I'm looking for a rear bag for general use. My gunrange has front bags and whatnot. I'm going to be getting a bipod anyway so I want a good rear bag. Where should I look? What brand do you guys recommend?
I prefer a bunny filled on the tight side with a Otto stabilizer.
Brand? I use Protektor as well as a few others. A lot depends on the stock finish. For a textured finish I like leather, a smooth finish, any with talcum powder so it slides and doesn't grab and bounce under recoil.
Bill
Last edited by BillPa; 02-02-2013 at 09:31 PM.
I've tried a LOT of different shapes, textures and density bags filled with a wide variation of material. One day at the range we frequent I noticed he had a very tightly packed oval shaped bag made of suede leather and was just rotating it as needed for elevation. Found out it was filled with sand which made it quite heavy. Well being cheap I dug out a pair of old leather welding chaps and figured out how the maker put it all together. Another buddy gave me some discarded plastic pellets used for making plastic bottles. Tried a lot of different shapes with them and found that the oval shape still worked the best for a rear rest for our rifles we used for the local 234 yard to 1000 yard steel plate matches.
I made up templates for three sizes and switch as needed but like the middle size the best. It's 3 1/2" x 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" wide. Filled really firm but when you settle the stock into it and get it all set up you can move away from the gun and it'll stay exactly in place, we've even tried lining everything up and looking away or closing our eyes and continue squeezing and noticed no difference in hit rate compared to normal shots. The suede really works great, not too slippery and just enough roughness to keep the stock in place.
Topstrap
Those look nice. A lot of people seem to recommend cordura as a good fabric. I'll probably just get a yard of it and make my own. Just sew them up, then I can just get the best that is for me. If one doesn't work ill make another. I'll try to find plastic beads to use.
What features do the tactical bags have? That strap that runs through them? And how do they fill them? I guess I would probably just fill it then sew until a little gap is left then add until my preferred firmness. Then sew it up the rest.
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Buddy makes the greenish ones on the left side of my picture, http://skullmonkeygear.com/ he uses velcro to close them up so you can add/delete fill to choice. I tried a few and they are similar to many others manufactured today but I found the material to be too slippery for the way I like to shoot and position my stock.
The strap, some put their hand thru it and squeeze to get position and also let you keep hold of it if you are shooting multiple positions and not losing it while changing positions. I've also seen shooters put the butt of the stock against the strap on top of the bag and when they grip the bag with their squeezy (new term I think) hand it helps keep rifle in position for follow up shots.
It took me a while to figure out how the fella made the oval ones and make them to tight. Finally stumbled on this little gadget called "Speedy Stitcher" http://www.speedystitcher.com/ This thing is amazing and let me sew up the bags and leave a small hole to fill/pack in material then finish sewing up. Wife just laughed at me when I told her how I wanted to make a bag and could she do it for me on her machine. I've made a couple dozen bags for myself and friends and still have plenty of the waxed thread for plenty more.
Topstrap
Last edited by Topstrap; 02-03-2013 at 02:03 PM.
For filler I use Reptile sand. IIRC paid about 10 bucks for 20lbs about 6-7 years ago. It pours and packs well, doesn't clump up and has the weight I want. It works especially well when adjusting the owl bags in the front rest.
Bill
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