Homemade shooting rest

[Crpdeth]

I'm being a little tight wadded at the moment...I went and got some canvas coin bags from the bank, and I have a bag of kiddie sand I may use, but before I do I wanted you guys opinion on what I should use for fill material...I know that sand can be a pain, especially when using the bigger guns, causing a dusting effect...I've considered using dry beans or something like that.

Thanks

~Donny

[Smokin Guns]

Not a bad idea! Have never had a shooting bag, beans seem like they would work...Do Banks sell these, or are they giving old ones away?...

Try useing "lead shot" bags or even sewed up blue jean legs, but if you do use sand, pour it into a plastic bag first to keep the dust cloud down. Another good filler is with barley, not quite as heavy as sand.

[armedandsafe]

I have use sand, beans, barley and rice. Sand is heavy and dusty. Beans break up over time. Barley breaks down even faster. Brown rice lasts longest and is fairly light. I'm thinking of putting a layer of lead shot on the bottom to stabilize the rest and filling the rest with rice.

Pops

[gpostal]

never made one ,but i wonder if buckwheat beans would be good

[Txquadhunter]

i've thought about trying saw dust since it's lite and can be packed down. you could try playground/box sand it seems to be less dusty then the rest.

[Crpdeth]

Thanks guys, still brain storming here.

I've used sand in freezer bags, then placed these in burlap in the past, but the freezer bags tend to bust up in there, over time, maybe I'm a little rough with them.

I really like the lead shot idea, 1) I wouldn't have to sew or work on anything, and 2) I do plan to get into handloading for the 12 guage someday...(already have the hulls/press) so the lead shot would come in handy.

I didn't know the beans would break down over time, and I dont want to go through the trouble of buying them, and sewing the bags up with this in mind...The rice sounds better.

SG, I just went in my bank, and said I wanted to buy 4 canvas coin bags, the teller came back with them and said no charge...I'm sure most banks will want to charge something, I feel like the teller didn't know what to charge, so it was eaiser that way.


~Crp

[bompa]

Use new,not used,kitty litter.. Just remember to put it in a plastic bag before the cloth bag.. Ground corn cob works also,maybe the
used stuff fron the tumbler would work too.. Plastic bag would be necessary of coarse..

[wuzzagrunt]

Buck wheat hulls would be a good medium. I have a couple of those buckweat hull pillows and they are most excellent.
https://thebirkettmills.securelook.com/

I use play sand with heavy duty (3 mils or thicker) trash bags inside the cut off legs of old work pants. Sand is a little heavy if you have to trek to your shooting station but I back my van right up to the bench, so it works for me. Leave the plastic bags open in the sun (where no cats can get into it) for a couple of days as it typically contains some moisture.

Check around at yard sales and such, for somebody getting rid of an old "bean bag" chair. There has been no demand for those things since the 70s, so you could pick one up for $1. One of those would provide you with enough material for many, many shooting rests.

[gpostal]

QUOTE:Use new,not used,kitty litter..


good thing you pointed that out ,you got to look out for some of these guys ,but it would be one way to Guarantee to be on the range alone

[JohnnyRobotic]

Originally posted by bompa
Use new,not used,kitty litter..

I would put some used in there, it would help mold the rest around the barrell and keep it's form better

[Silencer]

I did the Levi pant leg thing. Filled it with Hornady corn cobb media. It's makes for a great rest. I filled up a newspaper plastic bad up with the media, and just sewed around it with the pant leg. Simple.

[ysacres]

It sounds like most of us use whatever is available in our area, and the material always ends up in a plastic bag to contain it, then wraped in a fiber bag to prevent slippage of the firearm.
The best one I have used is whole peas mixed with wheat that was spilled around the belt conveyer, put into a gallon zip-loc and wraped with a cloth flour bag.

Cost $.05 for the zip-loc bag.

[IShootBack]

I used peagravel in mine. works fine, but a bit heavy.

[Grunt]

I use shot bags complete with shot at times but when I need a lighter wqeight bag I use canvas tubes filled with styrofoam beads...works for me.

[IShootBack]

Styrafoam beads? Where can you get them?

I wonder how foam peanuts would work?

[Crpdeth]

ISB The "beads" also go by the name peralite, I obtained a large bag of this for a rock making project from a local gardner, but I never considered using it for fill material, Thanks Grunt, I have more than enough of this stuff out in the shed should I choose to go that route...May go buy some shot for a heavy bag, and use the peralite for filling the coin bags. Heck, I may wind up with a dozen different types of rests alltogether.

Oh I forgot...My opinion of the foam peanuts...I think they would quickly break down, and you'd have the equivalent of a bag 1/10 full of the peralite.


~Crp

[berto64]

I just use my black leather Motorcycle jacket. Just roll it up or clump it in a pile, whichever serves the purpose.

berto

[armedandsafe]

Just happened to think of one I havent used, yet. I picked up a youth sized life vest at Goodwill and cut off the neck portion. Gonna try it as soon as I get time to go benchresting again.

Pops

[Crpdeth]

Berto, that sounds real good, but while sighting in the Seven Mag I prefer the leave the leather coat on!

~Crp

[Silencer]

If you go to a thrift store, search for a backpack. They make for a good bench rest as well. A friend made hers by using packing peanuts. She chopped up the peanuts with a weedwacker. Leaving them whole makes for a lumpy rest.

[Rockyja]

Originally Posted by Smokin Guns

Not a bad idea! Have never had a shooting bag, beans seem like they would work...Do Banks sell these, or are they giving old ones away?...

Go to Walmart, buy a yard of "Jean" material and ask your wife to make you a small "pillow case" about a foot square with a strong zipper. When she’s got finished throw in the beans. I have two, one for the barrel and one for the butt of my pistol.

You can make it out of an old shirt sleeve, pant leg, and in a pinch, a ziploc bag. LOL

They’re great, they conform to anything. Lay them anywhere you need a firm shot.

[aa1911]

shot bags filled with sand or similar works great but I made some nice ones using old worn out tumbling media and my favorite so far is wood stove pellets. They're nice and light but enough to hold still for you. I made a custom U shaped bag though from my business material (cordura 1000d) but leather is next I think. The nice big U shaped bag with pellets is what I keep coming back to lately.

I use my assault/hunting packs quite a bit also, just the right size for prone shooting.

[Zhurh]

Those empty X bags ain't that expensive and I really like them off the back porch T bench. Fillin them is what is a pain.

[redwing carson]

There is a reason shooters have used sand bags over the years. You will not see accurate shooting done over "Bean" bags. The uneven compression of soft items allows too much change from shot to shot.