what do you guys fill your bench rest bags with?

[petemacsydney]

I've heard corn, rice, barley?
Interested to knwo what others use in your bags.
my rest bags are similar to this:
http://www.bankstowngunshop.com.au/prod ... =LASGBBOD&
cheers p

[VICHunter]

Walnut tumbler media.

I think I bought a bag of Lyman media, but honestly it was so long ago I forget.

Just washed and dried to get all the dust out of it before it went into the bag so as to not make a mess.

[Rippah]

The organic stuff like rice, barley etc. will absorb moisture over time as the bags aren't sealed.

Eventually your bag will be full of fermenting or rotting rice Nice...

Walnut is good I guess as it won't break down.

Otherwise I know guys use plastic beads in theirs and they obviously last forever too...

[Member-Deleted]

Sawdust

[Chronos]

benchrest bags are supposed to be heavy, the rifle is supposed to move, not the bag.

i fill mine with sandblasting garnet. it's about 50% heavier than river sand

http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/S296

Chronos

[tom604]

Paving sand. It's heavy enough and you can pinch, I mean source it anywhere.

[ozfisher71]

Mine are half filled with #8 lead shot then topped out with crushed walnut shell.
They are extremely stable due to the lead shot and nicely accommodating with the walnut shell.

[Apollo]

Be aware that at a few places, especially competition target shoots on concrete floors, the use of lead shot to fill bags is illegal.

I believe it is a safety aspect. If the bag is dropped or leaks it spreads those little round balls everywhere. Like skating on ice walking around.

Blasting grit is one of the heaviest, easy to fill a bag and gets into all the little tight corners.

[Blackened]

Walnut tumbler media.

Just washed and dried to get all the dust out of it before it went into the bag so as to not make a mess.

This, or if you want something a bit cleaner the softer corn cob media will do the same job without the dust.

And is a bit softer as mentioned...

[whert]

Mine are half filled with #8 lead shot then topped out with crushed walnut shell.

Noob question here. Are there no health concerns with resting on a bag of lead all the time?

Don't really know much about it... Sorry if stupid question

[Chronos]

Mine are half filled with #8 lead shot then topped out with crushed walnut shell.

Noob question here. Are there no health concerns with resting on a bag of lead all the time?

Don't really know much about it... Sorry if stupid question

For the most part the only way you can get lead poisoning is to ingest lead. Either directly of by swallowing the lead itself or by getting it on your hands then ingesting it.

So unless you mix the lead shot with your cornflakes there should be no danger using it.

Chronos

[bladeracer]

I've heard corn, rice, barley?
Interested to knwo what others use in your bags.
my rest bags are similar to this:
http://www.bankstowngunshop.com.au/prod ... =LASGBBOD&
cheers p

.22LR cases.

[Oldbloke]

Mine are half filled with #8 lead shot then topped out with crushed walnut shell.

Noob question here. Are there no health concerns with resting on a bag of lead all the time?

Don't really know much about it... Sorry if stupid question

None, you need to ingest fine dust or breath the vapours. But lifting it could be another matter.

Wife made 4 bags for me recently. Filled them with wheat and rice.

[Bigjobss]

Interesting thread I just ordered a couple empty bags from Ebay.
I was thinking washed sand which I have a ready supply of. If that doesnt feel right I might pop down to a nursery/building supply and have a look at some 5-7mm aggregate, I remember seeing this stuff used in drainage backfill and retaining walls when I worked construction and I think it would work well, maybe even a blend of both.

[bladeracer]

Interesting thread I just ordered a couple empty bags from Ebay.
I was thinking washed sand which I have a ready supply of. If that doesnt feel right I might pop down to a nursery/building supply and have a look at some 5-7mm aggregate, I remember seeing this stuff used in drainage backfill and retaining walls when I worked construction and I think it would work well, maybe even a blend of both.

I was looking for something inert, light and particularly cheap.
Gravel is an interesting idea, since we just laid several truck loads of it on our driveway, but I think it'll be too heavy for me.
Somebody mentioned using lead shot, (11.3kg per litre) would give me a 10kg rear bag and a 60kg front bag - and cost me maybe $700 in shot.
I think plastic BB's or beads would be nicer, but rimfire brass will do me fine until I stumble on a cheap source of plastic.

[Releb]

So unless you mix the lead shot with your cornflakes there should be no danger using it.

Oh, so I should stop that and go back to sprinkling with sugar instead?

[deadkitty]

Aquarium gravel in a rice bag....nice and heavy and easy to wriggle around.

[Oldbloke]

Interesting thread I just ordered a couple empty bags from Ebay.
I was thinking washed sand which I have a ready supply of. If that doesnt feel right I might pop down to a nursery/building supply and have a look at some 5-7mm aggregate, I remember seeing this stuff used in drainage backfill and retaining walls when I worked construction and I think it would work well, maybe even a blend of both.

