Shooting rest bags

sserdlihc · August 1, 2010, 08:43 PM

Just wanted to share my little DIY accomplishment. I have been looking for some shooting rest bags. I looked at Caldwell and Hoppes', but just didn't see what I wanted. I had some old fabric from work and decided I was going to make my own. Once I cut them out and sewed them up, they were filled with rice. I think they turned out pretty good! Don't laugh at the fabric I used. Just was trying to use what I had. I had to buy the rice though, which
cost me $7. I got 4 shooting bags for 7 bucks. I ended up with 1 7"x12'' bag, 2 8''x12'' bags and 1 12''x12'' bag.

mxreloader · August 1, 2010, 09:01 PM

i dont think looks will made you shoot any better lol
it looks good to me..actually gave me an idea

boredelmo · August 2, 2010, 03:31 PM

What happens when the rice absorbs moisture? Maybe you should have a layer of plastic to help with that.

sserdlihc · August 2, 2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

What happens when the rice absorbs moisture? Maybe you should have a layer of plastic to help with that.

Always a Devils advocate in every forum.

Plastic will cause condensation to form.

boredelmo · August 2, 2010, 05:39 PM

Didn't mean to sound derogatory, the only non-food use for rice I have seen is for its ability to soak moisture. Saw a post on a popular electronics blog claiming that immersing a cell phone that has been dropped in water in a bowl of rice would thoroughly dry it out.

Why rice over traditional filling?

sserdlihc · August 2, 2010, 06:07 PM

Rice is readily available, doesn't weigh nearly as much lead, and it was cheap. Besides, the rice that I used was in a burlap sack.

Maximus4427 · August 4, 2010, 04:53 PM

How about kitty litter? Cheap, available and works.

Caution: If you don't pee on the bags they won't absorb moisture!

Magnum Wheel Man · August 4, 2010, 05:03 PM

Father In law made bags out of his old overalls, filled them with rice, dried soy beans, buck wheat, & towards the end, those little plastic beads used for plastic injection molding...

I bought a bag of white cotton sox from Walmart & put dried washed sand about 3/4 full ( for cement mixing ) in them, then just tied the tops... I keep my "sand bags" in a 5 gallon pail with a good cover, on my shooting bench...

of course they lack the class of the O.P's bags...

BTW... we never had trouble with the dried "food stuff" in the socks, other than mice seemed to seek out those bags before the ones with the plastic beads in them...

BTW #2... if you ever get sore from exertion at the range, you can always throw one of your bags in the microwave for a couple minutes... Mrs Magnum has a couple of those heatable bags for her shoulders & neck, & they are full of dried rice

sserdlihc · August 4, 2010, 09:38 PM

Quote:

How about kitty litter? Cheap, available and works.

Talk about something that will absorb moisture.

You do realize what people use cat litter for right?

Quote:

of course they lack the class of the O.P's bags...

Class!! I laughed so hard when I read that! Thanks for the compliment but I just used what I could find.

Quote:

BTW #2... if you ever get sore from exertion at the range, you can always throw one of your bags in the microwave for a couple minutes... Mrs Magnum has a couple of those heatable bags for her shoulders & neck, & they are full of dried rice

Thats right! You cant do that with kitty litter.

DiscoRacing · August 4, 2010, 09:41 PM

I made some with pants legs from army camos..and filled them with real sand.

sserdlihc · August 4, 2010, 09:51 PM

Quote:

I made some with pants legs from army camos..and filled them with real sand.

Good idea! I looked at using sand but wanted something a little lighter. I used my new shooting bags on Tuesday and they worked great.

stargazer65 · August 5, 2010, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Talk about something that will absorb moisture. You do realize what people use cat litter for right?

There you go. You can recycle used cat litter to fill the bags.

sserdlihc · August 5, 2010, 11:21 AM

Quote:

There you go. You can recycle used cat litter to fill the bags.

Go green and save the Earth!!

rtpzwms · August 5, 2010, 11:30 AM

From boredelmo:

Quote:

What happens when the rice absorbs moisture?

