Maxum Fatbag Bench Rest Bag

Irrespective of your discipline, extracting maximum performance from our equipment and improving the chances of success is what it’s all about. If achieving a precise zero is our starting point, then anything that can assist is the way forward. Under the spotlight is the Maxum ‘Fatbag’ Bench Rest Bag, made by The Outdoor Connection, which represents a neat and surprisingly versatile solution to the age old problem of stability in the aim.

PREPARATION

Supplied empty, the bag first needs to be filled, sand is a favourite, along with polyethylene pellets, foam beads, dry split peas, lentils, or as I chose, rice. The finer the medium, the denser and more effective the end result, however, remember rice will attract moisture and swell.

Filling is easy, thanks to a sizeable entry tube, which is neatly folded into a pouch and Velcro sealed. Once unsealed and pulled out, the material tube is actually some 2.5inches in diameter, which makes the process child’s play. Just insert a small funnel to make the job that bit easier, and pour in the medium. Once the bag is filled to a satisfactory degree, the tube is sealed and re-stowed. Rice, as mentioned, works a treat, adding weight which in turn, can aid stability. Be careful not to over-fill though, as this reduces the all important flexibility. Get it right though, and these bags really take some beating.

STURDY

The bag is constructed from tough 1000D polyester fabric, which still has the necessary amount of give to enable the rifle to feel locked into place. The slightly smoother fabric used on the top contact surface aids ‘bedding in’, and all helps with overall recoil absorption in the process. It also has an integral shoulder strap; always useful!

OK; admittedly died in the wool Bench Rest aficionados will still favour their hi-tech, fully adjustable gun cradles, but these bags aren`t really intended to compete with that sort of high-end set-up. What the Maxum ‘Fatbag’ does offer, however, is an inexpensive taster to just what can be achieved when more variables are removed from the equation such as lack of stability.

Packing underneath the bag, to raise the sight-line to somewhere near the target makes sense, but with the bulk of the necessary elevation dealt with, final tweaking can be easily achieved. For those who have never used any sort of range bag, the way that the sight picture can be delicately altered, and bull acquisition achieved, just by gently pinching the rear of the bag for example, is a pleasure waiting to be discovered.

These bags are also great just as a support in the workshop, for those times when the gun needs to be held for scope changes/ maintenance etc; which is an added bonus in my book.