The Ransom Rest:
When Your Gun Shoots Better Without You
Accuracy is one of those words that’s used an awful lot, but very rarely in a precise and literal way. For example…
“This new gun is really accurate!”
“I bought this compact micro-blaster 7000, but it’s not very accurate.”
“I am so much more accurate when I shoot my (fill in the blank) than most any other gun.”
That last one actually comes close to the real truth. When we talk about accuracy, we’re almost always talking about how easy it is for us, the humans, to shoot it accurately. Under perfect shooting conditions, the gun can almost always outshoot the user.
Most any modern gun is far more accurate than the shooter who uses them. And before you yell foul, I’m including myself in that statement!
It’s just a function of being human. Our hands move when we’re trying to hold perfectly on target. Our trigger fingers move the gun when we press the trigger. Our eyes aren’t perfect and can cause tiny sight misalignments that translate to inches off target downrange. And our brains can have a serious aversion to loud explosions happening 24 inches in front of our noses. All these things work together to ensure it’s the human that misses the bullseye more than the gun itself.
If you don’t believe me, just ask the folks at Ransom International. They’ve been making accuracy testing devices since 1968.
Their mission has been simple. By using the unique bench device known as the Ransom Rest, they help us see exactly what our handguns are capable of by removing the human element from each shot.
This Ransom Rest has the Remote Cable trigger system installed.
It can smoothly operate a trigger with up to 20 pounds of force.
How It Works
The overly simplistic explanation for a ransom rest is this. It is a shooting vice for your handgun.
While, in theory, you could simply bolt your gun to the bench, figuratively speaking, that whole “recoil” thing will be problematic. I imagine that uncompensated recoil, over and over again, will wreak havoc on your vise-like setup and your gun over time, if not during your first shooting session. Remember, part of the goal of using such a setup in the first place is to make sure the handgun maintains its precise point of aim after each and every shot.
Here’s where the Ransom Rest design shines.
Yes, there is a “vice-like” component. We’ll dig into that more in a minute. But for now, know it basically clamps the grips of your handgun in place. Next, that entire assembly is hinged and managed by a large “recoil” spring, which allows the handgun to rise (think muzzle flip) with each shot. There’s really no need for the mechanism to attempt to return the gun to firing position, so its purpose in life is to allow recoil to happen and help dissipate all that force by allowing the gun to move with each shot. The spring applies some resistance to the action to keep the movement under some semblance of control.
When each shot is complete, you’ll find the muzzle pointing upward at an angle as a result of the allowed motion under recoil. As the operator, you simply push the handgun back down into the firing position and repeat the process. There’s no ambiguity about the position, as elevation is controlled by an adjustable threaded pin. Simply dial it into the desired position, tighten the locking “nut” and press the muzzle down until it’s stopped by the elevation pin.
When shooting, the large spring system allows recoil to move the gun via muzzle flip.
This dissipates energy in a controlled manner. Just push the muzzle down
until it stops via the elevation adjustment pin before the next shot.
Gun Mounting
The system for securing the handgun grips is equally well thought out. I guess the Ransom team has been doing this for many years and has figured out all the tricks.
The clamp system is built into the overall vice with three long bolts that draw a plate towards the vice body.
This is where custom inserts come into play. Rather than the vice body and opposing plate being covered in something firm yet squishy to fit a broad array of grip types, there’s space for insert plates. These are what make the system work by securing the gun as if it were locked in a steel vice, but without any damage to grips or frame.
The inserts come in pairs and are custom-made for various handguns. Each half is made from an aluminum plate, with three holes to secure it in those long bolts. And on each plate, you’ll find permanently attached a urethane-like molded piece that perfectly matches the grip of the respective handgun. And the molds on both plates perfectly match what’s on both sides of the actual gun.
This is why there are so many different sets of inserts available. They are custom-sized for each and every supported model.
The rest itself is built to accommodate the inserts. Note the stable plate attached to
the vice and the removable plate. The inserts are squeezed between the two.
Cheating Just a Bit
There are a lot of guns on the market, so, yes, it could get a bit unwieldy buying and managing hundreds of insert plate sets.
This is why Ransom provides “cheat sheets” to help communicate which insert sets can be used with highly similar guns. There are fits that are ”close enough” to yield good results. As long as you understand that “perfect” results will always come from a perfect mounting using the designated inserts for a given handgun, then no worries. You’re off to the races.
This 1911 drops right into this custom insert as if they were made for each other. They were.
Important Details
When you take the Ransom Rest to the range, you’ll likely notice a couple of “oh yeah” features.
For example, once you secure the gun in place using the appropriate insert set, you’ll be able to reach and do the things you need to keep shooting. The inserts are designed to allow access to the magazine release. On a revolver, the cylinder release and cylinder will be accessible for reloads. With a semi-automatic, if you tilt the muzzle up as designed, you can release the empty and insert a fresh full magazine. You can do all these things without dismounting and remounting the handgun.
Remember, the name of the game is consistency, and it’s designed accordingly.
Here's an insert example for a J-Frame revolver.
Isolating the Trigger
One component of perfectly repeatable shots is a consistent and repeatable trigger press. In theory, if you’ve secured the handgun in the rest, you could reach in and operate the trigger with your finger, but since we’ve gone to such great lengths to isolate the flawed human parts, why would you?
The standard Ransom Rest model has an adjustable bar that you position to touch the desired part of the trigger face. It’s then moved semi-remotely with a lever, thereby adding an element of control.
However, if you want to get really serious, check out the Remote Cable Pull (Gen 2) system. This literally separates your entire body from the process, offering a remote-controlled trigger press with up to 20 pounds of force. That easily handles double-action revolvers and traditional double-action, single-action pistols.
Net-Net
For serious testing of handgun accuracy, there’s nothing quite like the Ransom Rest system. I’m consistently floored by how well various guns can shoot when taking the human error out of the equation. The beauty of that is it gives me a target. Knowing what the gun can do tells me precisely when I’m doing something wrong. It’s also a great way to test ammunition combinations for your particular firearm, especially if you’re a reloader. In a future story, we’ll take this to the range and see how it performs with some different handguns.
I guarantee you’ll be surprised.
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