Why do we need bags for PRS?
It all comes down to two words “Rapid Stability”. In the PRS game, there are many variables to contend with. Things like time management, ballistics, wind-calling, and most importantly fundamentals of good marksmanship. One of the three legs of solid marksmanship is “developing a steady hold”. This means making sure you are shooting from a stable platform in order to execute consistent shots on target.
One way to ensure a stable shooting platform is to use a bipod. Although very useful in many situations, a bipod is best used on a flat level surface. On barricades like rails, ladder and narrow/uneven surfaces, a shooting bag is usually a better fit. A bag can cradle both the rifle and stabilize itself on the shooting surface.
If you are shooting from an awkward/unconventional position, a shooting bag can be used to add support to the shooter’s body by filling in gaps in his/her position. This adds needed stability and removes some of the “muscling” required to hold a position. The more consistent your position, the more consistent your shot placement/grouping.
Lockhart Tactical 3 Bag Set
Lockhart Tactical is a Canadian company based in British Columbia. They have recently introduced their own line of PRS bags. I found out about this set as I was floating around on the CGN website. In terms of PRS bags, a 3 piece set priced around $125 CAD is more than reasonable.
The bags come in 3 colors – Black, OD Green and Tan.
The set consists of a small, medium, and large bag and measure as follows:
Width Height Depth Heavy Duty Handles Covered Zipper Weight Empty Weight Filled (Rice) Small 3″ 4″ 6″ 3 Yes 82g (2.9oz) 1317g (2lb 14oz) Medium 4″ 5″ 7″ 3 Yes 111g (3.9oz) 2324g (5lb 1oz) Large 5″ 6″ 8″ 2 Yes 144g (5.1oz) 4126g (9lb 1.5oz)
The bags come unfilled to save on shipping costs and to allow the user to fill the bags with whatever fill material they so choose. They can also choose how firm/soft they want their bags by varying the amount of fill placed inside each bag.
For this review I have opted to fill my bags with plastic beads. These beads are used for plastic injection molding. They are lightweight, not water issues or rodent/decomposition issues. I have placed the beads inside a ziplock bag to prevent any accidental spillage.
Build Quality
These bags are made of high quality 1000 Denier Nylon. The stitching quality is solid and should not blow out or tear easily. They feature an embroidered logo on one side.
One nice feature of these bags is the zippers have a pull tab and also a protective cover sealed with Velcro to prevent accidentally opening a zipper and spilling out the fill at the range or in the field.
The shock cord lacing allows you to adjust the bag’s firmness on the fly. or you can lace it around your rifle to attach and use as barricade rest.
Practical Applications
How can we use this particular set of bags at a CRPS match? I took them out to the range to see what can be done and how to best use this set to its fullest potential. By using a home-made “practice barricade”, I discovered that they have a wide variety of PRS type applications.
Conclusion
I think these are a great set of affordable bags that will be able to help shooters get the stability they require. the overall construction quality will hold up to rigorous use. You can get very creative in how you use these bags and come up with some very stage specific applications.
Where to buy
You can order your 3 bag set directly from Lockhart Tactical
* A special thank you to Sam Lockhart for donating this set of bags for review and allowing me to share this review with all the CRPS readers.