At the last SHOT Show, I looked at some Bullsbag shooting rests.  I spoke with one of their reps and he told me about how the bags worked.  He asked me if I would be interested in doing a product evaluation on the bags.  I told him I would be glad to do so, but warned him that I would only tell the truth about what I saw.  He assured me that was all he wanted.

I received three different models of their bags, and will show how they are used and how well they work in this two-part series.

The bags are meant to replace the standard benchrest set-up of a front adjustable rifle rest and a rear sandbag system.  I have used this type of system for over 40 years. Here is my usual set-up.



I will be a pretty tough sell for changing to a new system, but let’s see how this one works.

The first bag is the model they call the Bench Black/Suede 15" Shooting Rest.  It came filled with “cat litter” and weighs about 23 pounds.  It has a convenient shoulder strap to help carry it to the bench.  It lists retail for $104.95.



(Just as a side-note…..Many may feel that this is a lot of money for a shooting rest.  However, my normal shooting rests presently lists for approximately $250 and the rear bag lists for around $30, so the system costs approximately $280.  That’s makes $104.95 sound a lot better. )

The Bullsbag system uses a novel system to hold the rifle snugly.  It consists of four “chambers” in an X-type of arrangement.



By placing the rifle between the top two chambers, you can adjust the tension by how much you spread out the two lower bags.



This holds the rifle very snugly and allows consistent shot-to-shot accuracy.



I will try it out with my Accuracy International AE rifle, in .308 Winchester caliber.  This rifle is extremely accurate on the standard benchrest set-up that I normally use, so we will see if it will shoot as well on this bag.



Here I am, ready to go.



I will be shooting at 100 Yards, and this rifle will usually do less than a minute of angle at this distance with my handloads.  100 yards is still a long way away.



And here's the first five shots, including a cold bore shot.



A fine 3/4 inch group, and if I'd kept that flier in the group, it would have been a 3/8th in group.  Not bad for a cold bore group.

The next model is their Field Tree Camo/Tuff-Tec 10" Shooting Rest.  This rest is slightly smaller than the 15” Bench model, and is made for field use.  It retails for $57.95 and this one weighs about 14 pounds when filled with cat litter.



I will try my Remington 700 in .308 Winchester.  It is usually a very accurate rifle on my standard benchrest set-up, so we will be able to see how it does on the Bullsbag.

Here it is, in the grip of the bag.



And a view from the front.



I found that I had to "get down" on the bench to really get a good view through the scope.



Here goes, at 100 yards.



Five shots through a cold bore.



A measured 3/4 inch for 5 shots.  Not bad.

Conclusions:

1.  This system worked as advertised.

2.  It is a good one-piece system for sighting in and shooting from a bench.

3.  I believe it would especially be good for non-bench applications, such as in the field for shooting off a boulder, or a log, or even the hood of a car or truck, where a regular front and rear bench rest system would not be applicable.

4.  They are easy to transport and give a good, steady rest.

5.  Will I replace my old system with these bags?  I don't believe I will, as I have been using the two part system for 40+ years.  But for field applications, this is a much better system

In Part Two, we will look at a Bullsbag system that is designed especially for magazine fed rifles like the AR15 and for pistols.  Stay tuned.  


Edited to add:  Part Two is up.

The field bag may be slightly lower than the bench bag.  But the reason I had to get lower on the bench is due to the height of the bench and bag and the height of the rifle and scope.  It would be different depending on where you placed it.  If it was on the roof of a car, for example, you would be able to stand up and shoot with it.

Interesting. Maybe one about half the length of the full size bag and fill it with plastic bb's.

The filler is a critical part.  Of course, heavier stuff might be desirable for the steadiness, but they would be very heavy with sand or lead shot.

Plastic BBs might work.  They filled mine with cat litter, which seems to be a good compromise.

The next one I will demonstrate is shorter and taller, with removable compartments.  We'll see how it works.

Interesting design, unfortunately if it's successful some chinese company will rip off the design, make it out of old potato sacks and sell it for $ 30

That area looks like it is stiched very thoroughly.  I think it looks tough enough to hold up on these bags.

Thanks, and you're welcome.

That's a pretty safe bet.

Yes, you can buy them with or without filler.  The filled ones are slightly more expensive and I suppose cost more to ship.

They have detailed instructions on how to fill them.  It is not difficult.

I'll talk more about improvised shooting positions in Part Two.

It shoots much better than it costs.

I haven't had them for two years, so I can't honestly say.

But the bags have very thick material on them.  I doubt that they would leak dust.

You bet!

Give me a holler some time and you can meet me at the public range where I shoot.

I go all the time.

You bet!  I learn things too.

Part Two is up.