Target Sports

SPECIAL FEATURE: BAGS OF IDEAS

Created on 19th May 2009

NIGEL GREENAWAY takes a look at some top holders to cart your kit around

MY PREVIOUS articles on Practical Rifle (PR) and Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) shooting concentrated on the courses of fire and the rifles required for these exciting competitions. Space did not allow for more than a cursory look at the other equipment needed and the rifle bags and range bags required to carry everything.

This article will cover the latter requirement in some depth, because if you are going to spend £1,500 plus on a modern rifle and telescopic sight it would seem a false economy to skimp on the quality of the rifle bag required to protect your investment and carry it comfortably. The rifle and range bags described will suit any rifle discipline so it would be a good idea to remind ourselves about the specialist requirements of PR and CSR, particularly the need to carry comparatively large quantities of ammunition and kit to and from the firing point and the butts. This can happen twice in one day and some of the worst accidents I've seen inflicted on rifles have occurred in the butts. A chamber safety flag might allow you to carry your rifle safely slung from your shoulder but as soon as you enter the butts the fun and games start. If firing has commenced and you have not reached your target you will be required to walk between the target frames and the area underneath the mantlet, often having to step sharply to one side as people rush to bring targets down for marking. The sickening crash you then hear behind you is your rifle or scope as it strikes the hard metal edge of the target frame. If you pass this test then propping your rifle up against the wall by your bench or resting it on its bipod under the bench is also a recipe for disaster as the press of bodies and shuffling feet wreak havoc with your unprotected kit.

So, having decided that you need to buy a rifle bag, you now need to give serious consideration as to whether you split the load in to a rifle bag and a separate range bag or carry everything in the same bag as your rifle. The picture shows the plethora of kit you may need to lug about: ammo boxes (150-250 rounds), spare magazines, binoculars (required in the Methuen team CSR), knee pads (gravel firing point), gloves, waterproof trousers and jacket, grass clippers, digital wind gauge, first-aid kit, rifle and scope cleaning kit, rifle bipod, ear muffs, drink and lunch box, pen, range tables, and course of fire. It adds up to a substantial amount of kit and it's all required; leave any item back at base and your day may not be as enjoyable or successful as you would have hoped. Bearing that in mind, a simple check list of all the kit you need written onto a card that you slip into your range bag or rifle case is a good idea; it's remarkably easy to forget that the gloves you wore last time were washed after a previous muddy outing and are no longer in the kit bag. Discovering that on the firing point can spoil the start of a cold misty morning on the range.

The green bag that swallows all this kit (although maybe not an upright 1L bottle) is the Warrior Grab Bag (UK distributor: www.uktactical.com). This type of bag was not available a few years ago, but the demands of security personnel serving as bodyguards in Iraq resulted in the grab bag. It is an ideal and discreet piece of hand luggage if you need to bale out of an ambushed vehicle quickly but still carry enough spare ammo and kit to get yourself out of trouble; perhaps not an everyday requirement at Bisley but ideal for our kit carrying needs. The bag has three separate internal compartments with various elasticated loops or Velcro backing for customised fitting. On the outside it has the popular Molle straps that allow various pouches to be attached for a completely customised package. As standard it comes with three double mag pouches for 30-round AR15 magazines, a small pouch on the side which will take a 20-round mag plus smaller pistol mag pouches that will accommodate the digital wind gauge and my grass clippers (vital when you find long grass obscuring your view a foot or two forward of the firing point). Single open top mag pouches can be ordered to fix to the front or side so that you have an upright mag, free of mud or gritty gravel, within easy reach for a quick reload.

Over all this is a large flap, the inside of which has a clear plastic map pouch which is great for holding the course of fire for a quick reminder without having to worry about the rain. It is a very well-designed bag, made from high quality and hardwearing materials. Space has not allowed me to describe all of its features but at £54.95 I will use it - it is even the right height to act as a rifle rest.

A good choice for a rifle bag to accompany the Warrior Grab Bag is the new Operational Tactical Drag Bag from AIM Fieldsports (www.aimfieldsports.com) designed to accommodate conventional bolt-action scoped rifles up to 49" in length - the old Swedish Mauser m/41 sniper pictured is actually slightly longer! This AIM bag differs from their well-known AIM50 and AIM60 Drag Bags in that it lacks the latter's large external pockets and hence the price drops from £139 to £99, but it is still made with 1000-denier cordura and the usual extra-thick closed cell foam padding. Given the quality of the bag this is exceptional value for money whilst still incorporating the stowaway rucksack-type shoulder straps of its more expensive brother. Another feature that I like is the full-length pocket for a rifle cleaning rod running along the length of the spine of the bag. The number of times I've heard the cry from the firing point for a cleaning rod to clear a jammed round only to hear everyone say "I've got a rod in the car" which is often a round trip of 1000 yards! The bag has a system that allows internal securing straps to be positioned to hold any type/shape of rifle, including the comparatively short AR15s.