Have you seen jiffypop?!!LMAO

dans3kgt · August 31, 2010, 07:14 PM

Looking good I am thinking aout making some myself. If I get around to it I will post some pictures

Dan

sserdlihc · August 31, 2010, 07:39 PM

Thanks! They have worked real well for me.

gunmoney · August 31, 2010, 08:12 PM

You will be the most fashionable shooter at the range. Do your gun cases match?

sserdlihc · August 31, 2010, 08:17 PM

Sounds like you are full of Haterade.

JIMSPD9 · September 15, 2010, 12:15 AM

I have finnaly figured out what to do with all those Crown Royal bags.

Thanks for the thread

Jim S.

sserdlihc · September 15, 2010, 07:44 AM

Good idea on the Crown Royal bags.

hals1 · September 24, 2010, 04:49 PM

I just got a Caldwell front/rear set and filled them with pinto beans..Haven't had them long enough to judge durability. Beans were cheaper than rice at Walmart.

sserdlihc · September 24, 2010, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Beans were cheaper than rice at Walmart.

Whatever works for your pocketbook. I looked at Caldwell but I believed I could make something that worked a lettle better for me and at a cheaper price.

mtnkid85 · September 27, 2010, 12:03 AM

I like it. I think some out of pant legs and kitty litter would work well enough, guess Ill put that on the todo list too.

cloudcroft · September 27, 2010, 11:53 AM

I do the same as DiscoRacing except I use old jeans: When they are too worn out (or look bad) to wear (except maybe for work clothes), the LEGS are usually in great shape, especially the part from the knees down (which hardly gets ANY wear). So instead of just throwing the complete pair of pants away, I cut off the legs (just below the knee), hand sew the ends and fill the "tube" with sand (local beach sand) -- how much sand to use depends on how "soft" or "hard" I want a particular bag to be.

Recycling something (parts of a pair of pants) that would otherwise go to the landfill -- as would happen if I bought new sandbags -- is a plus for me, too.

And the sewing involved is pretty basic. I use white dental floss (waxed or unwaxed, it's VERY strong) for sewing "thread" and if I want dark thread instead of white, I just run it over permanent black marker. Presto: Black thread. I keep dental floss and needles in my outdoor gear and emergency backpacks for sewing/repair of field gear.

Besides gun rests, the smaller sand bags also make nice door stops...won't scratch the floor or door paint.

August 1, 2010, 08:43 PM	#1
sserdlihc Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2008 Location: S.C. Posts: 1,390	Shooting rest bags Just wanted to share my little DIY accomplishment. I have been looking for some shooting rest bags. I looked at Caldwell and Hoppes', but just didn't see what I wanted. I had some old fabric from work and decided I was going to make my own. Once I cut them out and sewed them up, they were filled with rice. I think they turned out pretty good! Don't laugh at the fabric I used. Just was trying to use what I had. I had to buy the rice though, which cost me $7. I got 4 shooting bags for 7 bucks. I ended up with 1 7"x12'' bag, 2 8''x12'' bags and 1 12''x12'' bag. __________________ Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress

August 2, 2010, 06:07 PM	#6
sserdlihc Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2008 Location: S.C. Posts: 1,390	Rice is readily available, doesn't weigh nearly as much lead, and it was cheap. Besides, the rice that I used was in a burlap sack. __________________ Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress

August 4, 2010, 04:53 PM	#7
Maximus4427 Junior Member Join Date: June 19, 2010 Location: Arizona Posts: 14	How about kitty litter? Cheap, available and works. Caution: If you don't pee on the bags they won't absorb moisture! Last edited by Maximus4427; August 7, 2010 at 12:07 PM.

August 4, 2010, 05:03 PM	#8
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 6,991	Father In law made bags out of his old overalls, filled them with rice, dried soy beans, buck wheat, & towards the end, those little plastic beads used for plastic injection molding... I bought a bag of white cotton sox from Walmart & put dried washed sand about 3/4 full ( for cement mixing ) in them, then just tied the tops... I keep my "sand bags" in a 5 gallon pail with a good cover, on my shooting bench... of course they lack the class of the O.P's bags... BTW... we never had trouble with the dried "food stuff" in the socks, other than mice seemed to seek out those bags before the ones with the plastic beads in them... BTW #2... if you ever get sore from exertion at the range, you can always throw one of your bags in the microwave for a couple minutes... Mrs Magnum has a couple of those heatable bags for her shoulders & neck, & they are full of dried rice __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

