NEO REST MANUAL SHEET
by Mike Ratigan, January 2014)

Your new NEO rest is the best engineered & smoothest coaxial rest in the world. The NEO rest design is based on experience gained over the last few years and with the help of some of the best shooters on earth.

Your Seb NEO rest can be used with any type of benchrest shooting, although many of the design features where designed for the competitive and demanding sport of benchrest shooting those same design features will serve you well for any type of shooting from competitive centerfire benchrest, F-class, 600 and 1000 yard benchrest, Varmint for score, Hunter class, rim fire, air gun and varmint shooting. (sorry if I omitted your discipline, it was not intentional)

Some features of the NEO rest:

1. Ambidextrous - Only rest on the market to serve both right and left handed shooters.
2. Dual support columns with Rack & Pinion system, with a huge and rapid adjustment range.
3. Spring loaded top mechanism to help hold up the weight of the rifle - standard.
Optional - Static Counter Weights available (dependent on rifle weight).
4. Lightest and smoothest joystick movement available. This is accomplished by the counter force loading, either by the standard spring loading or the optional static counter weight. The rest design enables the tensioners to be adjusted for the desired feel by the user. Other coaxial rests require enough clamping force to hold the weight of the rifle, without that clamping force, the rest top and rifle will move down by themselves.
5. Seb NEO has more joystick travel than any other coaxial rest on the market. 
About 43 MOA in the vertical, 48 MOA in the horizontal with joystick movement alone.
6. Ability to adjust the force required to rotate the center shaft. The bent joystick and ability to rotate it will aid in keeping the palm of hand firmly grounded to the bench at all times while holding the joystick.
7. Reversible base configuration. The Base can be setup conventionally with the long leg in the rear (Shown above) or can be set up with the long leg in the front. As with many things there are trade offs. 
While using the long leg to the front gives more room under the rifle, it also moves the rifle and rest about 5 inches farther back on the bench.
(It is common to have the rest front feet at the front edge of the bench.)
8. Weight – Standard rest 22.5 pounds (10.2kg), Ratigan optioned rest comes in at about 24 pounds (11kg).
9. New adjustable rest top design with 3 independent bags. For rifle widths of about 0-4inches.
Optional - Single piece bags available in 2.5, 3 and 4 inch widths.
10. Independent moveable side plates with Fine tension adjustment.
11. Bubble Level is standard with every rest.
12. Only production rest that can be used in reverse acting mode. Up on joystick = down on rest, down=up
13. Collet type joystick attachment that is very stable.
14. Fore end stop is foldable and adjustable, Standard with O-rings. Ratigan – Option comes with a smooth plastic cover.
15. Designed to minimize the number of tools required to use the rest, the goal was zero.
16. Rest packs up very compactly, easily dismantled for transport – a big “plus” when traveling.

Optional Static Counter Weight
“Competitors take note -- with the Seb NEO, equipped with the optional static counter weight, and a little knowledge the shooter can calibrate the counter weight to the rifle weight. The counter weight is used to hold up the rifle. Clamping pressure of the sliding plates is NOT used to hold up the rifle like other coaxial rests on the market today. This feature differentiates this rest from the others. Other coaxial rests apply enough clamping force to the rest top mechanism sliding plates to resist the downward movement of the top when the rifle weight sets on the rest. 

This one feature of the Seb NEO almost completely eliminates bullets falling out of the bottom of your groups because the rest moved (or falls) down when you fired the rifle. Sorry for being windy here, this function is very important.” -- Mike Ratigan

Ratigan Optioned Rest;
Static Counter Weight – for rifle fore end weights between 7.5-11.5 pounds (LV-HV) (1” thick moving element)
One Piece 3” wide 1000 denier Nylon bag
Smooth front stop cover
Adjustable Levers for side plate adjustment (for that time you borrow a rifle wider than yours)
Foot points of tough A2 steel
Short foot for long leg (so joystick will clear)
More detailed counter balance instructions used by Extreme Rifle Accuracy shooters (New for 2014).

Front Bag(s):
The bag(s) are half round shaped and conform to WBSF / NBRSA / IBS rules. The bags are shipped empty and need to be filled with sand (no bearings or balls for you competitive shooters). To fill the bag(s); raise the coaxial unit (#11) all the way up by loosening the locks (#12) and turning either hand wheel. Prepare some sand (any type of sand you feel will work).

“Give some coarse sand blasting sand a try with the small stuff 
screened out, this will help reduce compaction from daily use.” Mike Ratigan

Center Shaft Rotation:
This section addresses how to adjust the resistance of the center shaft to rotation.
Some shooters rotate the handle (which turns the center shaft (#13)) as part of the normal use of the rest.

There are 2 small set screws (#17) that are accessed through the bottom of the rest. These screws apply tension on the bearings (#34 & #35). The center shaft (#13) is epoxy glued into one of the bearings and designed to slip through the other as the geometry of the mechanism is changed by moving the joystick.

If the center shaft where glued into both bearings the top would not move freely, if at all.
One or both of the set screws (#17) can be tightened and loosened slightly to change the rotational force needed to rotate the handle.

“I try to keep the palm of my hand grounded to the bench at all times. To do this at the closer distances, the handle will be laying flat (bend to the side) while shooting on the bottom of the target. To move to the top up (right handed shooters) I rotate the handle counter clockwise, which will lift the top up while maintaining my palm grounded to the bench.” -- Mike Ratigan

Hand Wheel / Clutch Brake System;
A unique clutch brake system is incorporated into your new NEO rest to hold the gun weight until the coaxial unit is locked in place with the locking bolts (#12).
Both clutches are mechanically the same, but installed on different sides. This allows one clutch to be set to resist the up motion, the other to resist the down motion.
From the factory it should be harder to lower the rest (turn down) than to raise it. This is so when you loosen the lock screws (#12) the rest does not fall down.
Do Not change the setting or try to remove the mechanism if you don’t have the proper mechanical skills or know how it works?
Doing so may void the Warranty.

Warranty:
Your rest is covered with a 30-day Money Back Guarantee and one full year warranty against any defect in materials and workmanship from the date of purchase. Within the thirty days, you can return the rest with the original packaging and must be sent in “Like New” condition, with no damage. Contact your dealer or Seb if you want to return the rest.

Maintenance & Storage:
Your NEO rest is built from the finest materials (with good corrosive resistance) and will give a lifetime of use if properly cared for. No special treatment or maintenance is required, however common sense applies here: Do not expose to rain, dust and extreme temperatures. 

Store your rest in a strong case with the joystick removed. Apply light lube on the rack gear posts & pinions.

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Please feel free to contact us if you have any problems with your NEO rest!
seb.