I was looking for something inert, light and particularly cheap.
Gravel is an interesting idea, since we just laid several truck loads of it on our driveway, but I think it'll be too heavy for me.
Somebody mentioned using lead shot, (11.3kg per litre) would give me a 10kg rear bag and a 60kg front bag - and cost me maybe $700 in shot.
I think plastic BB's or beads would be nicer, but rimfire brass will do me fine until I stumble on a cheap source of plastic.

More likely give you a hernia.

[scotty87]

I use uncooked rice.

[MR. WINCHESTER]

What should one expect to find inside a commercial / 'ready to go' bag ?

[on_one_wheel]

Rice

[bladeracer]

Rice

I live in the bush and I would expect rodents would get into any organic filling.
What happens when the rice gets wet?

[Bigjobss]

Aquarium gravel in a rice bag....nice and heavy and easy to wriggle around.

Yes I think that would work, similar size to the gravels I was thinking, maybe a little coarser, I can't be the only one here with kids that went through a goldfish stage!
Man that whole experience sucked "yeh sure I will look after them"
Still glad I stood firm on the rabbit stage, otherwise I'd be filling my bags with rabbit feet.

[on_one_wheel]

Rice

I live in the bush and I would expect rodents would get into any organic filling.
What happens when the rice gets wet?

I live in the bush to.

When I dont want something to be eaten by rodents, I don't leave it out for them.

Why would you get your shooting bag wet ? ... not just wet but wet enough to soak through the leather and soak the rice.

If your that tough on your gear then perhaps a brick might make a more suitable rear rest.

[bladeracer]

I live in the bush to.

When I dont want something to be eaten by rodents, I don't leave it out for them.

Why would you get your shooting bag wet ? ... not just wet but wet enough to soak through the leather and soak the rice.

If your that tough on your gear then perhaps a brick might make a more suitable rear rest.

Maybe you live in a house in the bush though? I don't have a house built yet.
To prevent them eating stuff we keep it in the fridge or the meat safe, both of which are in the farm shed and space is fairly limited.
Since my shooting gear lives in the shed, they ate my lubed patches and they eat the lube off my cast bullets if I leave them out. They also eat any electrical wiring that's unprotected.

Because I often shoot in the rain, in Gippsland it's rarely dry.
My bags aren't leather, they're Caldwell nylon.

[deye243]

this stuff as my bags often get wet http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-Kilo-Austr ... 2400704758

[bladeracer]

this stuff as my bags often get wet http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-Kilo-Austr ... 2400704758

That sort of thing is my ideal - but I don't really want to spend $60 on filling material.

[on_one_wheel]

I live in the bush to.

When I dont want something to be eaten by rodents, I don't leave it out for them.

Why would you get your shooting bag wet ? ... not just wet but wet enough to soak through the leather and soak the rice.

If your that tough on your gear then perhaps a brick might make a more suitable rear rest.

Maybe you live in a house in the bush though? I don't have a house built yet.
To prevent them eating stuff we keep it in the fridge or the meat safe, both of which are in the farm shed and space is fairly limited.
Since my shooting gear lives in the shed, they ate my lubed patches and they eat the lube off my cast bullets if I leave them out. They also eat any electrical wiring that's unprotected.

Because I often shoot in the rain, in Gippsland it's rarely dry.
My bags aren't leather, they're Caldwell nylon.

Yep .... im in a house that is reasonably rodent proof.
It's a battle if you don't have a safe place to keep stuff.

I've had them eat through heavy plastic boxes to get at something edible, they eat the insulation from electrical wires, car carpets, cardboard, packets of cigarettes and all sort of things.

Big old army metal boxes are good.

Lots of bait hidden in safe places helps to keep the numbers down.

[bladeracer]

Yep .... im in a house that is reasonably rodent proof.
It's a battle if you don't have a safe place to keep stuff.

I've had them eat through heavy plastic boxes to get at something edible, they eat the insulation from electrical wires, car carpets, cardboard, packets of cigarettes and all sort of things.

Big old army metal boxes are good.

Lots of bait hidden in safe places helps to keep the numbers down.

Most of our stuff we brought over from Perth is still stacked in almost a hundred plastic storage crates in an open hay barn, except books and such, they're also in plastic crates but filling a bedroom of the farmhouse. With the death of Rose's dad last month we may end up moving into the house anyway. October 17th is two years we've been living in the bus, be a shame to have to adapt to a house again, although warmth might be a nice novelty
We don't like to bait due to the multitude of native wildlife.
We're pretty much on top of the critters now, just a matter of ensuring we don't leave anything out that might interest them

[deadkitty]

Gippsland!?, say g'day to Thorpdale for me..... left there 30 years ago. Anyhow, I'll repeat my original comment, use aquarium gravel, you can buy it in different sizes, even rice size. It's heavy and rodent proof and if you buy it from a landscape supplier, it's cheap , I pay around $14 for a potato sack full. Cheers