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Site-in-Clean Rest

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Rifle rest for cleaning and light gunsmithing

As a responsible firearms owner, I keep my guns properly secured, and I keep them well maintained. However, I live in a town home and space is at somewhat of a premium. I do not have the room to create a dedicated “gun room” or “man cave.” I keep my firearm cleaning supplies stored in a toolbox inside of a closet. When it comes time to clean a rifle or shotgun, I invariably find myself laying towels out on a table, and using books or other items from around the house to prop the firearm up for cleaning or other work.

I realized that it was time to buy some sort of gun stand or vice, to hold a rifle or shotgun in place for cleaning and light gunsmithing, like installing a scope. The trouble is that gun vices are generally rather large and bulky. This is fine for someone who has the room for a dedicated gun workbench. But for the “kitchen table” gunsmith, a smaller, preferably collapsible, solution is much more desirable. It would be even better if the stand would double as a rest for bench rest shooting at the gun range. A rest that keeps both the foregrip and stock immobile is very useful when trying to sight in a scope. Enter the MTM Site-in-Clean Rest.

This rest is made of plastic, is modular, and disassembles for storage. The base has a removable cover under which the two black plastic “forks” can be stored. When assembled with the top off, the base cavity can hold cleaning supplies such as brushes, jags, patches, solvents, and oils. Depending on how the firearm is placed in the forks, the barrel can be angled down for cleaning, or can be held horizontally for use as a shooting rest. There are a total of four slots for the forks, allowing the user some customization based on the length of the firearm and the desired orientation. There are three rubber soled feet that keep the base stable. The rear foot is threaded with a knob to allow for height adjustment. This makes the rest useful for lining up a firearm when sighting in a scope. Overall the design is well thought out, while keeping the product flexible and cost effective for the consumer.

This product is clearly a rest, not a gun vice. I have used it for installing and bore sighting a scope at home, but I would not use it for any activity that requires a firearm to be held perfectly still under a great deal of force. Furthermore, I would not recommend using this as a shooting rest for extremely high power, high recoil rifles. For any caliber much beyond .22LR, I would recommend a dedicated shooting rest, or using some tie downs to ensure that this rest doesn’t move. Finally, this rest is better suited for rifles and shotguns with traditional designs and profiles. There are better vices and rests out there for the tactical rifle enthusiast.

This being said, as a rest for cleaning and a bit of work at the range, this product fits my needs quite well. My favorite feature is that I can collapse this down when I am done and it stores nicely in a closet. There are plenty of other options out there for someone who is looking for a gun vice or a shooting rest, but I would heartily recommend this product for the occasional shooter whose storage space is at a premium.

-- Ryan Gwaltney 05/29/14

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