Front bag reinforced ?

[rmist]

I want to buy a new front bag for my rest. Looking at some of the web sites...one states either "choice of an extra soft or hard reinforcing layer under the nylon between the ears". What's majority being used ? Why would you want an extra soft reinforcement ? My last bag was just leather. I was looking at the super slick from Edgewood. This is for a 3" wide stock.
Thanx again
Rmist

 

[BoydAllen]

I have an Edgewood bag that has leather under the Cordura in the area that that you mentioned, and while it does improve how well the bag holds its shape, for my application, I think that a softer, unreinforced bag works better. In fact, if I had a chance, I would sell it for a good discount. This is not a criticism of their work. They gave me exactly what I asked for.

 

[Alex Wheeler]

It is my understanding that all edgewood bags have a strip of leather under the cordura, and the reinforced has a piece of nylon to make it even stiffer.

 

[vtmarmot]

However it is made, I have the stiffer one and like it a lot.

 

[ridgeway]

The reinforced strip inside is a piece of leather glued. I had one a couple years ago and pulled it out with a pair of needle nosed pliers. Maybe the new ones are plastic.

 

[BoydAllen]

When I got mine, the stiffener under the cordura was an option. Not too long ago, I inspected a friend's that came on one of John Lowe's rests. It had the usual leather on the front and back of the bag, but only had a single thickness of cordura where the rifle touches. This is as I would prefer it. Sometimes tracking, and a bag's holding its shape have to take a back seat to accuracy. In my case, my rifle likes a looser softer front bag. I have done shooting comparisons. On the other hand, I have seen other rifles shoot well from a front bag that had the approximate flexibility of a brick.

 

[beak916]

I just got some "super slick" bags from edgewood and they do live up to their name. I would recomend play sand in the front bag because it has a tendency to leak very fine zircon sand.

 

[butchlambert]

I believe the stiffer bags contribute to vertical.

 

[Tozguy]

In checking the Edgewood website I could not find anything about a 'super slick' bag. Are these new?

I bought a reinforced bag and find it very stiff. For score shooting there is a definite possibilty that the fore end could rest on the front edge of the bag for the lower bulls and then on the rear edge of the bag for the bulls at the top of the target. Not something I imagine is good for vertical like Butch mentionned.

 

[BoydAllen]

On the super slick material: It is new. On the reinforced bag: When it first came out, and possibly now, in standard configuration, it was as flat as a billiard table, and because I was concerned about problems that might occur from the forend riding on the edge of the bag rather than making flat contact, I had them make mine with a built in curve from front to back. Also, I think that regardless of how it is done, too much fill, or stiff material, a hard front bag can contribute to vertical. I have tested this on one of the thin front bags that come on one of the earlier design Hoehn windage tops. Not all vertical is caused by loads alone. There can be multiple contributing factors. If you look around, Speedy Gonzales wrote a short piece on the subject. The list was lengthy.

 

[snakepit]

I have heard this but do not know it for a fact but if you do use a hard/stiff front bag then your rear bag needs to be softer and vice versa. One of the two rest has to be softer to absorb some of the recoil. Having both stiff front and rear bags will increase the chance of vertical. What say you about this?

 

[rmist]

Tozguy...here is the page for supper slick... http://edgebag.com/ ...it is a whiteish color on the ears. I just ordered one from them with the soft reinforcemnt.

 

[BoydAllen]

That is right. Of course the nature of your rear bag may be determined by your shooting style. If you shoot free recoil, that will probably dictate a firmer rear bag. On the other hand if you hold the rifle, and squeeze the rear bag, you probably will like a softer rear bag. Also, shooters may become too preoccupied with how their rifle tracks and harden up both bags, sometimes more than is good for accuracy. My comment on is that there is no tracking trophy. IMO damping is an important part of accuracy. A rifle/ bag combination that vibrates too much as it is fires will not shoot as well as one that is more "dead". You can get this damping more than one way. Stocks vary in this regard. If you hold the rifle, that has a big effect. We have discussed bags, and even some tuners make provision to damp vibration by including a rubber component in their construction.

 

[snakepit]

Thanks Boyd, as usual you have been very helpful. I have been using a fairly stiff 3 lobe front bag and loose rear bag but with stiff ears. It seems to work ok but I will not know for sure if I do not experiment. I have a extra 3 lobe front bag and will fill it softer and compare it with existing stiff one.

 

[Tozguy]

rmist,
Thanks for the link, had not found it by myself!