Affordable Bench Rests & Sandbags for Semi-Auto Rifles

[Liquid Rhino]

Just curious as to what kind of bench rests/sandbag options you guys have/are using at the range?

I'd like to get a relatively inexpensive one like the MTM's (either front rest only or fully-supported Predators/Shoulder-Gards) for general target shooting & zeroing, but am worried about clearance issues when used in conjunction with most semi-auto rifles, like an AR or M1A,etc. (currently I don't own 20rd AR mags )

My budget would be roughly $35-$45 max. I don't really want a high-end rest or bipod, as I'm not pretending to be Hathcock, it's just for weekend fun! I don't wanna rule out bipods, but it'd have to be somewhat universal without too much extra $$ for mounting adapters across platforms.

Any other alternatives would be also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys!

[EricCartmann]

play sand at Home depot is only $5 for like a 25 lb bag. I also saw sandbags at home depot, and they were only like $3 per dozen. there you go, 12 sandbags for the cost of $8.

[CyBuzz]

I got old canvas led shot bags from a friend who reloads. I then bought a 25 pound bag of rice from Costco and filled them and sewed them shut. They are light and I like them. The only thing I need to worry about is getting the rice wet.

[Liquid Rhino]

That works for me! Thanks again

[longtalltechsan]

I took 4 of my long socks, you know, the kind that come up to your knees. Anyhoo, I filled them with my kids play sand and have sand bags. Are they as nice as the canvas or leather bags? No. Do they get the job done? You betcha!

[EricCartmann]

Make sure you get the FORGED sandbags made in the USA. You don't want these peice of crap cheap Chinese CAST sandbags. Murphy law says a sandbag will always fail on the wrong time, so do it right and get the right sandbag. Buy quality you only cry once.

[MGD 45]

Originally Posted by CyBuzz

I got old canvas led shot bags from a friend who reloads. I then bought a 25 pound bag of rice from Costco and filled them and sewed them shut. They are light and I like them. The only thing I need to worry about is getting the rice wet.

One of my co-workers did this, but put the rice in a plastic shopping bag first then put the plastic bag in the sock. The bag acts as a barrier for the water, so this might help ya.

[UncleBuck]

Originally Posted by MGD 45

One of my co-workers did this, but put the rice in a plastic shopping bag first then put the plastic bag in the sock. The bag acts as a barrier for the water, so this might help ya.

That's an excellent idea. Costco has one gallon Zlocks real cheap which would be perfect.

Thanks

[zipgun]

My wife takes kitchen towels folds them over, fills them with rice and sews them up. You can heat them in the microwave as a hot pack since they stay hot for a long time. You can usually find them at craft shows as well.

One or two of them have found a way into my range bag since the do work pretty well as bench rest bags.