Need a recommendation for a rear bag

[Whiterabbit]

rear bag need not be store bought, my wife is a handy sewer and would grumble, but enjoy the project (as well as make it out of pink fabric or something for revenge)

But here's the deal:

I'm really starting to think my innaccurate groups at longer distances are due to grip inconsistencies, and I think the bag is not helping. By the time I get a standard sandbag adjusted to the target, the bag interferes with my hands/grip. I can:

1. use the grip screw to add a wood or aluminum block under the grip as a spacer and rest THAT on the bag so my hands have the same clearance as if I were shooting offhand.

2. provide my own sandbag. (or my own rest, though there are no cheap rests here, and I only want to use it to develop good ammo or sight in anyways.)

If I go the sandbag route which "seems" better (so I don't mess with the grip screw!) I want to make sure it's designed to easily adjust height (unlike a lead-shot sack filled with sand!) and get out of the way of my hands.

Any thoughts?

[subsonic]

This is an uphill fight, especially if you have large hands. I have medium sized hands and find that I can manage by placing the front bag(s) near the muzzle and I use a very small bag under grips.

No matter how you slice it, shooting handguns from the bench is a compromise. The bigger/longer the handgun, the easier it is.

I have google image searched 'handgun rest' more than once and never found anything that looked like an improvement over bags for common revolvers and semi-autos.

I just want some bags that are made of kevlar so I don't keep killing them with blast from the BC gap.

Keep at it and keep trying new things. You will find something that works for you eventually.

[WARD O]

I have long been searching for his answer as well.... What is the proper shooting technique for accuracy testing for handguns???

On the sandbag killing.... I have been keeping a one foot square of deer hide leather in my shooting box and lay it over the bags after they are arranged - it lasts a long time and when it's time, discard and replace.

ward

[Rick Hodges]

Bag Technique? I don't have any long barreled handguns. My 4 5/8" blackhawk is the largest I own. I never supported the handgun with the bag. Instead, I support my wrists. This gives me the same point of impact that I get shooting in the field. I don't get the long barreled scoped handgun...short rifle thing. For me handguns are a short range thing. I'm interested in seeing how the long range handgunners do this.

[subsonic]

I have long been searching for his answer as well.... What is the proper shooting technique for accuracy testing for handguns???


ward

Depends on who you ask and the gun you are shooting and if you care if the POI changes when you shoot from the bench.

In general, just like a table, you want the legs far apart for support. With short, stiff barrels, the harmonics and barrel time have never shown an issue for me when resting the end of the barrel on the bags. Having the butt of the gun on the bags may or may not affect POI vs field positions and offhand.

This is what I like: I lay my arms flat on the bench in either weaver or isosceles and use a very small rear bag under the grip so that I'm not reaching *up* to the gun. This is easier on the wrists (and steadier) than a fat rear bag that you have to reach up to. I lean forward and into the gun while scooting my chair/butt back until I can get this position (table height matters). I try to keep all of my arms from my elbows forward on the bench. I put my feet flat on the ground and square my shoulders up to the target (have to compromise here for weaver). I use a shot bag or 3 filled with sand and arranged/stacked into various shapes to get my elevation correct. This takes some trial and error and usually requires moving the bags around pretty often with heavy kicking guns.

I have seen some guys rest their chin on a sandbags to stabilize their head behind the sights. If you are using a "weaver" type bench technique, you may be able to rest your head on your shoulder if you keep your strong arm mostly straight behind the gun. This is usually what I try to do lately.

YMMV. Others will disagree. This is what I do. I'm applying rifle techniques to pistols, which may be all wrong.

[crabo]

I put a sandbag on my front rifle rest and shove the pistol into it where the barrel meets the frame.

I then put a bunny bag with ears right under my right wrist.

I have another bag laid up against the front rifle rest where my knuckles and fingers of my left hand is supported. I sometimes use another one under the hand for height.

I then use padding or other sandbags under my elbows as needed.

It works pretty well for me. POI is the same when I shoot off the bench or offhand because my hands are holding the pistol, and the hands are relaxed and steadied.

[MGySgt]

Killing Sandbags with a revoler

I took an old inner tube and cut a chunk of it and slid the bag inside of it. Been useing that bag for about 5 years and no damage!

[fecmech]

When load testing revolvers on the bench I have a 4x4" covered with 1/2" thick rubber that I rest the front edge of the frame on. The butt of the gun rests on a very full firm sand bag. After each shot I squeeze the bag to keep the consistency the same and repeat. This does not give the same POI as offhand (in my case about 2" low right at 50 yds) but it gives me the best results for load testing. Using this method I was able to shoot five 6 shot groups last year from my K-38 that averaged 3"@100 yds.

