Rear shooting bag

[Bristleback]

If you would, I'd greatly appreciate your input.

I'm a hunter, period, not a BR shooter, but more than willing and wanting to learn via the BR ways to have very accurate hunting rifles, I shoot, reload for my 204, 22-250, 6x284, 6.5x284......

I've struggled with finding a good rear shooting bag. So I call the folks at Protektor, they're willing to custom make a bag. We have a friendly chat as to what I want, exchange emails, pictures/sketches etc.

Here's when I opted to toss this out to all of you: I'm thinking I want a bag with "higher ears" and angled "inward" as to put more pressure on my gun stock, in order to help hold it motionless. The DR bag was brought up and I certainly can't argue with the designer/contributors sucess........but am concerned about the lack of ear height and it helping hold the stock.
If you would please comment on the gun sliding freely when fired vs a bag "grabbing" the stock due to the bag being leather.
I sincerely appreciate your input.

 

[effendude]

Another bag to look at would be the Edgewood Mini-gator. My wife and I have them with handles for F-class. Edgewood is helpful and will make the bag to suit your needs. They are handy and versatile.
Scott

 

[skeetlee]

I am no expert by any means but it sounds like in your case that the need for a sliding repeatable situation isnt necessarily best. I am not sure what your hunting rifles are but by the calibers you mentioned they are custom rifles. If you trying to develop and get the most out of your hunting rifles, a good solid bag will be more desirable than the repeated speed BR shooters are after. Does that make any since? LOL!! I am lost myself!! Go for the solid, big eared bag, take your time between shots and see what your rifles are capable of. Hows that! Again i am nobody, so take it for what it is worth. Happy Turkey day!!! Lee

 

[normmatzen]

S.E.B. makes a nice rear bag also. And it has a handle for carrying.
S.E.B. has a new rep in the U.S., check Google.

 

[Bristleback]

Thanks for the input, I sincerely appreciate it.

WOW nearly 200 looks and only a couple replies?

 

[TonyR]

I was not satisfied with my bag until I got one of these.

http://www.6mmbr.com/catalog/item/1433308/1771469.htm

I use it in F-Class matches and the gun tracks beautifully. I just put a little baby powder on the leather and the stock slides smoothly. I think you can also get the Cordura ears if you want them. The proper distance between the ears does depend on the profile of your stock.

 

[sxsboy]

I also polish the inside of the ears on my Portektor rabbit ears w/ shoe polish and then the baby powder is real slippery and easy for me to adjust the gun for following shots.

Good luck, Joe

 

[GerryM]

protektor make a rabbit ear bag that is very good for hunting style stocks. Nice high ears so the rifle will settle in. try the hard hold method. Free recoiling is mostly benchrest shooting.
You should also get the small front bag that best suits your rifles.
Hope this helps Look at their site. They are good to deal with and generous with information i'm told.

 

[Bristleback]

MANY THANKS, I appreciate the input.

For clarification.........is the "free sliding" many speak of, is this for BR shooting primarily, so one can "quickly" shoot again?

For working up loads for my hunting rifles.........if my rear bag "doesn't slide"........is the having an adverse affect on myoint of impact, when working up loads?

I've seen many rifle rests that don't allow the gun to "slide back" at all, unless the entire rest jumps back.........does this make sense?

Bottom line, is I'd like to use what will give me the "truest" group which I can expect in a hunting application.
Again, thanks!!

 

[BoydAllen]

If you slide a hunting stock on a front rest, rear bag setup, you will see that as the rifle slides to the rear, the angle on the bottom of the butt stock (toe angle) causes the back of the rifle to fall and the front to rise. When you shoot the rifle, there is a small amount of recoil distance for which the bullet is still in the barrel. If the rifle does not slide the same amount to the rear during this time, for each shot, the rifle will have risen differently for each shot. For this reason it is desirable that the stock be configured so the rifle slides smoothly and consistently for each shot. Heavily textured finishes, sling studs,or anything else that causes inconsistency of slide rate or linearity, before the bullet exits the muzzle, is detrimental to accuracy. As to steadiness of the rifle, I would look more to the front bag for that. I have a rest that has a bag that holds the rifle in a manner similar to a bulls X bag. It holds slim, rounded hunting stocks very steady, even with a bunny ear rear bag. Another thing, I often see hunters, at the range, trying to use too light of a hold on their rifles. Stock designs, balance, recoil, and type of rest dictate what gun handling techniques will work best, when shooting from the bench. What works well for one type rifle, or rest, may not with another.

 

[TonyR]

In addition to consistent movement in the bags, it is also very important to maintain a consistent point of aim during load development. Most target shooters have some sort of level attached to the rifle or scope so that the rifle doesn't cant differently from shot to shot. You may not want one of these on your hunting rifle, but you can level your sighting-in target and use a target with a grid on it and line up your crosshairs to the grid the same everytime.

 

[Bristleback]

Thanks guys, makes perfect sense. I sure appreciate the input.

 

[Bristleback]

Bare with me here, LOL

Why all the rests on the market these days with leather/nylon straps across the butt of the stock.........based on what's been discussed wouldn't this have a detrimental affect on accuracy??...........or are these shooters "just wanting to hit a milk jug at 100 yards, per say"
I'm guessing these straps are trying to help reduce recoil??

 

[nhm16]

I'm not a benchrest shooter, but it is obvious even to me that there is technique/art/skill/experience involved with shooting from a front rest and rear bag, as the comments above attest.

What those rests with the straps, which I'm assuming you mean rests like the Caldwell Lead Sled and similar, are for are to mechanically zero your scope with as little user skill/input required as possible. In other words, they are the poor man's machine rest. This is especially the case when they are shooting some brutal hard-hitting magnum round.

People I've seen use them are typically hunters who only want to zero the scope, not become proficient at shooting off a rest and bags, because that skill is less applicable to them out on the field. These rests let them do that without a whole lot of practice. Also, most people who use those rests don't realize that they're also testing their scopes, because it's absorbing all the recoil.