Filling a rear bag?

[Elwood]

Hopefully today I should have a Seb rear bag turning up. I'm currently using a Edgewood which is filled with a very fine sand, so fine in fact that comes through the stitching! Every shot even with the Ballard F class stock means that I have to adjust after every shot.

 

I have read on a previous thread about using lentils, does this give a compact rest? or is a heavy sand better? Weight isn't an issue I just want what is best suited for shot to shot tracking ability.

[TonyH]

Hopefully today I should have a Seb rear bag turning up. I'm currently using a Edgewood which is filled with a very fine sand, so fine in fact that comes through the stitching! Every shot even with the Ballard F class stock means that I have to adjust after every shot.

 

I have read on a previous thread about using lentils, does this give a compact rest? or is a heavy sand better? Weight isn't an issue I just want what is best suited for shot to shot tracking ability.

 

In my limited experience with this sort of thing, I'd say the heavier the better. IME this translates into field use, too: I used to think a lightweight cylindrical bag carried into the field, filled with polystyrene pellets, gave adequate support beneath the butt as well as being highly portable but now I think differently. Despite the weight, i find a square bag filled with polypropylene pellets (dense, hard) provides a vastly more stable hold. It weighs a kilo but it's worth carrying because it works so much better.

So with rear bags - I just use standard Protektor bags filled with builder's sand, which might be a cheapo compromise but then I'm not a target/benchrest shooter, just an occasional range user for load development purposes... Recently I enquired at Reloading Solutions about that special heavy sand the name of which escapes me: Aftab said it was so expensive and difficult to source that he'd dumped it, offering instead a cheaper product that worked very similarly. Worth enquiring about?

HTH - Tony

[whoowhoop]

What about walnut shell or corn cob media? Even better if its used 0 saves throwing it away.

I would be very cautious about using any seed or grain, as they will eventually break down and don't do well in the wet.

[taylor]

i use the seb bag and fine zircon never have a prob i top it up every now and then when is softens up ,you could use coarse sand ,keep it heavy and hard for a rear bag ,if your rear bag is soft it will cause you to re-adjust but soft for a front bag ,thats what works for me

[JohnGalway]

Polypropylene beads, job done.

[1967spud]

Stainless steel pins, do you think these would work,

[dannyt]

ceramic beads the sort in moly tumblers if you cand get em?

[Ronin]

Zircon sand, push a plastic bag (larger than the bag itself) into the filling hole filldly but stops seepage,,,,,

[The Gun Pimp]

Use Zircon sand or chromite (chromite is almost as heavy as Zircon but much cheaper. Check out www.johnwinter.co.uk for a supplier.

 

Note - some disciplines only allow the use of a sand-filled bag - not plastic pellet, lead-shot etc.

 

Vince

[mo3]

I find rice to be very good best of luck Chris

[SteveW]

Many moons ago I used the lead shot out of a load of 7 1/2 trap cartridges, still going strong, probably a bit expensive but worked well for me..

[Elwood]

Thanks for the information everyone.

 

I went into my local builders merchant and asked if they had heard of zircon sand or indeed if they had any, I may as well have been talking in Swahili!

 

Thanks for the link Vince, I will check it out but fear the postage may be costly, until then I will make do with builders sand.

[taylor]

coarse builders sand it will do the same job

[1967spud]

Ian what you need to ask for is kiln dried play ground sand i have some here if you want it

[Davy]

Ian what you need to ask for is kiln dried play ground sand i have some here if you want it

The sand they pour in the joints of block paving is very fine as well, Wicks do it for under three quid for 25kgs and I picked up a split bag for half that, so I did some experimenting by volume using a 54R Lee dipper filled level to the top

 

Builders sand 58 grains

Block paving sand 75.5 grains

Chromite sand 101 grains

 

I did not have any Zircon sand to complete the experiment.

[furrybean]

Zircon sand, push a plastic bag (larger than the bag itself) into the filling hole filldly but stops seepage,,,,,

Does anyone else do this? I've got a new bag and want to do a decent job filling it

[DW58]

A tip for filling your Seb bag - my son and I did two recently and found a powder funnel ideal for the job. Zircon sand is very good, but oh boy is it heavy.

[swiftur]

Foundry /Silica sand

[Brillo]

I ordered some zircon sand from the people mentioned in Vince's link. The postage was not as high as I expected (although I can't remember how much). What was amusing was the bulging neck of the delivery driver carrying it to my door.

 

If I could jump in this thread with a small query about filling; should the ears be filled first or last and should they be hard or soft?

[DW58]

I bought our two Seb bags from Fox Firearms - they have an excellent fixed rate deal with ParcelFarce - each bag only cost £9 to ship inclusive of the huge weight of the Zircon sand. They shipped the bags with body filled leaving us to do the ears ourselves. Even though the ears are filled fairly stiffly, there is still enough flex to give a little "squeeze".

[simonl]

I bought a lovely bag from here I think. BUT the full hole is too small for anything other than kiln dried sand. I bought some polypropylene beads but just can't work out how to fill it. It's currently filed in the corner, under F for frustrated

[The Gun Pimp]

Guys - always fill the ears first - always!

[PaulC]

Rice works and a good weight.

[furrybean]

Guys - always fill the ears first - always!

 

Just learnt that, spent ages filling the bag and then emptying most of it to do the ears.

 

Its solid now though and managed to get an amazing amount of sand in there.

[baldie]

Ian,

Google your nearest foundry.

Zircon is the sand used in casting. Its mixed with a catalyst resin to bond it together. You either want it before its mixed, or when its been reclaimed. The fresh unused stuff is best as its not broken down at all.

Dependant on the type of foundry, you could also ask for greensand. this is similar, but finer.