Shooting rest including an inclined rail assembly

Abstract

A shooting rest includes a pod arrangement and a rail assembly. The pod arrangement can be a monopod, bipod or tripod. The rail assembly is connected to the pod arrangement. The rail assembly includes a rail, a shuttle and a rest. The rail has an end which is connected to the pod arrangement. The shuttle is slidably mounted to the rail and includes a latch for selectively securing the shuttle at a desired location along a length of the rail. The rest is connected to the shuttle.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A shooting rest, comprising:
 a pod arrangement; and   a rail assembly connected to said pod arrangement, said rail assembly including a rail, a shuttle and a rest, said rail having an end which is connected to said pod arrangement, said shuttle being slidably mounted to said rail and including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail, said rest being connected to said shuttle.   
     
     
         2 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said rail has a generally T-shaped cross section and said shuttle has a generally T-shaped opening in which the rail is slidably disposed. 
     
     
         3 . The shooting rest of  claim 2 , wherein said shuttle has a threaded hole and said latch comprises a thumb screw which is received in said threaded hole. 
     
     
         4 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said rail comprises a picatinny rail with a plurality of alternating lands and grooves, and said latch engages a selected groove for securing said shuttle to said picatinny rail. 
     
     
         5 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said rest is a cradle. 
     
     
         6 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said rest is detachably connected to said shuttle. 
     
     
         7 . The shooting rest of  claim 6 , further including at least one extension rod interconnecting said shuttle with said rest. 
     
     
         8 . The shooting rest of  claim 7 , wherein said at least one extension rod comprises a plurality of extension rods which are threaded together with a bottom extension rod being threaded to said shuttle. 
     
     
         9 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said pod arrangement comprises a monopod, a bipod or a tripod. 
     
     
         10 . The shooting rest of  claim 1 , wherein said shooting rest is configured for use with at least one of a firearm, optical equipment, a photography camera and a video camera. 
     
     
         11 . A rail assembly for use as part of a shooting rest, said rail assembly comprising:
 a rail;   a shuttle which is slidably mounted to said rail, said shuttle including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail; and   a rest connected to said shuttle.   
     
     
         12 . The shooting rest of  claim 11 , wherein said rail has a generally T-shaped cross section and said shuttle has a generally T-shaped opening in which the rail is slidably disposed. 
     
     
         13 . The rail assembly of  claim 12 , wherein said shuttle has a threaded hole and said latch comprises a thumb screw which is received in said threaded hole. 
     
     
         14 . The rail assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said rail comprises a picatinny rail with a plurality of alternating lands and grooves, and said latch engages a selected groove for securing said shuttle to said picatinny rail. 
     
     
         15 . The rail assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said rest is a cradle. 
     
     
         16 . The rail assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said rest is detachably connected to said shuttle. 
     
     
         17 . The rail assembly of  claim 16 , further including at least one extension rod interconnecting said shuttle with said rest. 
     
     
         18 . The rail assembly of  claim 17 , wherein said at least one extension rod comprises a plurality of extension rods which are threaded together with a bottom extension rod being threaded to said shuttle. 
     
     
         19 . The rail assembly of  claim 11 , wherein said shooting rest is configured for use with at least one of a firearm, optical equipment, a photography camera and a video camera. 
     
     
         20 . A rail assembly for use as part of a shooting rest, said rail assembly comprising:
 a rail; and   a shuttle which is slidably mounted to said rail, said shuttle including a latch for selectively securing said shuttle at a desired location along a length of said rail, said shuttle being configured for attachment with one of:   a shooting rest;   a firearm;   optical equipment;   a photography camera; and   a video camera.