Target Sports

SPECIAL FEATURE: TAKE IT LYING DOWN

Created on 18th May 2009

NIGEL GREENAWAY gives us the lowdown on his pick of shooting mats

LAST MONTH I covered rifle bags and range bags, and discussed the practicality of splitting the plethora of equipment that you need into a rifle bag and a separate range bag, or carrying everything in the same bag as your rifle. This month I'm adding one more item to the list - shooting mats. Could this be another item that you need to lug about, or can you combine a rifle bag with a shooting mat?

I have to admit that few people will have seen me shoot from a shooting mat. For the last 30 years or so I've used an old WW2 rubberised gas cape. When I was a cadet in the rifle team, that was all we used. When folded in half down its length it is wide enough and more than long enough; when opened up to its full width, cadet and wind coach could both lie on it. If worn as a cape there are pop-studs down the side and it is actually possible to configure it so you can shoot in it using a sling. If it is raining hard that is the best way to use it, otherwise you end up lying in a pool of water - proof that the rubberised material really does work. The real problem is that it lacks padding for gravel firing points; it also provides little insulation from cold ground and is easily blown away in high wind.

Target, match and historic rifle shooting are the true domain of shooting mats. However, about two-thirds of my shooting is taken up with practical rifle (PR) and civilian service rifle (CSR), which have no place for shooting mats - or so I thought. The first CSR sniper rifle match was held at Bisley on 16 March 2008. It was a bitterly cold day with a high wind-chill factor. When you are lying on a freezing firing point the heat can soon be drawn out of your body. My thanks to the shooter who kindly let me use his mat when I was next shooting, it went some way to make the shoot a bit more tolerable in what were very difficult conditions - winds gusting from 8-20mph, freezing temperatures and rain. Following that experience I thought it was time to enter the 21st century and acquire a shooting mat - but which one?

A quick search on the internet revealed pure target rifle shooting mats, usually of the folding type; tactical shooting mats which are either folded or rolled and combine other extras like pouches to hold ammo/range cards/hydration systems and finally, combination rifle bags and mats. These can be used to transport the rifle and then unrolled at the firing point as a shooting mat. My choice of brands led me to those that I'm familiar with as rifle bags - BlackHawk and AIM, which between them market five different shooting mats or combination bag/mats. I have added a shooting mat from Arktis - a brand I have admired for its quality when examining the Arktis sniper drag bags used by many of my shooting colleagues.

BlackHawk Pro Shooters Mat

Edgar Brothers (www.edgar-brothers.co.uk) is the official BlackHawk importer and supplied me with a BlackHawk Pro Shooters Mat (formerly the Competition Shooters Mat). The thing I liked immediately is that it rolls up for ease of carrying, either by the centrally positioned carrying handle or by the detachable shoulder strap. The downside is that when you roll the mat out it curls up at the foot. Whether it will retain this ‘memory' remains to be seen but I suspect this will become less of a problem with use.

On a dry summer's day the rolled up mat could double as a rifle rest as you probably wouldn't need it to protect you from the mud and wet. Whether you would need its Hydrastorm Hydrations System pouch and Tube Routing System (TRS) is open to question, but with global warming - who knows! I would have preferred some pouches for ammo or a clear plastic section for score/range cards. The front portion of the mat has HawkTex non-slip material for your elbows and I found this really grippy, irrespective of whether I was wearing a standard combat jacket or a target rifle jacket with its own rubber elbows. Quality is a byword with BlackHawk products and this mat is no exception, it is very comfortable - made of tough, scuff-resistant 1,000-denier NyTaneon with 3/8" closed-cell foam padding, 30" wide by 84" long (76cm x 213cm). Priced at about £90, it is available in black, olive and woodland camo through Edgar Brothers' distributors such as Tacfire Systems (www.rifle-cases.co.uk).

BlackHawk Stalker Drag Mat

This is the first of the combination rifle bag/mats although they are difficult to get hold of. The Stalker Drag Mat can be used as a rifle carry case, a drag bag, or a shooting mat. It is made of 1,000-denier NyTaneon and ½" closed-cell foam with interior securing straps for the rifle. The bag includes a shoulder strap and has centrally positioned wrap-around carrying handles. It has a conventional appearance as a rifle bag but soon reveals its tactical nature both externally and internally. There are ‘paracord' attachments on one side of the case in 2" increments to allow for burlap, scrim or natural materials to be attached for camouflage.

Internally there are elastic loops with protective flaps to hold 10 rounds of .308 ammunition - these are located on the left side of the left elbow, which might hinder rapid fire for a right-handed shooter. On the right-hand side is a pocket that can hold 20-round ammunition boxes or a data book. Overall length is 50.5" (128cm) and the width at bottom when open is 32" (81cm).

Cost is about £90, which is very competitive given the extra features, but it would benefit from some of that grippy HawkTex material for your elbows. AIM makes something similar - the AIM Range Bag Combo - and at a similar price. The AIM Combo does have grippy material for your elbows but these were out of stock when I enquired. I haven't seen one first-hand so I'll have to wait before I review it.

