What Do You Put In Your DIY Bench Rest Bags?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Do You Put In Your DIY Bench Rest Bags?

Posted: 1/6/2009 10:44:38 AM EDT

I got a couple heavy duty canvas bank bags that I want to fill and use for bench rest shooting.
I thought about filling them with sand, but I think that would make them too heavy and also produce dust.
Then I thought about using dried beans, might work ok.
Also thought about using styrofoam peanuts, but they would probably break down very quickly.
Wondering what your experiences have been and what you recommend.
Thanks

Posted: 1/6/2009 11:13:34 AM EDT

[#1]

Sand. Kitty litter. Put in large freezer bags first to eliminate dust.

Posted: 1/6/2009 11:15:10 AM EDT

[#2]

I went through a 2 week sniper school in April and all the guys were using cut up BDU's and filling them with dried beans. Worked very well. Compact, light, and would fit in your BDU pocket and won't pull your pants down.

ETA: If your using these strictly on the range, sand would be fine. If this is something that you will be deploying, sand and kitty litter is too heavy.

Posted: 1/6/2009 12:01:41 PM EDT

[#3]

I use aquarium rocks. Lighter than sand and no dust. Works fine for me!

Posted: 1/6/2009 12:12:20 PM EDT

[#4]

Pretty much ruled out sand because of weight. Not much experience with kitty litter, will have to look into it.
Just thought about wood pellets, but don't know about weight or dust with these.
Seems like dried beans makes the most sense so far.

Aquarium rocks hmmmm......didn't think about those, good suggestion, will look into them. They even come in tacticool colors.

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:05:49 PM EDT

[#5]

Beans work well,just be sure to put them in a sealable freezer bag to keep moisture away from the beans.If they get wet they will soften up and start to stink!

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:07:38 PM EDT

[#6]

Yeah, I forgot to add that!

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:08:28 PM EDT

[#7]

rice!

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:21:01 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
rice!

+1 on the rice....

KyARGuy

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:25:47 PM EDT

[#9]

I put kitty litter in mine and it works fine. One thing I was careful about was finding a type of media that is small so that the bag is easier to pack it and make it fit your rifle well. All the suggestions on here sound good so just pick whatever you like.

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:26:21 PM EDT

[#10]

i cut open all my little brothers beanie baby stuffed animals and filled one with those plastic pellets.

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:30:24 PM EDT

[#11]

Shotgun Lead bag filled with sand from the gun club - it was a sand pit.

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:46:26 PM EDT

[#12]

I used sand for my rifle rest a long time ago, but I eventually had to throw it away because the bag broke.

I'd use beans, pebbles, rice, kitty litter, etc. this time around.

Posted: 1/6/2009 1:49:12 PM EDT

[#13]

Corn.

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:02:45 PM EDT

[#14]

If you want something a little lighter or will deal with water better than rice and beans go to walmart craft area or any craft shop and grab some Poly Beads. THese are used for filler in dolls and other stuff.

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:06:20 PM EDT

[#15]

that looks like the ticket right there! Nice find mudbug!

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:11:23 PM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
that looks like the ticket right there! Nice find mudbug!

I guess shopping with the wife paid off.

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:21:10 PM EDT

[#17]

Sand was free, so sand.

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:46:47 PM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
that looks like the ticket right there! Nice find mudbug!

Yeah, no shit, great idea. Thanks MudBug.
Lots of responses and great ideas. Arfcom never ceases to amaze me.
I'll definitely be stopping at Walmart and grab up some poly beads.

Posted: 1/6/2009 2:57:59 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
that looks like the ticket right there! Nice find mudbug!

I guess shopping with the wife paid off.

Actually I can't take the credit.

Anyone that hangs out at Snipers Hide or other practical precision forum will know that this is the filler used by those that make the rear sqeeze bags. I just recently refilled my range use caldwell bag with the poly beads to save some weight over the rice I was using.

Posted: 1/6/2009 3:00:18 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:
that looks like the ticket right there! Nice find mudbug!

Yeah, no shit, great idea. Thanks MudBug.
Lots of responses and great ideas. Arfcom never ceases to amaze me.
I'll definitely be stopping at Walmart and grab up some poly beads.

Everyone else says they bought theirs at Walmart but my local walmart didn't have it so I bought mine at Micheals Craft store.

Posted: 1/6/2009 3:09:08 PM EDT

[#21]

I use the walnut and ground corncob media from the tumbler when it gets "worn out".

Posted: 1/6/2009 3:34:49 PM EDT

[#22]

Silicone bean bag fill from Walmart.

Posted: 1/6/2009 3:51:38 PM EDT

[#23]

My set had a small opening and it was hard to get even rice to fill it up. So being the southerner that I am, I found GRITS to be the answer.

Posted: 1/6/2009 10:13:22 PM EDT

[#24]

never tried it but if you want light and water proof id say airsoft bbs.

Posted: 1/6/2009 10:58:44 PM EDT

[#25]

#9 bird shot

Posted: 1/6/2009 11:02:46 PM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:
never tried it but if you want light and water proof id say airsoft bbs.

I think the new airsoft bb's are water soluble.

Posted: 1/7/2009 5:42:12 AM EDT

[#27]

Ground walnut shell from pet supermarket found in the reptile section. $12.00 for 8lbs.

Posted: 1/7/2009 5:51:26 AM EDT

[#28]

What do yall recommend making the actual bag out of for a DIYer?

Posted: 1/7/2009 5:54:21 AM EDT

[#29]

Thanks again for all the suggestions. Some very good ones. Some I would never have thought of.
So far the poly beads seem to me to make the most sense and will go out today and try to hunt some down.

Posted: 1/7/2009 6:01:22 AM EDT

[#30]

I use the legs off old denim jeans. Just cut off a chunk, double sew one end, fill er up with rice and double sew the other end. Insta-range-bag! Cost effective and about as practical as you can get.

Posted: 1/7/2009 6:39:51 AM EDT

[#31]

I used sand, too damn heavy!
Now I use corn cob media, light and no dust!

Posted: 1/7/2009 6:45:11 AM EDT

[#32]

+1 for the old denim jean legs and walnut shells from an old guy. If you want something a bit more classy and expensive looking and your wife or girlfriend has a pair of suede (leather) slacks tell her you want them when she is going to get rid of them, the legs make real nice shooting bags. You can also check your local thrift stores, Salvation Army, Good Will and others for old suede or leather slacks, the older and more worn out (and therefore cheaper) the better, and arms from old leather jackets will work as well, thinner leather seems to work better than thick leather, especially with light weight filler material. I like the idea of the small plastic pellets better than the styrofoam peanuts. I prefer a little heft to my shooting bags, if not the weight of real sand or lead shot....<><....:)

Posted: 1/7/2009 7:13:17 AM EDT

[#33]

Unpopped popcorn kernels.

Posted: 1/7/2009 10:12:47 AM EDT

[#34]

I use rice, but if I was gonna start over, I would look closely at the poly beads. One thing to think about it making sure the bags are heavy enough to not move around alot while you are using them.

Posted: 1/7/2009 3:39:24 PM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
I used sand, too damn heavy!
Now I use corn cob media, light and no dust!

I use the corn cob media and it actually works well, but I am gonna try the poly beads mentioned above.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Do You Put In Your DIY Bench Rest Bags?

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