August 4, 2010, 09:41 PM	#10
DiscoRacing Senior Member Join Date: December 19, 2008 Location: milton, wv Posts: 3,638	I made some with pants legs from army camos..and filled them with real sand. __________________ Desert Eagle Alliance Group Launcher Extraordinaire ______ ----Get Busy Live'n.....Or....Get Busy Die'n......Red -------They call me Dr. Bob,,,, I have a PhD in S&W

August 1, 2010, 09:01 PM	#2
mxreloader Senior Member Join Date: April 25, 2010 Location: crosslanes wv Posts: 155	i dont think looks will made you shoot any better lol it looks good to me..actually gave me an idea

August 2, 2010, 03:31 PM	#3
boredelmo Member Join Date: December 19, 2006 Posts: 27	What happens when the rice absorbs moisture? Maybe you should have a layer of plastic to help with that.

August 2, 2010, 05:39 PM	#5
boredelmo Member Join Date: December 19, 2006 Posts: 27	Didn't mean to sound derogatory, the only non-food use for rice I have seen is for its ability to soak moisture. Saw a post on a popular electronics blog claiming that immersing a cell phone that has been dropped in water in a bowl of rice would thoroughly dry it out. Why rice over traditional filling?

August 31, 2010, 07:14 PM	#15
dans3kgt Member Join Date: May 23, 2010 Posts: 29	Looking good I am thinking aout making some myself. If I get around to it I will post some pictures Dan

August 31, 2010, 07:39 PM	#16
sserdlihc Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2008 Location: S.C. Posts: 1,390	Thanks! They have worked real well for me. __________________ Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress

August 31, 2010, 08:12 PM	#17
gunmoney Senior Member Join Date: June 3, 2005 Posts: 381	You will be the most fashionable shooter at the range. Do your gun cases match?

August 31, 2010, 08:17 PM	#18
sserdlihc Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2008 Location: S.C. Posts: 1,390	Sounds like you are full of Haterade. __________________ Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress

September 15, 2010, 12:15 AM	#19
JIMSPD9 Member Join Date: August 6, 2010 Posts: 86	GREAT IDEA I have finnaly figured out what to do with all those Crown Royal bags. Thanks for the thread Jim S.

September 15, 2010, 07:44 AM	#20
sserdlihc Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 2008 Location: S.C. Posts: 1,390	Good idea on the Crown Royal bags. __________________ Familiarity breeds contempt, while rarity wins admiration. Aupleius If someone doesn't like you, that's their problem! Milton Childress

September 24, 2010, 04:49 PM	#21
hals1 Junior Member Join Date: September 24, 2010 Location: Cheyenne WY Posts: 2	I just got a Caldwell front/rear set and filled them with pinto beans..Haven't had them long enough to judge durability. Beans were cheaper than rice at Walmart.

September 27, 2010, 12:03 AM	#23
mtnkid85 Member Join Date: October 24, 2008 Location: Up North, Montana Posts: 42	I like it. I think some out of pant legs and kitty litter would work well enough, guess Ill put that on the todo list too.

September 27, 2010, 11:53 AM	#24
cloudcroft Senior Member Join Date: August 6, 2006 Location: Galveston, TX Posts: 560	I do the same as DiscoRacing except I use old jeans: When they are too worn out (or look bad) to wear (except maybe for work clothes), the LEGS are usually in great shape, especially the part from the knees down (which hardly gets ANY wear). So instead of just throwing the complete pair of pants away, I cut off the legs (just below the knee), hand sew the ends and fill the "tube" with sand (local beach sand) -- how much sand to use depends on how "soft" or "hard" I want a particular bag to be. Recycling something (parts of a pair of pants) that would otherwise go to the landfill -- as would happen if I bought new sandbags -- is a plus for me, too. And the sewing involved is pretty basic. I use white dental floss (waxed or unwaxed, it's VERY strong) for sewing "thread" and if I want dark thread instead of white, I just run it over permanent black marker. Presto: Black thread. I keep dental floss and needles in my outdoor gear and emergency backpacks for sewing/repair of field gear. Besides gun rests, the smaller sand bags also make nice door stops...won't scratch the floor or door paint. Last edited by cloudcroft; September 27, 2010 at 12:17 PM.