The second bag is the rear bag I wanted. A rear bag for field shooting on animals that move, and where positions are often ad hoc and forced, should be flexible and adaptable, and not overly rigid.
Most rear bags are way too stiff/over filled. On a bench or a perfect flat range a harder bag seems more stable while aiming- and it can be. At least before the shot breaks. However once recoil hits, stiff bags tend to cause jumps in the reticle similar to what shooting off a hard rear rest does. In essence the rear bag is controlling all of the weight of the rear end, which means the shooter is just along for the ride.
But in the field, from field positions that aren’t perfect, and are often at odd angles; and especially with targets that move- overstuffed, hard bags severally limit the movement that the rear of the gun can make. That means much more of the elevation must come from the front rest- whatever that is. The front is the slowest place to make adjustments regardless if it’s a bipod or a pack. And while on a perfect flat range a stiffer bag can work and seems like a good idea, for dynamic field shooting it’s a hindrance, not a help.
You want to be controlling the gun, not you hanging onto to the gun, or some other item controlling it. The rear bag is there to
support you in controlling the rifle, not to control it by itself. At that, the rear bag should have some give in it, should be multi sided, and should be light and relatively flexible. A more flexible bag where the shooter is controlling the height of the butt, and where the bag is just supporting the rear hand allows the rifle to recoil neutrally and consistently. It makes tracking easier, and consequently makes spotting one’s own shot easier with lighter rifles.
There is a rear bag that I have that is great- now. When new it was hard as a brick with probably 95% fill and while though it would be great, it sucked for shooting for the reasons mentioned above. After being constantly used for close to a decade as a front bag, it is now about 50% fill, and is very useful for a rear bag. But no one has time to spend beating on a bag to get it right, and I needed more bags. I also was being asked how to get the same rear bag I have. So, I asked Ryan and Jake to make me one.
Enter, the Jellyfish. It’s a simple rectangle bag that is approximately 65% filled. It measures something like 7”x5.5”x2.5”.
It’s flexible and versatile. It can be used flat-
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Horizontally-
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Vertically (it’s kind of rolled over here)-
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Folded-
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And the normal support where you squeeze the middle with your offhand. It also can slide over the barrel and forend and make a good field front rest. It’s nothing magical, just a light, adaptable bag that does what a rear bag should do.
