What is the first shooting bag you would buy for a first time NRL22 shooter? .

Stand alone or front rest bag?

AG Schmedium

Rimfire3000 said:

Stand alone or front rest bag?

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I'm not sure, something to work on barricades.

Caldwell makes some nice stand alone front bags if you don't have a front rest.

Jester560 said:

AG Schmedium

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What he said...Armageddon Schmedium Game Changer

It is common to see new PRS/NRL shooters start with a bag or two, buy a bunch, then get tired of all of the gear and cull it down to just a couple of bags...guess what bag is usually kept.
I only take three bags with me any more, a tan waxed-canvas Schmedium Game Changer, a Wiebad Pump Pillow, and a Precision Underground ELR-Pro. The Game Changer is used 80%+ of the time, the other two are for very unique situations. One way you can tell Game Changers are so popular...you don't see many used ones for sale.

I have seen a few home-grown bags, but most are generic blobs and over-stuffed. The only really effective home made bags I have encountered are rear squeeze bags made with sand and .mil socks and even those are old-school and there is better out there now.

Find a club nearby and go to it and gather your information from there and this will cut down on all the bags you may possibly need. Might as well shoot a match and if you don't have one or any we have always offered one to try as we have a great group and helpful shooters at our club. Soon enough you will find it a lot of challenging fun.

Thanks everyone for the advice. I'm doing my best to avoid GAS (gear acquisition syndrome). I'll look at the game changer bag to start with. I'm planning to find a match in March to test the waters at.

Wiebad Tater Tot or Armageddon Gear Schmedium, both in waxed canvas with heavy fill.

I like the Armageddon Gear Game Changer, have the pint-sized in waxed canvas. If doing it again, would probably go 1/2 size up for the Shmedium. Another one I've used a little is the Wiebad fortune cokkie. It's also nice, similar style. I like the flat top of the AG GC. It also has the side handle, so easy to grab and move with.

Another focus is to think about how you want it filled. The "Sand" I'm a huge fan of, it's like semi wet beach sand, pats down hard, yet moveable when desired. There's also the light fill, which is more like soft plastic beads. More movable but not as easy to pack down (at least for me.)

You're going to drop $100 plus for one, but they're really sturdy and meant to be smacked around a bit, so the durability comes into play. You could probably sew something yourself if you had the time/skill, just go for similar dimensions and materials. Now say for a back sandbag for prone, that where the extra gym sock of dirt comes into play for DIY.

Armageddon gear heavy Shmedium bag with 1 1/2 cups of fill removed.

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Varminterror said:

Wiebad Tater Tot or Armageddon Gear Schmedium, both in waxed canvas with heavy fill.

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New to this and looking for my first bag also. I see this bag come up a lot. Why the heavy fill vs standard fill though?

HyperM3 said:

New to this and looking for my first bag also. I see this bag come up a lot. Why the heavy fill vs standard fill though?

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Heavy fill bags "sit" better and won't move as much. Unless you have to tote your gear for long distances during a match, the heavy fill is the way to go. Of course, a guy could get a wagon and tow their 400 lbs of bags and ammo around I guess.

SAHD said:

I'm looking for recommendations for a bag that won't break the bank but still will be easy to use. Do people ever sew their own?

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This is what I bought for my first bag.

Accuracy Matters Bag at Amazon

I filled it with playground sand from a big box store. I think it's entirely usable. The waxed canvas bags out there are probably better but this one will work IMHO.

HyperM3 said:

New to this and looking for my first bag also. I see this bag come up a lot. Why the heavy fill vs standard fill though?

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Heavy sand fill should be considered “standard fill,” with polypropylene pellets being considered “light fill.” We’ve all moved away from light pellet fill on PRS and NRL firing lines. Polypropylene pellet fill does work, but not as well as heavy sand fill. Pellets shift and conform to the rifle, but they don’t “set” like heavy sand. There’s also more bounce to pellet fill in recoil, and of course, less mass, so they don’t soak up recoil in the same way.

I still take my pellet fill bags hunting when “ounces equal pounds,” but for match shooting, heavy sand fill is the way to go.