Caldwell Zero-Max Shooting Rest

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out of 5, based on 10 reviews

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I bought this to provide a better base for sighting in my rifle than the standard wood blocks my local range offers. It’s been a lot better for stability and kind of fun modding it up a bit.I did have to make some changes to improved utility a bit. First and most easily, I sprayed the bolts with Ballistol which made the bolts WAY easier to turn.The back foot is just a threaded bolt with a rubber end cap, but it does not turn or move. Changing the elevation with the front two bolts, and keeping everything level can be a challenge, so I added elevation adjustments to the back bolt as well. I did this by taking a bolt spacer from Ace Hardware super glued to a nut, and using that to lift or drop the back. Total cost was about $4.Lastly, I added some indexing marks to the front bolt handles with red paint to keep track of my turns.I’ve been able to get some great accuracy with it (for a hunting rifle) so I’m pleased.

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This is a pretty stable shooting platform. I received mine today and found that it requires some work and creativity to make this a useful product. However, I have found that to be true of the many products I have that a from China. In many cases, a few sense more cents spent in manufacturing would make them exceptionally nice products. Ultimately, as in this case, that activity falls on the buyer. My particular shooting platform has two front, threaded 1/8 x 16 screws for adjusting platform altitude. They arrived very stiff and one of them would not move without my using channel locks to break the screw free. Fortunately, my home workshop as a tap and die set, so I was able to remove the adjustment screws and run a 1/8-16 tap through the holes to ‘ream out’ the channel nuts that these posts screw into. The nuts are coated for, I think, acting as self-locking or restraining nuts so that the screws have a more secure fit. Unfortunately, the fit is TOO secure. I did not have a 1/8-16 die so I could not re-thread the screws to make them fun smoothly. I used my wire-wheel brush to do the job of cleaning the threads. They now adjust reasonably smoothly after applying machine oil to the screws. Otherwise, assembly is easy and the platform is really solid and stable. I shoot PCP airguns, so I don’t have to deal with the recoil of a firearm. My next step will be to make a rear altitude adjust. The rear butt holder is fixed. I plan to drill an appropriate diameter hole and tap it to 5/16-18 (more standard in the US) and then use a 5/16-18 threaded 4 inch long bolt to use as an adjust a few inches from the rear butt post. I have threaded knobs from my ham radio shack that I can secure to the threaded bolt to provide rear vertical adjustments. Beyond that, we’ll see where we go from there. I do recommend this Caldwell as a very stable shooting platform. it’s a great deal for the price. Especially if you are a little handy with tools. I would have given it a 5 star rating except for the additional work that is needed, minor though it may be.Additional Note: Here is some additional information to update my previous review of the Caldwell Shooting rest. The stud feet on the platform are metric M10, which is a fairly common thread in Europe and Asia. Amazon carries stud spacers in M10 that worked out very well to extend the rear non-adjustable stud and make it an adjustable support. I ordered a 5 pack in 2 inch size and used one on the rear support. I also filed down a Teflon pad and screwed it into the bottom of this extension. The M10 at Amazon is (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K3M1KF5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ). Two additional mods involved reversing the front bar with the two legs by moving it from below the long bar to on top of the long bar, which essentially lowers the top rest. That change, coupled with the adjustable M10 extender was perfect for holding my Hatsan Nova QE at the correct height. To provide a little extra leeway, I constructed a shooting platform with the front support 3 inches high and the rear support 2 inches high to level the shooting rest while allowing plenty of adjustment for the assembly. I will provide some photos.

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Front height adjusting screws one works, the other two hands are needed to turn it. All the threads are cut poorly – threads cut to different depths.Back height screw is not adjustable.I bought this item with the idea to make the rear screw adjustable .Removed the rear screwWent to ACE checked the thread, of course its metric.Got a hex rod connecter -two nuts and one boltThe nuts are used to lock settings in placere-installed the rear screw – removed the plastic tipscrewed on one of the nuts then screwed on the hex rod connecter – put the other nut on the boltscrewed the bolt into the rod connectorgot my setting then finger tightened the nuts to hold things firm.One nut at the top and one at the bottom of the rod connecter.To fine tune just loosen the appropriate nut and turn the hex rod connecter up or down.Worked great became a 5 star .

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Yeah I did that. Ruined 3 bottles of water before I realized what I was doing. Not to mention, as you drink the water, the rest becomes more unstable.Back to the review.This one stays in my pickup. Bounced around and abused. It works. I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a really nice one just to have it get destroyed in the truck. This does the trick.

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This is not a heavy lead-sled shooting rest, but it is a functional lightweight and portable rest -which I think would be nice for cleaning as well.I did take advice of other reviews ad flipped the mounting of the front leg. It helped a lot! It’s pretty basic, but it helped sight my hunting rifle in well enough to get the job done. Numerous reviews state it is not compatible with AR type rifles – I only have rifles with more traditional stocks.

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Great value for the money, holds a rifle firmly (Rear stock support can be bent to tighten more on stock).Gives a great support for bore sighting or working on the rifle.Gun will move in the rest if it is fired especially with larger calibers, so it is not terribly useful as a precision machine rest, but it is not sold to be.As a simple bench rest aid for shooting smaller calibers while using the sights or scope to aim each shot it performs well especially in rimfire or light calibers.

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Works exactly like I think a rifle rest should. It held my 10+ lb medium powered air rifles and 7.5 lb .22 rifles solidly and kept the Point of Aim where I wanted it, while I squeezed the trigger. Rifle and rest would recoil a bit then I’d reload and set ther ifle down and repeat the cycle. This is not a vice rest so expect it move on recoil. For my purposes, which are to test different ammo/pellets and to zero in my rifles, it works well. For $30, it’s a great deal and I think it will be durable enough to last many years for my intended use. Although it has a steel frame, it is lightweight, easy to assemble, compact and easy to set up at the range.

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I bought this as a reasonably priced cleaning and work stand and it is working out well for that job. It should be sufficient for sighting in too but not serious benchrest shooting. The same manufacturer has other products that are better suited for bench rest that are much sturdier but also much more expensive. For cleaning rifles and mounting scopes this rest is perfect. It is also nice for sighting in after mounting a scope and casual bench rest shooting.

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I wish someone had told me an AR15 does not fit onto this shooting rest. Read the other reviews to learn the adjustments necessary to make this actually useful for other weapons. An AR15 does NOT fit on it.

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Well, in my opinion the construction is kind of chintzy. The front pad is not of very nice quality. The rear rest has no padding at all. The rear has no adjustment for elevation and the entire rig sits too low for me. But the real deal breaker was that the pistol grip on my Ruger Precision rifle hit the center square tubing before the rifle properly rested on the front pad and rear brace. Unfortunately, that rendered it useless for me so I returned it. Overall I wasn’t very happy with it and would most likely not recommend it.