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I think I have lurked enough, and decided it was finally time to contribute something useful. Plus, this will be a nice distraction from any AWB or UN/Blue Helmet treaty coming to take our guns.
Shooting Bag Instructions
Supplies needed: Outer Material fabric, inner liner material (if desired), bag filler of choice such as sand, beans, dried legumes, etc.
Picking the size, shape, and material for your bag:
Decide on the desired, final size of your bag. For me, I wanted two bags; 8x8 inches, and 4x8 inches. For that, I cut material one inch larger than that (9x9 squares, or one 9x18 rectangle I could fold in half. In hindsight, I should have cut the bags a little larger, due to losing some height with the medium settling down into the base of the bag.
For materials, I chose a cotton-poly blended digital woodland camouflage pattern (A.K.A MARPAT) fabric from Joann Fabric. With a coupon, a 9x60 inch cut was $1.50. Since its not waterproof, and didnt want the legumes to spoil in the bag, I also got a similar sized cut of vinyl lining to put inside the camo fabric. The lining cost $1.00.
For the bag medium, I grabbed the cheapest bags of split peas and barley from Safeway. I ended up using six one-pound bags, for a cost of a little over $6.00.
Hint: I took a piece of scrap fabric and made a prototype bag to test the height. I filled that with a couple of zip lock bags full of rice.
Assembly:
Cut the material to the desired dimensions, the vinyl measuring slightly less than the fabric. With a regular utility stich on a sewing machine, sew three of the four sides (or two of the three if you cut foldable rectangles). If you are using a fabric with a pattern, make sure you sew the fabric together inside out.
Then you can reverse the pocket, and the seams are on the inside. Do the same with the vinyl.
Filling the bags:
Pour your desired medium into the bag. Fill your bag to the desired level, but be sure not to over-fill.
Sew the vinyl straight across at your desired level. I tried to get mine as close to the medium as possible. Its kind of a pain, so see the hint below. Cut off the excess vinyl, but not too close to the stich.
Fold the open edge of the outer fabric into the inside of the bag about half an inch. Pin the two sides together and then sew shut.
Hint: I didnt do this step, but should have. After reversing the vinyl, sew the top almost completely shut, save it be a small section. Use that small opening to insert a funnel or paper funnel, and then fill the vinyl bag with your medium. Once the vinyl is full to satisfaction, stitch the vinyl shut. Place the vinyl into the fabric pocket, and close the fabric pocket.
Final Results:
By having two different sized bags, you can use them in various configurations, depending on the setting. I think they turned out nicely.
Shooting Bag Instructions
Supplies needed: Outer Material fabric, inner liner material (if desired), bag filler of choice such as sand, beans, dried legumes, etc.
Picking the size, shape, and material for your bag:
Decide on the desired, final size of your bag. For me, I wanted two bags; 8x8 inches, and 4x8 inches. For that, I cut material one inch larger than that (9x9 squares, or one 9x18 rectangle I could fold in half. In hindsight, I should have cut the bags a little larger, due to losing some height with the medium settling down into the base of the bag.
For materials, I chose a cotton-poly blended digital woodland camouflage pattern (A.K.A MARPAT) fabric from Joann Fabric. With a coupon, a 9x60 inch cut was $1.50. Since its not waterproof, and didnt want the legumes to spoil in the bag, I also got a similar sized cut of vinyl lining to put inside the camo fabric. The lining cost $1.00.
For the bag medium, I grabbed the cheapest bags of split peas and barley from Safeway. I ended up using six one-pound bags, for a cost of a little over $6.00.
Hint: I took a piece of scrap fabric and made a prototype bag to test the height. I filled that with a couple of zip lock bags full of rice.
Assembly:
Cut the material to the desired dimensions, the vinyl measuring slightly less than the fabric. With a regular utility stich on a sewing machine, sew three of the four sides (or two of the three if you cut foldable rectangles). If you are using a fabric with a pattern, make sure you sew the fabric together inside out.
Then you can reverse the pocket, and the seams are on the inside. Do the same with the vinyl.
Filling the bags:
Pour your desired medium into the bag. Fill your bag to the desired level, but be sure not to over-fill.
Sew the vinyl straight across at your desired level. I tried to get mine as close to the medium as possible. Its kind of a pain, so see the hint below. Cut off the excess vinyl, but not too close to the stich.
Fold the open edge of the outer fabric into the inside of the bag about half an inch. Pin the two sides together and then sew shut.
Hint: I didnt do this step, but should have. After reversing the vinyl, sew the top almost completely shut, save it be a small section. Use that small opening to insert a funnel or paper funnel, and then fill the vinyl bag with your medium. Once the vinyl is full to satisfaction, stitch the vinyl shut. Place the vinyl into the fabric pocket, and close the fabric pocket.
Final Results:
By having two different sized bags, you can use them in various configurations, depending on the setting. I think they turned out nicely.