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Field Ethos
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By Keith Wood
I’ve been shooting long guns for 40 years, but I never actually competed in a precision rifle match until last summer. The learning curve was steep, and I learned that though, shooting is shooting, there are tricks to the PRS game. One of the tricks is having a good support bag and knowing how to use it. Nearly every competitor in the field of over 200 shooters used the same bag: the Game Changer from Armageddon Gear.
Armageddon Gear offers a bunch of options when it comes to shooting bags, but the Game Changer is the standard by which others are measured. The guys in my squad were generous about letting me use their gear during different stages, and I fell in love with the Shmedium Mid-Size Game Changer in waxed canvas. The waxed canvas provides a bit of friction to help the bag stick to whatever you throw it on and also helps keep the rifle’s forend on the bag. A cheap bar of Otter Wax from Amazon is all that you need to touch it up.
My match bag uses Armageddon’s Heavy fill, so it weighs 10 pounds. While that’s ideal for the range, it would suck to carry on a hunt. That’s why they offer the Standard fill 5-pound option and the 1.2-pound SpexLite. You can also change out the fill yourself if you want to use your bag for more than one purpose.
So why does a bag of sand cost $140? Fair question. For one, it’s sewn from top-quality materials by Americans in America rather than by kids in some sweatshop. Buying one is basically an act of patriotism. Beyond that, it was designed by guys who actually shoot. Company founder Tom Fuller and his “Meat Wagon” military ambulance are a fixture at precision rifle matches. The former Ranger capped a two-decade career as the Sergeant Major of the Army Marksmanship Unit, so he knows how to send it.
The genius of the bag is that you can throw it on anything from a fence post to a rock or a windowsill and it will stay in place and create a steady shooting platform. Resist the temptation to use the bag’s bunny ears for your rifle’s forend the way you would on a bench rest. Those exist for holding the bag in place in odd places. You’ll want the bag oriented longways for maximum stability. When shooting on flat surface, the ears sit sideways and make for an ideal spot to rest your support hand.
So, you’re a hunter who’s never going to shoot a match—I get it. The Game Changer is ideal for building a steady shooting position in the real world. Toss the game Changer over a steel T-post and you’ve got a supported standing shot instead of slinging lead offhand. Hang it over the windowsill of a box blind or a horizontal tree limb. I used one on the roof of a Tacoma to make one of the toughest shots that’ve ever taken in the field.
I see guys carrying a lot of crap in the field these days. I’m not judging, I like gear as much as anyone. At the end of the day, though, being able to build a steady shooting position is one of the single most important factors when it comes to being successful on the range or in the field. The Game Changer game is built for that purpose, and it does it well.
The post A Real Game Changer appeared first on Field Ethos.
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I’ve been shooting long guns for 40 years, but I never actually competed in a precision rifle match until last summer. The learning curve was steep, and I learned that though, shooting is shooting, there are tricks to the PRS game. One of the tricks is having a good support bag and knowing how to use it. Nearly every competitor in the field of over 200 shooters used the same bag: the Game Changer from Armageddon Gear.
Armageddon Gear offers a bunch of options when it comes to shooting bags, but the Game Changer is the standard by which others are measured. The guys in my squad were generous about letting me use their gear during different stages, and I fell in love with the Shmedium Mid-Size Game Changer in waxed canvas. The waxed canvas provides a bit of friction to help the bag stick to whatever you throw it on and also helps keep the rifle’s forend on the bag. A cheap bar of Otter Wax from Amazon is all that you need to touch it up.
Armageddon Gear Game Changer Lineup
My match bag uses Armageddon’s Heavy fill, so it weighs 10 pounds. While that’s ideal for the range, it would suck to carry on a hunt. That’s why they offer the Standard fill 5-pound option and the 1.2-pound SpexLite. You can also change out the fill yourself if you want to use your bag for more than one purpose.
So why does a bag of sand cost $140? Fair question. For one, it’s sewn from top-quality materials by Americans in America rather than by kids in some sweatshop. Buying one is basically an act of patriotism. Beyond that, it was designed by guys who actually shoot. Company founder Tom Fuller and his “Meat Wagon” military ambulance are a fixture at precision rifle matches. The former Ranger capped a two-decade career as the Sergeant Major of the Army Marksmanship Unit, so he knows how to send it.
The genius of the bag is that you can throw it on anything from a fence post to a rock or a windowsill and it will stay in place and create a steady shooting platform. Resist the temptation to use the bag’s bunny ears for your rifle’s forend the way you would on a bench rest. Those exist for holding the bag in place in odd places. You’ll want the bag oriented longways for maximum stability. When shooting on flat surface, the ears sit sideways and make for an ideal spot to rest your support hand.
Beyond the Firing Line
So, you’re a hunter who’s never going to shoot a match—I get it. The Game Changer is ideal for building a steady shooting position in the real world. Toss the game Changer over a steel T-post and you’ve got a supported standing shot instead of slinging lead offhand. Hang it over the windowsill of a box blind or a horizontal tree limb. I used one on the roof of a Tacoma to make one of the toughest shots that’ve ever taken in the field.
I see guys carrying a lot of crap in the field these days. I’m not judging, I like gear as much as anyone. At the end of the day, though, being able to build a steady shooting position is one of the single most important factors when it comes to being successful on the range or in the field. The Game Changer game is built for that purpose, and it does it well.
The post A Real Game Changer appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
