Prone Pads

[clickboom]

Hey Guys,, Anyone know who makes prone pads in this country for 1911'ss looking for something higher than just a mag well, thanks

[DWFAN]

Warren aka ToolGuy on this forum. Check out his dealer tent "Protocall Design"

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=189

Edited July 18, 2011 by DWFAN

[ffl]

Warren aka ToolGuy on this forum. Check out his dealer tent "Protocall Design"

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showforum=189

+1 on Warren

[Mr Badger]

I checked out Warrens site only 1911 base pads showing. Any ideas where to get a base pad for a 2011 STI?

[ffl]

I checked out Warrens site only 1911 base pads showing. Any ideas where to get a base pad for a 2011 STI?

correct me if i am wrong that is a double stack with the plastic grip unit?

if so I know of no one making one. If you want a custom one send me the gun and I can modify the grip section and add a mag well/base pad. you probably will not be able to go back to a none pad lower though.

[Chuck Anderson]

Not sure if Matt wants me to mention it but he made a Delrin addition to my Prone pad to get it a bit higher off the ground. I'm sure it would be equally easy to add one to a 2011 style mag well. I just epoxied mine on with Marine Tex. Worked great. Matt is at www.m2icustomtactical.com Not sure if he'll do another one. I got the impression it was not easy. I was kind of hoping someone would make one that would work with the Dawson Precision Ice Magwell. Remove Ice insert and install Bianchi Insert. I have no idea the time it would take for that though.

[Griz]

I'm going to expose my ignorance here, but what does a prone pad do that a big magwell on a 2011 won't do?

I have a Limcat on one of mine and it is plenty high and much wider than the prone pad on my 1911 AP gun. One pass with a mill to tweak the angle and get the muzzle down a little and it would be superior to the prone pad on my AP gun.

[gm iprod]

Griz,

Prone pad is angled so that the handgun is pointed (when prone at 25y and or 50y) at the centre of the target. A Std Magwell from STI will point the handgun at some place closer to orbit than a target. The pad that Warren sells essentially makes the handgun point straight downrange ever so slightly above the horizontal.

This gives you a stable platform from which to shoot, without having to use the bottom of your hands on the ground which will make you grip unstable and lower the gun in your vision. Keeping the gun a little higher puts less stress on you neck when trying to get a good sight picture. If you are not a lightweight (my issue) your head is less able to get lower, much much more of a problem with iron sights than with a scope.

However some have gone to the extreme and have essentially hooves on the bottom of the gun.

[Action Pistolero]

The mag wells that I use on my STI's are from Smokin Hole. They haven't been made for years. I swear a mag thrown from across the room would go right up into the gun. As long as I used a 126mm mag with a heavily modified base pad it worked great for shooting prone.

I am of the opinion that the higher the prone pad is the more unstable the gun is while shooting prone. It may be more comfortable to get behind the gun but you are giving up the ability to keep the sights in the x ring during the quick shots at 25 on the prac.

Getting the heels of your hands on the groung around the grip of the gun is much more stable. With the heels of your hands on the ground, the footprint of the gun on the ground is much greater than just the prone pad. I have been experimenting with a new style prone pad. I am convinced that the best place to rest the gun is on the ground and not the mat. I made the pad 1/2" wider than the grip. At 50 it works great but if the ground is soft at 25 the gun sinks as it's fired. Needs some more work.

[gm iprod]

Griz,

I may have not answered the question you asked.

I have tried using std STI magwells for prone and they stink, I have had to modify mine to be what I want. Plus I built a dead ugly one for the metallic gun. Both are not the first version.

One guy here in NZ flattened the STI magwell off some and that works for him, I can't use his, I am too fat.

[Griz]

I was saying that I think a standard magwell would make a perfect prone pad *after* having the angle adjusted so that it points at the target instead of the sky. That would be a simple operation with a mill or even a belt sander.

I probably have more padding between me and the ground than you do, but I think the height would be fine on an Open gun with the scope on top of a shroud and stick shift.

It might be too low by 1/2" or so for a Metallic gun. For that the easiest and cheapest option would be to start with a standard magwell, adjust the angle, then mount a shim of the desired height to the bottom of it.

You would wind up with a prone pad with a bigger footprint than Warren's 1911 prone pad, which would be more stable and therefor better... I think?

[Allgoodhits]

RE:Prone Pads, whether for revolver or auto.

Height: The pad should only be as high as needed to get under the gun. As Kevin said, the higher it is the less stable. Keep that into consideration. Discomfort is over in less than 15 seconds or so maximum, but one has to be able to see the sight/dot and the target.

Width: Should only be as wide as is needed to make it stable. If the suppoert hand can also come into contact witht he ground the better. Also, a wide pad may not rottate or pivot easily. This can be a problem on the plates, and on the practical, if you over rotate, then have to come back.

Angle: Keep in mind the angle that is geometrically perfect at 20 or 25 yds, will likely project a sight image that is too "high" at 50 yds. A perfect angle at 50yds will be too low at 25 or 20 yds. The 25yd stage of the practical is a tough one, since it progressively gets more difficult from 1 and 1, 2 and 2 and 3 and 3 due to the time limits. You have to play with that which works best for you. I prefer the truest angle at 25yds, as there is time to fix the others. The best prone pad is your hand, "if" you can work with that, I can't, so some form of prone pad is required.

Last, on some events the prone pad can actually get in the way. This would be most common on the barricade, especially if shooting metallic gun, and those that require kneeling or maybe even sitting. I have tried no prone pad, and some as big as a man hole cover. When they are right they are right, but differing terrain can be a huge problem. The bigger the foot print of the prone pad the more difficult it is to shoot with it, "if" the angle on that particular range differ from your set up.

MJ

[Resjudicata]

Allgoodhits,

Re: a bit off topic.

Do you slide your weak hand down the grip when shooting prone? If so, how far? Any way to get a pic of how you grip when shooting prone?

Thanks, Sorry for the drift.

Chris

[Allgoodhits]

Allgoodhits,

Re: a bit off topic.

Do you slide your weak hand down the grip when shooting prone? If so, how far? Any way to get a pic of how you grip when shooting prone?

Thanks, Sorry for the drift.

Chris

Chris,

Yes, when shooting prone, if possible, I want my support hand to be as low as possible and hopefully make contact with the ground in order to broaden the base of support.

MJ