on a hunt.

It’s 5.96kg (13.1lb) weight isn’t something you are going to want to lug around day in day out but I can’t deny I have found situations where the High-Low rest has been a boon to opening up locations for more precise shooting, without the excessive weight of a full bench. Having three legs with a rotating top means you can organise the layout to make space for whatever seating or support means a prospective shooter may require.

Conclusion

It’s rare that a new product tickles my interest but I can’t help but see places where I shoot and zero rifles that it won’t assist me to access and although pretty solid, continues to teach breathing and trigger control without making life too easy.

  • MTM High-Low Shooting Table - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • MTM High-Low Shooting Table - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • MTM High-Low Shooting Table - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • MTM High-Low Shooting Table - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • MTM High-Low Shooting Table - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Name: MTM High-Low Shooting Table
  • Price: £136.40
  • Contact: Hannam’s Reloading Ltd. www.hannamsreloading.com
Arrow