DiRTY DOG
Well-known member
I needed an ultra lightweight rear shooting bag for rock chuck hunts that involve long hikes where I need a steady rear bag but don't want to carry something heavy. I got an empty $9 Caldwell rear shooting rest on Amazon. Then I robbed my wife's craft drawer of some styrofoam beads like the kind used in bean bag chairs. A paper funnel and a chop stick made short work of overstuffing the bag with beads.
The result is an ultra lightweight rear bag that weighs only 3.1 oz! I added a tether and clip (because I tend to lose stuff) making the entire rig just 3.25 oz total.
Is it firm enough to be steady? Yes! It's excellent, I've shoot sub 1/2 moa with it out to 200 yards (as far as I've tested) and I made a 427 yard shot on a rock chuck with it.
These BB sized styrofoam beads were easy to fill the bag but it seemed too squishy. The micro beads flowed like sand but it was impossible to overstuff and the result was a floppy bag. I used both together and the micro beads seemed to fill in the cracks just right between the BB sized beads.
I'm not sure how they manufacture those micro beads but I'm pretty sure it involves the devil because once you open the bag those beads go everywhere! Make sure you do it outside so your wife doesn't know you raided her craft stuff.
The result is an ultra lightweight rear bag that weighs only 3.1 oz! I added a tether and clip (because I tend to lose stuff) making the entire rig just 3.25 oz total.
Is it firm enough to be steady? Yes! It's excellent, I've shoot sub 1/2 moa with it out to 200 yards (as far as I've tested) and I made a 427 yard shot on a rock chuck with it.
These BB sized styrofoam beads were easy to fill the bag but it seemed too squishy. The micro beads flowed like sand but it was impossible to overstuff and the result was a floppy bag. I used both together and the micro beads seemed to fill in the cracks just right between the BB sized beads.
I'm not sure how they manufacture those micro beads but I'm pretty sure it involves the devil because once you open the bag those beads go everywhere! Make sure you do it outside so your wife doesn't know you raided her craft stuff.
