Built a shooting bench on my property and here's what I'd do differently

When I finished building my shooting bench, I felt pretty proud of myself but that feeling lasted right up until I started actually using it. The first thing I noticed was that it sits a little too low for comfortable prone-style work, this is not a disaster but just enough to make me wonder what version of myself thought those measurements looked right on paper. Then I tried setting up a spotting scope next to my rifle and realized the bench wasn't nearly as wide as I thought it was. Apparently I designed it around what I thought I needed instead of what I actually use.

The lack of a sun shade was another lesson. Everything seems fine until you're squinting into the afternoon sun and wishing past-you had spent one more afternoon on the project and then there's the target direction. Let's just say the afternoon lighting situation is less than ideal. Some days I feel like I'm shooting directly into a giant flashlight.

The funny part is the bench works perfectly well. I've used it plenty and it's done exactly what I built it to do. The problem is that using it also showed me everything I should have done differently. I guess that's how most projects go. Version one teaches you what version two needs to be and version two is already taking shape in my head. It's bigger, smarter, better thought out and if history is any guide, it'll give me a whole new list of things to complain about next year.

That sounds about right for any DIY project. The first version teaches you what you actually need, not what you thought you needed. At least the bench is getting used and that's better than a perfect design that never gets built. Version two will be better, and version three will probably be even better.

That’s pretty much how every range setup goes. First build works fine then real use shows the small misses. Easy fixes like height, wider top, and shade will make version two a big upgrade without starting over.

Building something yourself means the first version is basically just a pricey prototype. The real value comes from learning what the actual final version needs to be.