Over the past month or so, I’ve received quite a few requests from folks who want me to test and evaluate their products. I enjoy testing products for SurvivalBlog, and reporting back my findings to SurvivalBlog readers. Some of the companies that contact me, have a lot of questions, and I’m happy to answer them. Some companies ask me if I can guarantee that I’ll write an article on their products – and the answer is “yes.” Then, they ask me if I can guarantee them that the article will appear on SurvivalBlog – I refer them to Jim Rawles, as he’s the editor, and gives the final yea or nay on if or when a piece runs. And, lastly, some folks ask me if I am going to give their products a “positive” review in my article. My answer to them is “no!” I will never guarantee anyone that I will give their products a positive review – I report my findings as fairly and honestly as I can. If those products aren’t up to par, or as advertised, that’s the way I will report my findings.
When I was publishing and editing a little newsletter called “Police Hot Sheet” many years ago, I was contacted by a fellow who made an impact device, and he told me if was more effective than a hit from a 12 gauge shotgun. Needless to say, I was more than a little skeptical of those claims. Still, I promised to have one of my writers, a well-known martial artist test and evaluate this product. Of course, his findings were that this impact device wasn’t as effective at stopping an attacker as a hit from a 12 gauge would be, and the product took quite a bit of training and practice to use properly and effectively. The fellow who sent me that product threatened to sue me if I ran the review, but I ran it! And, in fact he didn’t sue me. So, please, if you want me to give you a guarantee that I will give you products a positive review on SurvivalBlog, then don’t bother contacting me or Jim Rawles – that’s not the way we do business. SurvivalBlog readers deserve a fair and honest review of products.
The newest product under review today is called the “Original AR-Rest” and is being produced by Montie Gear. The folks at this company contacted me several weeks ago, and asked me to review some of their products, one was their new sling-shot, they were out of stock, but promised one would be coming in a few weeks. The other product is their AR-Rest, which arrived quickly, as promised. I’ve got to admit, I’ve never heard of Montie Gear before they contacted me, however, they have quite a few products on their web site, that should be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers – check them out.
Okay, the AR-Rest, gee, let’s see, what’s “new” about a rifle rest, that hasn’t already been done? Well, the Montie Gear AR-Rest is portable. It comes apart and goes back together in a matter of seconds, and it can be carried in your shooting box or your AR rifle case. The AR-Rest only weighs about 19-oz, so it’s very lightweight, you won’t even know you have it in your shooting box or AR rifle case. The AR-Rest is made out of sturdy aluminum, that is industrial-grade black powder coated. There is a spring-loaded stainless-steel (wire attached)pin that holds this tri-pod together, too. The “rest” portion of the AR-Rest has soft rubber covers in the “V” of the rest, so your rifle won’t be damaged or scratched. The legs on the rest have grooves machined into – so when shooting over a bench rest or going prone, the rest really digs in and remains stable. There are also additional rubber covers for the bottom of the legs – for using the rest over the hood of a car – so you don’t scratch the paint on the car.
When shooting rifles for accuracy, I try to wring out as much accuracy as I can – without resorting to a “mechanical” rest of some sort. I usually shoot over the hood of my car, using a sleeping bag, rolled-up jacket, a soft, padded rest of some sort – or whatever I have on-hand. It gives me better results than just using an elbow to steady a rifle. The Montie Gear AR-Rest will give you a more stable and secure rest, for those of you who want the most accuracy you can squeeze out of an AR-15 style rifle. And, this rest isn’t just designed for use with an AR, I also tested it with an AK-47, and even with it’s longer 30-rd mag, the rifle was still not touching the hood of the car. The idea behind the AR-Rest is that, you can use it with long magazines in your rifles, without the rifle “mono-podding” on the magazine – and the AR-Rest delivers in this respect. You can also use the rest for benching other rifles as well. Montie Gear makes several other models of rests, but I think the AR-Rest will meet most of your needs.
I did find that, my groups did tighten-up more with the AR-Rest, than with my AR over a rolled-up sleeping bag, so the rest delivered as promised, and the height of the AR with a 30-rd mag in it, didn’t allow the magazine to touch the ground – and as already mentioned, the same goes for an AK-47 with a 30-rd mag installed.
My one minor complaint with the Montie Gear AR-Rest are the rubber covers that are included, for installing on the bottom of the legs of the tripod. The rubber caps are a bit too small and don’t completely cover the bottom of the legs, nor do they stay in place when shooting. An instruction sheet is included, that states you can use Super-Glue to secure the rubber covers on the legs. You shouldn’t have to do that! The rubber covers that came with the AR-Rest appear to be an after-thought, and maybe purchased from an outside source – as an a quick fix to a minor problem. After firing several rounds through my AR on the AR-Rest, the rubber covers would slip off the bottom of the legs. And, “yes” I did try to Super-Glue the rubber covers on – and it didn’t work. I would suggest using rubber cement – that would hold the rubber covers on better. Of course, you only need to use the rubber covers if you’re shooting over the hood of a car and don’t want to scratch the paint job. When shooting over a bench, or going prone, you don’t need the little rubber covers. I’m not alone in my one minor complaint about the AR-Rest. You can view similar complaints on the Montie Gear web site – and I do applaud Montie Gear, for posting those comments from customers – most companies wouldn’t post negative comments. Thank you, Montie Gear, for your honesty!
I believe that Montie Gear should replace the little rubber covers, with something that is specifically made for their rest – it shouldn’t cost them very much. Another alternative would be to use some of that “plastic” dip – that you can get from most hardware stores. You dip the end of your pliers, or other tools into it, and it gives you a firm gripping surface. You can do the same thing with the AR-Rest, just dip the bottom of the three legs of the tripod into this solution, and it will work beautifully.
A lot of people shoot their rifles, over a bench, when shooting for accuracy at a target, so the little rubber covers won’t be needed, same goes for going prone on the ground. All-in-all, I was very pleased with the Montie Gear AR-Rest, it performed as advertised – it provided a solid rest for a rifle, so a person can wring the most accuracy out of their long guns when shooting long-range. I don’t see the AR-Rest falling apart – it’s very well-built, and it should last you through a lifetime of target practice. The rest retails for $59.95, and the price seems more than fair – especially for an American-made product. Pick one up, and watch your long-range shooting scores improve.
Pat’s Product Review: Montie Gear AR Rest