[44man]

I have a hunk of tough canvass I made bags from. I fill them tight for under the butt. The canvass has been holding up and the empty shot bags I used to use would rot. I have a plastic barrel by my bench I throw the bags into, the open end is tilted down to keep rain and snow out.
I use two bags, one front, one rear, muzzle just past the front bag. I use a lower seat for handguns then for rifles. My front rest is a plate on a big screw that screws up and down in a base plate screwed to the bench and a hole in the wood for the screw to go through.
Most of my revolvers shoot the same off hand as they do from the rest but I will shoot Creedmore for deer hunting final sight in.
I tried frame rests and wrist rests, on and on but I just can not hold steady that way. Tried a plastic rest and it flew over my head. Creedmore is actually as accurate as a rest and sometimes more so. One thing good about it is that it gets your eyes farther from the sights. It is very steady with the barrel against your leg, hand against your leg and elbow on the ground. Need a blast shield and elbow pad.
When I shoot from 200 yards to 500 meters I use Creedmore but a scope will allow a rest. Open sights are a big pain for me with a rest.

[Whiterabbit]

I'm too scared of the fireball that comes out of the cylinder gap to try shooting creedmore.

Here's what I came up with for a rest:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=42881&stc=1&d=1333300463

if it looks like I glued junk together, that's exactly what I did. All I did was mill the sawmarks off the delrin block and drill/tap the hole. The rest is glue.

As long as I find the right sandbag and block at the range for the front rest, should give me enough adjustability, and never require pinching. Dunno if it will work, but I will find out. At a cost of free, the price was right.

[44man]

I use thick rubber or cargo belting for a blast shield but they sell Kevlar shields. The biggest, badest gun has never hurt me.

[subsonic]

I have looked and cannot find any blast sheilds for sale.

Anybody got a link?

I might finally have a line on a little bit of cargo belting....

[Frank]

44man:

I use thick rubber or cargo belting for a blast shield but they sell Kevlar shields. The biggest, badest gun has never hurt me.
Creedmore works good for long barreled guns, but you lose the support with a shorter barrel. Then the blast smacks the shield against your leg, ouch.

[fecmech]

I use thick rubber or cargo belting for a blast shield but they sell Kevlar shields. The biggest, badest gun has never hurt me.

That's where that Cargovayer belt went to:kidding:

[44man]

44man:

Creedmore works good for long barreled guns, but you lose the support with a shorter barrel. Then the blast smacks the shield against your leg, ouch.
No blast shield needed for autos or single shots and even the 1911 can be shot if the muzzle is past your leg.
Gap blast is the reason for the shield. It is not barrel length so get the barrel out far enough or you will shoot a hole through your pants! :mrgreen:
Some guns do blast harder but there is no harm with a good shield.

[Frank]

44man:

No blast shield needed for autos or single shots and even the 1911 can be shot if the muzzle is past your leg.
Gap blast is the reason for the shield. It is not barrel length so get the barrel out far enough or you will shoot a hole through your pants!
Some guns do blast harder but there is no harm with a good shield.
You move the muzzle out front, then the gap is near the edge of the shield and bang, ouch. Maybe I should wrap my leg with styrofoam. :drinks:

[44man]

44man:

You move the muzzle out front, then the gap is near the edge of the shield and bang, ouch. Maybe I should wrap my leg with styrofoam. :drinks:
I feel it too but there is no harm done as long as the shield stops everything. The shield needs to be at the gap, not any edges that are open.

[**oneshot**]

I use a standard front rest, putting the frame on the rest
for the grip I rest my forearms just before my wrist on a tubular sandbag. I use a stack of high density foam to set the butt of the grip on. I cut it to be close to the size of my grip and glued the layers together. I used an old gym floor mat, really dense but has some give to it. It allows the recoil to be absorbed but goes back to the same point for the next shot. This set-up gives me the most consistant groups.
Just a note, I also use two pieces of the foam set out for my elbows to sit on.

[44man]

I use a standard front rest, putting the frame on the rest
for the grip I rest my forearms just before my wrist on a tubular sandbag. I use a stack of high density foam to set the butt of the grip on. I cut it to be close to the size of my grip and glued the layers together. I used an old gym floor mat, really dense but has some give to it. It allows the recoil to be absorbed but goes back to the same point for the next shot. This set-up gives me the most consistant groups.
Just a note, I also use two pieces of the foam set out for my elbows to sit on.
That will work. Yes, protect your elbows, they can take a beating. I have drawn blood! :mrgreen:

[**oneshot**]

Yes, the elbows will bleed. The bench acts like 50grit on the skin. I drew blood with a 357mag. I shot a 454 casull off the bench once, and only once without the pads in place. The tips of both my elbows were bruised and sore for weeks.

[thegreatdane]

at first glance, I thought, "this guy needs a bag for his rear?" haha :kidding:

[Frank]

This bag is OK. It has given me many 1 1/2" 100 yard big bore revolver groups. Notice blood stains on the left. Big bore handgun shooting can be a serious business.

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=5223