Top assembly for a front rifle rest

Abstract

A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle has a base and a top assembly connected to the base. The top assembly has base plate, a right-side rail assembly has a first support pad, and a left-side rail assembly has a second support pad. The first support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle below an equator of the forearm, and the second support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle above the equator in a way that the contact points counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising:
 a base;   a top assembly connected to the base and configured to cradle the forearm of the rifle, the top assembly comprising:
 a bridge; 
 a base plate rotatable relative to the bridge about a vertical axis and selectively movable along a vertical plane to enable the base plate to be movable for adjusting a horizontal and vertical aim of the rifle; 
 a right-side rail assembly and a left-side rail assembly, each mounted on the base plate to form a cradle for the forearm of the rifle, each of the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly comprising:
 a block with an inward-facing surface; 
 a bottom support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, the support member rotatably connected to the block to allow rotation about a horizontal axis; and 
 a side support pad assembly mounted on the inward-facing side of each block, the side support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, wherein the support pad forms a portion of the cradle for supporting the forearm of the rifle, 
 wherein the bottom support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are configured to support a lower side of the forearm of the rifle, enabling sliding movement of the forearm across the bottom support pad assemblies when the rifle experiences linear recoil upon firing, and 
 wherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are arranged to make staggered contact with the forearm of the rifle, with the side support pad assembly of the right-side rail assembly contacting the forearm below an equator of the forearm, and the side support pad assembly of the left-side rail assembly contacting the forearm above the equator to counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing. 
 
   
     
     
         2 . The rifle rest of  claim 1 , wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure. 
     
     
         3 . The rife rest of  claim 2 , wherein the sandbags are made of a braided nylon material filled with particulate material comprising 100-150 grit glass beads. 
     
     
         4 . The rifle rest of  claim 1 , wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly. 
     
     
         5 . The rifle rest of  claim 4 , wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure. 
     
     
         6 . The rife rest of  claim 5 , wherein the sandbags are made of a braided nylon material filled with particulate material comprising 100-150 grit glass beads. 
     
     
         7 . The rifle rest of  claim 4 , wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is provided with a shoulder at a lower end, and wherein the angle of the inward-facing surfaces is approximately two degrees relative to a vertical plane. 
     
     
         8 . The rifle rest of  claim 5 , wherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies include adjustable slots that enable the vertical position of the side support pad assemblies relative to the blocks to be varied. 
     
     
         9 . The rifle rest of  claim 4 , wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing. 
     
     
         10 . The rifle rest of  claim 1 , wherein the base comprises a bipod or tripod configuration with two or three legs, each leg being vertically adjustable to engage a surface. 
     
     
         11 . The rifle rest of  claim 1 , wherein the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly are adjustable along the base plate between about two inches to about five inches. 
     
     
         12 . The rifle rest of  claim 1 , further comprising a forearm stop extending from a front side of the base plate to prevent forward movement of the forearm of the rifle. 
     
     
         13 . A rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising:
 a base; and   a top assembly connected to the base, the top assembly having a base plate, a right-side rail assembly with a first support pad, and a left-side rail assembly with a second support pad;   wherein the first support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle below an equator of the forearm, and the second support pad contacts the forearm of the rifle above the equator of the forearm in a way that the contact points counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.   
     
     
         14 . The rifle rest of  claim 13 , wherein each of the first support pad and the second support pad is a sandbag, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material, the sandbags being deformable by finger pressure when filled. 
     
     
         15 . The rifle rest of  claim 13 , wherein each of the right-side rail assembly and left-side rail assembly includes a block with an angled inward-facing surface, the inward-facing surfaces being positioned parallel to each other, and wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly. 
     
     
         16 . The rifle rest of  claim 15 , wherein each of the first support pad and the second support pad is a sandbag, and wherein each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and is deformable by finger pressure. 
     
     
         17 . The rifle rest of  claim 4 , wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator of the forearm, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing. 
     
     
         18 . A top assembly for a rifle rest for supporting a forearm of a rifle, comprising:
 a bridge connectable to a base;   a base plate rotatable relative to the bridge about a vertical axis and selectively movable along a vertical plane to enable the base plate to be movable for adjusting a horizontal and vertical aim of the rifle;   a right-side rail assembly and a left-side rail assembly, each mounted on the base plate to form a cradle for the forearm of the rifle, each of the right-side rail assembly and the left-side rail assembly comprising:
 a block with an inward-facing surface; 
 a bottom support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, the support member rotatably connected to the block to allow rotation about a horizontal axis; and 
 a side support pad assembly mounted on the inward-facing side of each block, the side support pad assembly including a support member and a support pad, wherein the support pad forms a portion of the cradle for supporting the forearm of the rifle, 
 wherein the bottom support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are configured to support a lower side of the forearm of the rifle, enabling sliding movement of the forearm across the bottom support pad assemblies when the rifle experiences linear recoil upon firing, and 
   wherein the side support pad assemblies of the right-side and left-side rail assemblies are arranged to make staggered contact with the forearm of the rifle, with the side support pad assembly of the right-side rail assembly contacting the forearm below an equator of the forearm, and the side support pad assembly of the left-side rail assembly contacting the forearm above the equator to counteract radial torque applied to the rifle upon firing.   
     
     
         19 . The rifle rest of  claim 18 , wherein the support pads of the bottom support pad assemblies and the side support pad assemblies are sandbags, each of the sandbags includes a bag filled with particulate material and deformable by finger pressure. 
     
     
         20 . The rifle rest of  claim 18 , wherein the inward-facing surface of each block is angled relative to a vertical plane, and wherein the block of the right-side rail assembly is angled outwardly while the block of the left-side rail assembly is angled inwardly, and wherein each of the support pads of the side support pad assemblies is a sheet of felt material adhered to the inward-facing surface of each block so the sheet of felt material is angled relative to the vertical plane to contact the forearm of the rifle below and above the equator of the forearm, respectively, thereby counteracting radial torque upon firing.