A rifle bag that was designed specifically to hold the M16/AR15/M4 range of rifles and carbines is I-SHOT's SERT system Tac Carbine/Rifle Case (TCC) - available in lengths of 30-46 to suit, 42 being the popular length for a 20 barrelled AR15. They are imported from America by Stockade Products (www.stockadeproducts.co.uk). These rectangular-shaped bags are regarded as discreet bags because their shape does not shout rifle bag. Their shape actually allows them to hold two or even three rifles/carbines - two in the main compartment if not scoped and one, with a folding stock, in the external large pocket. Both compartments employ the MOLLE or PALS system to allow securing straps to be positioned to suit different rifles plus magazine pouches. I tend to use the large external pocket to hold a triple mag pouch and all my waterproof clothing or gloves. They are very well-made, using 1000-denier cordura with two sets of external D-Rings to allow versatility of shoulder strap placement, heavy-duty steel hardware and lockable zippers.

What really sets these bags apart is the very high level of protection offered. Not only do they have the usual padding but there are also large hard plastic rectangular sheets zippered in to the inside. These are designed to help the bag stay semi-rigid and will not allow the outline shape of the rifle to become visible from the outside whilst increasing the level of protection from, for example, a sharp object falling and cutting through the conventional soft padding. The American Marine Recon units have selected SERT bags for their demanding applications - enough said!
Another useful accessory from Stockade Products is a Kit Mat made by MM & Emdom. Basically it's a field cleaning kit pouch with a 23"x19" roll up cordura mat attached. This acts as a great surface to field strip and clean your rifle whilst keeping everything out of the dirt or not spattering the back of your estate car with cleaning oil as the phosphor bronze brush emerges from the muzzle. There are two zippered pouches, both of which will hold take down cleaning rods. There is space for spare parts, small bottles, patches, rod guide - everything you need for a rifle cleaning kit. There is a big Velcro patch in one corner, and four strips of Velcro, which are designed to secure small parts, or the rifle bolt that might otherwise get lost or dropped in the mud. The mat folds over and rolls up around the pouches to be held in place by elasticated cord. It is one of those bits of kit that you never thought you needed but once you start using it you can't imagine how you ever managed without it!

The final rifle bag is at the Rolls Royce end of the spectrum and is priced accordingly at around £210. The Blackhawk Sniper Drag Bag oozes quality and is a full-blown sniper drag bag with stowable rucksack shoulder straps and two large external pockets. There is also an internal pocket that is ideal for ammo boxes or even a silencer. Internal straps secure the rifle but there are also securing straps in each of the large pockets - useful for holding a spotting scope. The case is fully padded with closed cell foam and has extra heavy-duty zippers with dual sliders, which allow the bag to be opened completely and used as a shooting mat. The picture showing my Parker Hale M85 sniper rifle held by the securing straps also shows the extra strip of padding that rests under the zipper along its entire length. It is this attention to detail that differentiates this bag from the likes of the AIM bag, but then you pay more for extra quality. Along the spine is a long pouch to hold a cleaning rod. Overall length is 51", the front cargo pouch is 9.5"x23"x2" and the rear cargo pouch is 9.5"x12"x2". This bag really can carry a hell of a lot of kit and it was in constant use by me when I used my Parker Hale M85 in PR events. When used rucksack-style it can be carried with the barrel pointing up when moving at a reasonable pace between your car and the firing point (the lower part of the bag is well clear of your legs). Alternatively the straps can be altered so that the bag is reversed with the barrel pointing down and the bag is lower than your head but I wouldn't try running. It is safer to adopt this carring position when moving around the butts - headspace under the mantlet is somewhat restricted. Suppliers such as UK Tactical stock Blackhawk products and www.rifle-cases.co.uk also stock Blackhawk and a wide range of other rifle bags and shooting mats.

Lastly there is a small range bag, which can be used in conjunction with a kit carrying rifle bag like the Blackhawk or the I-SHOT SERT. The rationale behind its design is the same as the Warrior Grab Bag but the Snugpak Response Pack is much smaller. I purchased one because I like to have spare mags/ammo to hand on the firing point without resting mags on gravel or wet grass. The Snugpak is the ideal size to carry AR15 magazines and ammunition plus smaller accessories like my Kestrel Digital wind gauge, pen, and course of fire. It can be used as a bum bag but the belt can be hidden at the back of the bag and the well-positioned double carrying handles used instead.

It has a main section that can carry 150 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition in 1 x 100 and 1 x 50 capacity MTM ammo boxes - vital if you produce your own reloaded ammunition. Alternatively three or four 30-round mags could be secured in this section. At each end of this main compartment are two smaller zippered pockets which will each take two 20-round AR15 mags or two small 30-round cardboard boxes of military surplus 5.56mm. At the front is another zippered pocket, which is divided in two across its length with two small pockets on the divider. The main section of this pocket will also carry two 30-round mags and scope lens cleaning cloths in the small pockets. The mathematicians amongst us will already have worked out that this delightful little bag will carry between 290 to 330 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition and at least half-a-dozen 20 and 30-round mags - enough for even the most demanding day of Practical Rifle. Best of all you can purchase these well-made, tough little bags for about £12-£15. Mine came from The Camp Shop at Sennybridge (www.campshop.co.uk) or try www.chasesmith.co.uk.

This concludes my first look at range luggage that will both protect your equipment, and hopefully make your life on the range more comfortable by making it easier to carry a lot of gear without undue strain. Having well-placed, adjustable and padded straps makes the physical carrying aspect much less stressful; knowing it's all there and safe, even in inclement weather, also helps keep one's focus on the job in hand. There may be cheaper alternatives available but before making a choice, think of the job it has to perform and how long you hope it will last; as the old saying rightly goes, quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.