User Panel
Posted: 10/19/2021 6:58:34 PM EDT
In order to get my 20” AR high enough over the bench to access a short magazine, I wound up with my rear bag too low. Moving the bag far enough back to raise the stock close to enough put it under the rear sling loop. The solid foam block I had with me to put under it wasn’t very effective, and seemed to make the bag move a lot, making the whole rifle more difficult to control.
I currently have a “rabbit ear” style bag by Allen. Attached File The bottom of the “V” is 3” high at the rear and 3 1/2” at the front. What can I do to get a standard rear bag higher and stable? How can I raise the bag to various heights as needed? Preferably without spending a huge amount of money… Thanks! |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Make one. Go get some poly pellets, aka doll fill, from Walmart or a local arts and craft store and use an old sock, or new one, filled to the height you need. Make sure to leave a little room for adjustments by squeezing it.
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Just shove something else under that bag. Or get a gamechanger
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I have two rear bags that I always use, Tab Gear large and small.
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A real 1 MOA All Day shooter.
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So I’m not missing some uber-cool and super expensive gadget? Just “put something under the bag” is all I need? That’s good news.
Is a solid block a good idea, or would a simple sand bag (maybe a few of them in different heights) be better? |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Use a towel. Bath or beach size. Fold it for whatever height you need added and put in under the bag.
KISS |
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Originally Posted By GHPorter: So I’m not missing some uber-cool and super expensive gadget? Just “put something under the bag” is all I need? That’s good news. Is a solid block a good idea, or would a simple sand bag (maybe a few of them in different heights) be better? View Quote I use a blue jean leg sewn up on both ends. Or a 2"x6" with some rubber stapled to the bottom to keep slippage to a minimum. If I don't have anything available I rest my off hand on top of the bag and support it that way. |
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Chicken Farmer by choice hunter of shade tree's and hiding spots by nature.
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People who put beans in their chili are just 'closet fart sniffers' who get a warm fuzzy feeling from sniffing farts.- pcsutton
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Again, I'm not "missing something." I can come up with a lot of ways to raise the bag without taking away from its "squeezability" or putting it under the wrong part of the stock.
Whatever I do use, I'll do something to keep it from slipping on the bench, and to keep the bag from slipping as well. Thanks for the level-headed guidance. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
I have a few of the free socks from renting a tux. Go get a few produce bags and put rice in them. Tie it. Double bag it. Then put two of those socks around it. Works better than my store bought bags.
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Life isn't fair, and it gets harder the dumber you act. FAIL-SAFE
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All those free mouse pads that I accumulated over the years are being used at my shooting bench. I use the soft cloth ones with rubber backing on top of my bag and also where my elbow rests on the bench.
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I did some careful measurements, and I need to raise my rear bag at least two inches, preferably more.
I don’t think a sandbag of any kind would be solid enough to keep the bag at the same height shot after shot. So I’m looking at making a wooden platform for it. I’m thinking about a simple box that’s about 2 1/2” - 3” high and a little bigger than the bottom of the bag. That wouldn’t squash with use, but it would be light enough to haul around without a lot of trouble. A plywood top and 1x4 (ripped down to proper size) should be simple, yet sturdy. I’ll add non-slip stuff to top and bottom for stability - I have that mesh toolbox liner stuff on hand, and it seems to work fine in this role. Yeah, more complex than a sock full of sand, but I will benefit from a more consistent, stable spot for that rear bag. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Originally Posted By GHPorter: I don’t think a sandbag of any kind would be solid enough to keep the bag at the same height shot after shot. So I’m looking at making a wooden platform for it. View Quote Do you think you are the only person who shoots ARs? LOL Build up the added height box and see if it works for you. As long as you get the height you need it should. |
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Originally Posted By Rob01: Do you think you are the only person who shoots ARs? LOL Build up the added height box and see if it works for you. As long as you get the height you need it should. View Quote No, I’m sure lots of folks shoot ARs from rests. It’s just pretty quiet when looking for “here’s what I did for that” information. I also don’t want to “shade tree” something when there’s a real product that does what I want. On that note, I’ve found some really slick products that would work for me. I just don’t have almost $400 for a wonderful Australian adjustable bag rest. Besides, it would be overkill for my needs to go fancy and even moderately expensive. Fortunately I tend to keep scraps and extra pieces, so I have all of the materials I need (probably including fasteners) on hand. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Originally Posted By GHPorter: No, I’m sure lots of folks shoot ARs from rests. It’s just pretty quiet when looking for “here’s what I did for that” information. I also don’t want to “shade tree” something when there’s a real product that does what I want. On that note, I’ve found some really slick products that would work for me. I just don’t have almost $400 for a wonderful Australian adjustable bag rest. Besides, it would be overkill for my needs to go fancy and even moderately expensive. Fortunately I tend to keep scraps and extra pieces, so I have all of the materials I need (probably including fasteners) on hand. View Quote Lots said what they did. I told you to make a bag large enough. It's what I do for rear support. Front is on a bipod. All you need is a little more height in the back. A little larger bags. Those eared bags are just ok. Haven't used one in decades. Make my own bags for less than 10 bucks and they work. The only rear bag I use that I bought was a Game Changer which is more used for the front in matches but works as a rear in a pinch. I use my homemade bags under my ARs and no issue getting it nice and stable. |
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You're right. Lots of folks said what they had done. Making bags, improvising bags, etc., all should work.
