Over the last 15 or so years I have tried quite a few different rests. Never was willing to spend the $$$ on a good windage adjustable front rest.
As all I ever shot at that time was 12ga slug guns, I needed a rest that would reduce the recoil I was experiencing. Dont get me wrong, sand bags are awesome to use as a rest for bench shooting and you can not beat the price if you make them yourself, but thay suck at absorbing recoil, and i am here to tell you a 1-1.25oz 12ga 2.75" magnum foster slug traveling at 1600fps or a 435grn sabot slug at around 1750-1800fps is recoil that makes a 30-06 look like a .22.
So you will have to deside if recoil reduction is a primary or "must have" feature of any rest you wish to buy. If it is not, then there are allot of good rests out there, I just have not used any of them.
I have used for the last 12 or so years the "Bench Mark Shooting Rest" it is a "T" shaped hight adjustable rest I bought and then modified to hold a 25lb bag of #7 lead shot. Removed the back screw so it would sit atop a med bunny ear bag. Installed a sm owl ear bag in the front of the rest. What i ended up with was a free recoiling rest that added around 33lbs to the weight of any rifle I shot off it. It has no adjustment for windage, but does have fine hight adjustment that is quite good. Works like a charm. Was able to shoot as meny rounds as i wished out of my magum MLs, 338wm, slug guns and even used it to sight in and pattern my 12ga turkey guns. Never caused me to have a shift in POI. If I wear my PAST shoulder pad even my 10ML-II shooting 300grn bullets at 2450 feels mild.
Then I could not leave well enough alone and bought a Caldwell Leadsled DFT that was on sale. Worked well enough as advertized, but much to my surprise it caused a POI shift of 7" to the left at 100yrds. So I seldome use it anymore and are thinking of selling it.
One of these days I am going to make me a jig that bolts temp onto the range bench so my rest simply slides back and forth so it will return to battery with much less need to be reset for shooting.
To be honest I have not seen a recoil reducing shooting rest I would buy that is presently on the market today. Although I like my DFT, it was over 2x the price of my Bench Mark and does not serve me as well.
Possably the original Leadslead that can be had on sale or I think under $100 would serve you better.
Hopefully people who have used other types of rests will offer up their advice.
