Rear bag

fish slapped

Hi Guys and Gals,

I have a rear bag for FTR and I bought it used (like most of my gear ) but its seems to be filled with a softish media, I want to replace this with something heavier and stable.

But what??

I was thinking of kids play sand, dried in the oven (don't tell herself).

what do ye think or use???

fish

It wasn't me!

Not a rear bag but in my kneeling roll I use rice, inside plastic ziplock bags to keep it dry, and it means it shapes and holds shape really well due to having a bit of internal structure too. Plenty of weight to be useful I'd say. You can get balls of plastic from any injection moulding setup which are excellent and very stable, but perhaps a little light for your requirements. Brilliant for the likes of kneeling rolls though.

Cass

I use kid's play sand in mine. It's ultra fine, and can be compacted to prevent movement.

Try avoid rice, plastic pellets, etc. I've tried them all, and they are either too light, and do not act well under recoil or never truely pack tight, and allow for slight movement when shooting.

I have loads of the sand left over from the couple of rear bags i've filled. Next time i'm over i'll bring it, and get ya sorted.

fish slapped

Cool,
Do you use a plastic bag inside to stop it running out??

Cass

Nope.

It shouldn't run out. The bag is a "sealed" leather one. The only "out" for it is the filling tabs. I have a funnel, and Ancient Chinese poking device (chopstick) to pack the bag. It should have a very, very little movement to make it legal for FTR, but just barely.

Vegeta

Completely spit balling here as it would probably go mouldy or rot. Would any of the really fine baking flower be good? Ever see those kids stretchy toys bust open. It seems to be filled with this stuff and it holds shape really well.

Obviously sand will withstand moisture much better but just thinking out loud really.

Cass

You want a material that will hold the stock of an 18 pound rifle as steady as is possible. When you pck the bag the material you use is dry. What happens if the material re-acts with rain or damp, and starts to swell. You could end up with a burst bag.

Also you really do need a rock steady platform. The rules for FTR state that the bag must be a simple sand bag, not mechanically operated to aid in recoil, and must be of a suitable material to allow the bag to be malleable. This means if you squeeze the bag it must be able to be compressed. It does not state how compressible, but you could not fill it with "concrete" (you get the idea).

So what you are looking for is a suitable mix of stability, malleable, and keeping within the rules. Sand works the finest. I've tried plastic "beads", and while good the move more than sand, and never really "settle". I once tried a combo of rice, and sand. It got soaked, and swelled out. Almost burst the bag. When dry it never fully filled the bag.

Cass

@ fish slapped. Remind me to bring the sand. Send a PM Friday.