To add to Vinces Thread What do ya fill your bags with. I no some guys use kitty litter for weight, I'm much more comfortable with sand I think if forms to the stock better but just thats just me .
What do you guys use.
Joe

shrpshtrjoe wrote:

To add to Vinces Thread What do ya fill your bags with. Joe

Generally only what I need...but is dictated by the time spent.

Clothes, rain gear, ammo, sustainance food, extra knife, camp saw, camera....all a given. I try to go light as possible with my shootin' rest.

Sand goes in the sandbags tho'.........

Play ground sand with a little lead shot on the bottom for more stability is what I use in my Caldwells bag.

Duce wrote:

You guys must be rich? Here in Kentucky we stuff what-ever we can get down the end of the barrel and find the biggest tree we can get to support us and fire away. Works well for me...................

We were using spent brass, stacked up just so. but that got too expensive too....

There are different grades of sand.

My Shooting Club has an extremely fine grade of sand in the bags they provide. I don't go much on it though because it creates dust even through cotton bags.

The sand I use is builder's sand or what we call "fatty sand". It is generally used for bedding of pavers etc. It is a fairly coarse grain and packs nicely without being dusty...not that it matters a great deal because I lined my 14 oz canvas with plastic before putting the sand inside.

As I said before, I originally used wheat because I thought it would mould to shape best...but the bugs turned it into flour. I didn't consider anything lighter than that to be of any real use.

Kitty litter sounds interesting, but I think the only kind that would be useful is the burnt chalk type, although I use it for putting in the tray under my BBQ to soak up any fat. I think any of the other types would be a bit light in weight for a rest bag..

In the field I do carry a home made shooting stick, but I shoot prone when I can and I use a back pack as a rest then.

Cheers, Vince

Before I had the caldwell bags, I used old shot bags filled with playground sand, we would get them wet when we would use them to keep the dust to a minimum.

I'm using 80 grit sandblasting sand in my bags.

Vince,
I guess I should have specified; I use the or clay pellet type of kitty litter. It is somewhat lighter than sand by bulk and won't pack down to create a hard surface. Most other kinds are too dusty even with the liners in my bags. I have know others to use dried beans and even corn with varying degrees of success.

I also have a large piece of "flank" leather that I place over the bags when shooting revolvers to prevent gas-cutting of the fabric from the barrel/cylinder gaps...even though I only rest my forearms if shooting them from the bench.

I fill my bags with river sand - nice and coarse and lots of it. Have to seive it to get rid of gravel but it works well.

OntheLasGallinas - still waiting to see a photo of your favorite fence post!!

I had an old leather apron that was cut into pieces and stitched into three bags (two larger & one small) at a local shop. The cost back then was minimal and I filled them all with a special sand...(free sand). Then stiched up the corners and use them on the bench at the range. I also have a Caldwell "lead sled" that work well and use my sandbags as the weight.

If it's going to the field I have other set-ups that are lighter.

My rifle rest was given to me by one of the bench-rest guys at the range. I guess he thought my shooting was good enough that the rest would help or that I really needed the help. It is a nice rest.