I do as keith described. I don't lash the gun down to the table, rather I put a couple of bags of shot on the muzzles. My last attempt was with my new little [ Turkish ] Dickinson 410 SxS. It has a through bolt, bent, but a week latter was back to where I started. A friend suggested cutting the through bolt and welding in a 1/4" universal where the wrist is. That way the bent through bolt wouldn't be putting pressure back on the wood. Hell, I don't know - could be worth a try.