Rear Bag Usage

[The Bloke]

A question I have, that is my current focus at well - is rear bag use.

Most videos I have watched/course attended etc, kinda just breeze by the rear bag - put it under the rear, squeeze to change elevation etc, etc...

But - a couple of questions for all the folks out there...

Do you prefer the lightweight, micro-bead type material, or the more traditional rice/bb balls material? Why?
How much pressure do you find you put on the rear bag? Are you actually holding up the buttstock (if using a 'relaxed' check rest) - is this muscling the rifle?
When adopting a high bipod position - do you find you needed a higher than standard rear bag?

I am getting a bit of horizontal stringing at the moment - both left and right of poa - and if anything, I would observe that my rear bag isn't as solid in that regard as vertical. Also, I think I am sometimes relaxing on the rear bag a little when the shot breaks - resulting in the odd high impact.

Thoughts appreciated...

 

[Sniper266]

I think youre right on the money with your vertical stringing being related to your position. Usually it can also be associated with breathing as well. When building a postion with a rear bag i like to slightly load the bipods as i settle the rifle down onto the bag. This being said, my shoulder is into the rifle, but im not pushing or pulling on the rifle with my hands. My head rests comfortably and falls naturally into alighment with the scope. Body relaxed, i shift my hips for my natural point of aim and make fine adjustments to the bag by squeezing it as needed. If you feel that you are over squeezing you may want to adjust the bag around or your bipods. I only run a high bipod position to account for elevation that i need to see the target, that being said, my stock is pretty low in these cases.

I like a heavier bag as i feel that it is more solid, but as long as you can get the fill to settle you should be fine with anything.

I would recommend checking over your position, load the bipods, find your npa and check for scope shaddow. Relax your body completely and squeeze your bag if necessary.

 

[GrandpaDeadLegs]

Trying to figure out what to do myself and this is what I see.

Some dudes are using the point of balance and tripods so much that prone with rear bag is less of a thing nowadays.

My Accuracy 1st rear bag is (too) nice, but only works for one scenario, bipod low and target level with me. Useless when the target is down a hill or bipod is up. So I will have to get another, and maybe another, etc... It's also not wide enough to keep from slipping left or right. Basically I wish it was bigger a few inches in every direction. Too big and it won't work right either. That's what she said, etc.. hahaha guys

At the range the old timers have a bucket of sand and simple sacks of all sizes which seems to be stable for benches.

Rice is what a survivalist would use, inside socks. Save your damn life.

A bag filled with dessicant beads might keep your shit nice and dry on a trip.

Extra hat and gloves tied together loosely for a winter hunting trip after you lose the rear bag in a river.

Rear monopod users?

 

[SubOptimal]

You may wish to try a larger bag, not so much to compensate for bipod height but a bag that is wider at the top. I don't like a bag with ears on it but do like to let the fill of the bag settle a bit around the bottom of the stock. This way, I don't have to squeeze so hard to get the bag to height and can still allow it to rest comfortably and kinda snuggle up to the stock.
Since I don't run around with my rifles and am getting too old to go prone, my experience is mostly shooting from a bench and I really only have to carry the bag twice a day. I tend to prefer heavy fills, either shot or even sand, so long as it's dry.

 

[Precision Underground]

Rear bag can be tricky until you figure it out. Letting go as well as squeezing harder as the shot breaks is common. Laying on it too hard with your cheek weld can make weird things happen. For me I like enough pressure so everything is solid but not so much pressure that the rifle can’t recoil into my shoulder. If you are pressing down too hard the stock will sink in rather than recoiling straight back.

 

[308pirate]

The feel of properly shooting a rifle, pistol, or shotgun can't be learned from a book, website, or video. You have to try, fail, change, and try again.

Good luck

 

[Precision Underground]

The feel of properly shooting a rifle, pistol, or shotgun can't be learned from a book, website, or video. You have to try, fail, change, and try again.

Good luck

Agreed. That’s exactly how I did it. But a little direction can save some time!

 

[FishDr]

I like a bag that is a little too big, which leaves me slightly under the target looking theough glass. I then “wiggle” the rifle down when i load into the bipod onto the POA so there is very kittle squeeIng or letting go. This helped me, but still not perfect. Any other suggestions to modify this technique?

 

[Apnea]

I feel like you can tell if you are "muscling" the rifle and bag just by taking a few seconds to close your eyes, relax, deep breath in and out, and then see if your POA has changed.

There are times I've *had* to muscle the rifle and bag because of position and terrain and being above the target, and then it's making a fist under the bag to get it higher, etc. Sometimes I can make it work. If I am relying on a lot of squeezing to get the elevation right I think I am at risk of relaxing that hand when the gun goes off. Better if you can build to position with small manipulation of the bag rather than large ones, and I still have a long way to go.

Bottom line I think is you can check the stability of your position doing what I described and work on things from there.

 

[Precision Underground]

I feel like you can tell if you are "muscling" the rifle and bag just by taking a few seconds to close your eyes, relax, deep breath in and out, and then see if your POA has changed.

There are times I've *had* to muscle the rifle and bag because of position and terrain and being above the target, and then it's making a fist under the bag to get it higher, etc. Sometimes I can make it work. If I am relying on a lot of squeezing to get the elevation right I think I am at risk of relaxing that hand when the gun goes off. Better if you can build to position with small manipulation of the bag rather than large ones, and I still have a long way to go.

Bottom line I think is you can check the stability of your position doing what I described and work on things from there.

You can be stable as an oak tree but if you lose focus when the shot breaks and don’t follow through it’s all going to hell. You have to be able to ride through the sound and the recoil without losing focus or reacting to it at all.

 

[Decoy]

I think youre right on the money with your vertical stringing being related to your position. Usually it can also be associated with breathing as well. When building a postion with a rear bag i like to slightly load the bipods as i settle the rifle down onto the bag. This being said, my shoulder is into the rifle, but im not pushing or pulling on the rifle with my hands. My head rests comfortably and falls naturally into alighment with the scope. Body relaxed, i shift my hips for my natural point of aim and make fine adjustments to the bag by squeezing it as needed. If you feel that you are over squeezing you may want to adjust the bag around or your bipods. I only run a high bipod position to account for elevation that i need to see the target, that being said, my stock is pretty low in these cases.

I like a heavier bag as i feel that it is more solid, but as long as you can get the fill to settle you should be fine with anything.

I would recommend checking over your position, load the bipods, find your npa and check for scope shaddow. Relax your body completely and squeeze your bag if necessary.

Plus one here.

I like the heavier bags for the rear, elbows forward, support hand pushing the rifle back into me as I load the rifle.

Anytime your natural point of aim is effected by any of this move your rifle until it naturally aligned. Low bipod as stated above. Get comfortable and have a repeatable cheek weld. You can't have enough different size/profile rear bags as far as I am concerned.

 

[magtech]

I bought a cheaper 2 piece bag kit and I find that whenever I shoot with my bipod I always have to turn my rear bag every which way to get close to the target. Half the time I am muscling the rifle into place.

Personally, I bought the wife a sewing machine and I use it more than her. I think I'm going to make myself a bag that fits me, in my freetime.