BlackHawk Long Gun Pack Mat

Tacfire Systems (www.rifle-cases.co.uk) kindly supplied what must be regarded as the Rolls Royce of the combination bag/mats - the BlackHawk Long Gun Pack Mat. It immediately overcomes the one deficiency of the Stalker Drag Mat by having a generous full-width portion of grippy HawkTex for your elbows. Again made with 1,000-denier NyTaneon this high-quality piece of kit can be used as a rifle carrying case, a backpack, a drag bag and as a shooting mat complete with Velcro removable pouches, one for a notebook and one for ammo - a very nice feature which allows you to set up the mat to suit left or right-handers. In addition there is a weapons cleaning kit pouch and separate bolt pouch. Perhaps less useful is the Hydrastorm hydration system pouch for your water, but it is just the right size to stuff your waterproof trousers and jacket inside. Full wrap-around carry handles or concealable backpack harness straps (fully padded) and a waist belt can be used for transportation. The bag opens up with two fold-out sections - one for the rifle butt and another with extra protection for the rifle muzzle with a hard plastic crown protective cover lined with closed-cell foam and three sets of securing straps to hold the rifle securely. Suddenly a bag that previously measured 28" long (71cm) by 13" wide (33cm) lengthens to accommodate most rifles up to 50" in length (127cm). When opened up as a mat it is 27.5" wide (70cm) by 50" long (127cm) - plenty wide enough but just stopping short of your knees when shooting prone.

The closed-cell foam insulation and padding does a remarkable job of providing comfort. I was worried that all the various securing/shoulder straps, which lie underneath the mat, would intrude when lying topside. However, I found that my stomach lay on a flat portion, where there were no straps underneath, while my elbows rested forward of the underlying shoulder strap section which kept my chest clear, thanks to my elbows. Obviously a lot of serious thinking has gone into the design of this bag - it is even freefall and static-line jumpable, but I can't see that becoming a requirement of Civilian Service Rifle shooting in the near future! The one negative feature is the way in which the bag folds, as the surface of the section that holds the rifle is the same surface that will lie in the mud - not good when you finish shooting for the day and want to use it as a gun bag again. The only way to avoid this is to leave this section semi-folded so that it lies uppermost under your stomach; this leaves everything from your waist down lying in the mud! Obviously this would not be a problem in drier climates. Nonetheless this bag is packed with features that reflect its £175 asking price.

Aim Range Shooting Mat

A more conventional single-purpose shooting mat is AIM's extra-large version, the biggest in this review: a generous 180cm x 90cm to be exact (in old money about 71" long by 35.5" wide). For those that shoot in a conventional (some would say ‘old fashioned') angled prone position you can sprawl out without finding your knee or elbow in the mud. The other narrower mats described in this article are perhaps better suited to the more modern style, less angled and single bent leg prone position.

Despite its size this huge mat gathers up easily when you want to move location, folding concertina-style into thirds when you lift it by the webbing handles. It is 100% waterproof on its seamless, rubberised underside, to protect you from rising ground moisture. It is slightly padded for comfort, probably about 5mm closed-cell foam; a consideration for NRA target rifle shooters where the rules dictate an overall level of padding for elbows - a rule that's easily broken if you have padding in your jacket and in your mat. A nice feature is that you can tie down this mat at the corners via its webbing loops - your mat will not blow away in a gale but you might need to add tent pegs and a mallet to your shooting kit list. It has clear score card pockets on the top panel and these hinge up and are held closed with Velcro, so you can enter your score with one hand. AIM has even put two of these pockets on the mat to make it convenient for left or right-handed shooters.

The area of rubberised surface extends the full width of the mat. I found it less effective when shooting in a combat jacket but fine when I switched to a target jacket with rubber elbows. The mat can be folded further, down to a manageable 60 x 50 x 8cm (about 24 x 20"), for transport and storage and comes complete with its own shoulder bag with shoulder strap.

The Aim Range Shooting Mat is available in olive, tan or camouflage and at about £89 is very good value for money. My thanks to AIM Field Sports for supplying the bag at short notice (www.aimfieldsports.com).

Arktis Range Mat

The final mat in this review is the Arktis Range Mat. This is also of a fairly conventional concertina design with four 10mm foam padded sections and a lightweight section. It does however combine some additional features that I liked: a practical map/document pouch and a mesh container for utility or hydration purposes (another good spot for your waterproof clothing). The outer is made of waterproof material and there are two rubberised squares for your elbows. I would have preferred a full-width rubberised area, as these squares tend to be more suited to the modern straight/cocked leg prone position. It is 29" (74cm) wide by 63" (160cm) long in the padded area with the additional lightweight section adding another 16" (40cm) in length. Initially I thought that here was another folding range mat that would be a bit awkward to carry about, hindered further by a long carrying handle that is too short to use as a shoulder strap. However, after I visited Arktis' web site (www.arktisltd.co.uk) I noticed a picture of the same mat when rolled up. I examined the sample mat and realised that the extra-long fastening straps that are used to stop the mat unfolding during carriage could also be used to secure the mat when it was rolled in to a tight efficient package. Isn't it amazing how one small feature can alter your whole outlook?

Having rolled up the mat straight from its conventional folded position I noticed that the concertina folds actually help when the mat is unfolded, by ensuring that the mat lies flat after it has been tightly rolled. At a very competitive price of around £70, I definitely warmed to this mat.

I hope that this and the previous article will make your trips to the range with all the equipment a rather less arduous task. Good kit, well thought out, professionally designed and built to a high standard will provide excellent service and improve the enjoyment of each day at the range. Who knows, if you're less stressed and more comfortable, it might even add a point or two to your scores.

My thanks to AIM Field Sports, Edgar Brothers, Tacfire Systems and Arktis for supplying the mats/bags featured in this article. Judging by the speed, efficiency and helpfulness exhibited by all of these companies I have no doubt that their prospective customers will receive the same service.