Ok, I hate to admit this, but turning 60 has pushed me into a group of folks I’ll refer to as “The Aging Gun Writers Club.” I never thought I’d see the day…

While I knew that joining this club was inevitable, I was surprised to find out exactly how aging would take a toll on my shooting activities. Before I say any more, the changes aren’t all that serious. When I’m 70 or more, I will look back and wish that I could do all the shooting activities that I could when I was in my prime at 60.

I knew that my eyesight might become problematic. I had been reading articles for years penned by The Aging Gun Writers Club, where members complained mostly about losing their ability to focus clearly on the open sights mounted on their rifles and handguns. Let me apologize here and now to all previous members of this fine group for two things: First, I’m sorry for thinking things like, “Aww, quit your whining” when you discussed eyesight changes. Second, I’m sorry for thinking, “That ain’t happening to me … even when I get to be their age!” I was so very wrong on both counts!

With progressive trifocals, if I look through the bottom section, I can see modern handgun sights sharply enough to consistently drop rounds on silhouette targets at 100 yards. I am also fine with most rifle iron sights, including peep sights. Where I have problems is using magnified optics. Trying to shoot with glasses on causes optic shadows on the scope, which means I have to take my glasses off to shoot accurately. Darned progressive trifocals are a real nuisance.

If eyesight was the only change that affected my shooting, it would only amount to an annoyance. But what The Aging Gun Writers Club didn’t talk about as much was muscle, joint and skeletal issues.

I work out weekly with weights and a heavy punching bag and I run to stay in shape. It’s critical if I am to have a chance on the street as my law enforcement career draws to a close. Despite maintaining my training, I have experienced changes resulting from shoulder problems — the biggest one being difficulty in shooting from a prone position.

Shooting a .22 rifle from the prone position is — like for so many of you — where my shooting-related career began. From being taught by my dad to shoot .22 rifles to shooting regularly on the rifle range at Boy Scout Camp as a junior instructor to a 5-year stint as a police sniper on the Union County Sheriff’s Office, prone shooting played a big part in my firearms use — for recreation and for duty.

The physiological changes I’ve undergone (I found out from a buddy that he is having the same problems) have made it VERY difficult to fire a rifle — regardless of type — unsupported from the prone position. This goes for the rollover prone position (shooting with a handgun). I have to hold a rifle with my support hand all the way back at the trigger guard area rather than at the fore-end. My support hand simply won’t stretch out that far and is not useful in pulling the stock into my shoulder. Needless to say, this is very awkward and not the steadiest of positions. The only rifle I can capably handle these days is an AR-15 or .30 Carbine with a 30-round magazine inserted. I rest the back of my hand on the ground and hold the base of the magazine in my palm. This is the only way prone works for me unless I use a bipod or shooting rest, and it allows me to qualify with a duty rifle.

However, there are ways of compensating for the changes.

Recently, I received a sample of Battenfeld Technologies BOG-POD Rapid Shooting Rest. The BOG-POD is a portable, solidly constructed adjustable tripod rest system that works for prone shooting or shooting off a bench.

Sized to fit in a backpack or shooting bag, the BOG-POD is solidly constructed of mostly heavy-duty cast aluminum, with a few polymer parts in strategic locations — the largest of which is the grooved U-shaped fore-end rest. Weight of the BOG-POD is 21.6 ounces.

The BOG-POD collapses down to a mere 12.8 inches in overall length for transport or storage. With the three legs extended, the deployed height ranges from a minimum of 7 inches to a maximum of 11 inches. The die-cast aluminum legs have non-marring traction feet, which fold out for use and help when shooting centerfire rifles off a bench. There is a simple-to-use twist lock to hold the center shaft and the “Switcheroo” head at the desired height. When deployed, the “Switcheroo” USR (Universal Shooting Rest) support head rotates on its shaft a full 360 degrees. The reason it is called the “Switcheroo” is because you can easily switch between available shooting or accessory heads simply by pulling the existing one out of the center shaft. The heads are held in place by ball detents. Other heads allow the mounting of cameras, binoculars or other shooting mounts.

I tried the BOG-POD with two rifles that represented a good extreme in terms of what one might rest in it — a Henry Repeating Arms .22 Lever Action and a GI M1 Garand.

The USR support head is truly universal. Both rifles — though vastly different — nestled in the support head. This allowed me to use my weak hand to pull the butt of the rifles into my shoulder using the same method I used as a sniper when shooting my 6.8 SPC AR-15 off the attached bipod or sand bags. I was able to maintain a prone position in relative comfort with the rifles solidly supported.

Don’t limit the BOG-POD to just the shooting range for practice. It is also intended, primarily so, to be packed by hunters who need to hike to their hunt locations.

Although the packaging says that the USR “swivels” 360 degrees, it actually rotates on its axis 360 degrees. It is not a true “swivel mount” in the traditional sense, which is fine. For hunting on uneven terrain, I recommend using the optional BOG-POD Sling Swivel Mount on your selected hunting rifles.

Once mounted on a rifle, the Sling Swivel Mount’s ball joint allows your gun to be leveled on the BOG-POD — replacing the USR — thus converting the BOG-POD to a true swivel tripod. The BOG-POD won’t fall off the Sling Swivel Mount unless it is pulled free by hand, allowing you to change positions with the BOG-POD attached. The Sling Swivel Mount is $28.99. If you intend to use the BOG-POD for the range only, it will work fine for that purpose with the USR mounted.

The BOG-POD has an MSRP of $44.99. It is solidly built and versatile.

More info at: www.btibrands.com