But I asked for how to get my bag higher and more stable. Using that type of bag has worked well for me with bag and simple cradle rests; I'm used to manipulating that type of bag for the fine tuning I needed. Now that I have a "real" triangle bench rest - stable and adjustable as all get out - I just need to get the rear of the gun higher. Nobody said things about creating a basic "block" sandbag, or platform. Lots of great suggestions if I was starting out without experience or equipment. They just didn't really answer my question. It turns out that Caldwell makes a variety of "extended height" rabbit ear rear bags. This sort of thing would have been the simplest, most direct way for me to overcome my issue. Too bad their reviews are pretty poor. So I plan to build my platform tomorrow, and I'll post pictures when it's done. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Instead of building a platform - I have the parts cut and ready to assemble - I cut up a 1.5” thick foam kneeling mat. I now have two blocks that are slightly larger than my rear bag’s footprint, that can raise the bag by either 1.5 or 3 inches. The foam is light but firm, and unlike a generic sand bag, it doesn’t shift at all.
I used these at the range yesterday, and they worked quite well. I need to make them “grippier”, since they did move a bit, but they kept my rear bag at the same height the whole time. I’m thinking stair riser grip tape for the bottom, and toolbox liner for the top so it doesn’t mess up the bottom of the bag. I’m pretty sure I have this problem knocked. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Hey OP, I get a lot of use out of this bag, and when its not under my rifle, one of my Buddys always have it under one of theirs..And you can squeeze it easy enough and the price is right...
Attached File https://triadtactical.com/triad-tapered-rear-bag/ |
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Originally Posted By AKSnowRider: Hey OP, I get a lot of use out of this bag, and when its not under my rifle, one of my Buddys always have it under one of theirs..And you can squeeze it easy enough and the price is right... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/404934/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_1_39_28_AM_png-2169873.JPG https://triadtactical.com/triad-tapered-rear-bag/ View Quote That’s a great idea! I haven’t got the “grippy” stuff on my “block” yet, but when I finish it I’ll post pictures. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Arts & crafts have blocks that weigh nothing.. might be near the flower arrangement stuff.
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Originally Posted By AKSnowRider: Hey OP, I get a lot of use out of this bag, and when its not under my rifle, one of my Buddys always have it under one of theirs..And you can squeeze it easy enough and the price is right... https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/404934/Screen_Shot_2021-11-17_at_1_39_28_AM_png-2169873.JPG https://triadtactical.com/triad-tapered-rear-bag/ View Quote I use both of those bags from Triad Tactical too. The slope of the wedge fits the underside of my rifle stocks nicely for distributed support. |
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The Second Amendment: Preserving our right to petition the government - with malice.
"I guess it comes down to a simple choice, really. Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'." Virginia Is For Loners (TM) |
Take off the sling loop an option?
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"If the people come to believe that the government is no longer constrained by the laws, then they will conclude that neither are they."
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Take off the sling loop an option?
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"If the people come to believe that the government is no longer constrained by the laws, then they will conclude that neither are they."
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Originally Posted By Vespid_Wasp: Take off the sling loop an option? View Quote Not really. The loop is essentially a small rectangle, with about 1.75 inches of contact width. The stock without the loop is just a rounded point, which wouldn’t stay put no matter what. My tests with a tall block (see above for the description) to raise the rear bag show that as long as I get a normal rear bag up high enough, the stock stays in place pretty darn well. My whole issue with this is the height of the whole rifle on the bench. To have room for the grip to clear the bench, I need the front rest to hold the barrel up high enough that supporting the stock then becomes an issue. And instead of spending even more money on rear bags and accessories that “might help,” I just built my foam block. It lets me get everything lined up quite well, and makes the rifle more stable in recoil as well. |
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
Every cloud has a silver lining (except for the mushroom shaped ones… which have a lining of Iridium and Strontium 90)
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I essentially did, see above.
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"--you can't conquer a free man; the most you can do is kill him."
Heinlein NRA Life Member Glock Certified Armorer Certified AR15 Armorer Certified M1911 Armorer |
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