I just picked up a carpet remnant for $10 and I'm planning to cut it into two shooting mats.
It's about 5' x 6'. Would it be better to cut it on the long dimension and have skinnier mats, or on the short dimension and have wider (but shorter) mats?
Does it matter much?
Thanks!
when shooting prone with the trigger knee up you will occupy more width than you might normally think, but two mats of 5X3 will work great!
Quote from: eaglescouter on April 16, 2012, 08:47:55 PM
when shooting prone with the trigger knee up you will occupy more width than you might normally think, but two mats of 5X3 will work great!
Have you had any issues with the carpet sliding around? (Especially with plastic sheeting under it)
Let me know how it works out for you, Im thnking about going to Ollies and picking up some carpet untill I can catch the shooting mat I want on sale.
Quote from: qubit on April 16, 2012, 10:17:27 PM
Quote from: eaglescouter on April 16, 2012, 08:47:55 PM
when shooting prone with the trigger knee up you will occupy more width than you might normally think, but two mats of 5X3 will work great!
Have you had any issues with the carpet sliding around? (Especially with plastic sheeting under it)
Nope, I've seen blue tarps under it with no problems.
Watch for carpet burn on your elbows. We have seen this with more than a few shooters.
Other than that, it is cheap and plentiful and a far cry from some of things shooters show up with for their "shooting mats".
Quote from: TaosGlock on April 17, 2012, 01:22:01 AM
Watch for carpet burn on your elbows.
Thanks for the heads-up! I have a shooting jacket I picked up off of ebay, and I'm going to bring a spare pare of elbow pads just in case.
Quote from: TaosGlock
We have seen this with more than a few shooters.
Other than that, it is cheap and plentiful and a far cry from some of things shooters show up with for their "shooting mats".
Yep, someone mentioned using an ensolite pad for prone shooting, but I figured that a foam sleeping pad would get really beat up on the range (shoes, rocks, dirt, hot shells, etc..). I guess that it depends upon the particular makeup of the ground of the shooting range (cement, gravel, dirt, grass, etc...).
If you're going to be at Proctor, the firing line is grass.
Posted this on the other shooting mat question as well. Golds Gym Equipment mat. about $20 with tax at Walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-Rolled-Equipment-Mat/11089967
Quote from: Stand on April 19, 2012, 12:35:25 AM
Posted this on the other shooting mat question as well. Golds Gym Equipment mat. about $20 with tax at Walmart.
Looks pretty good. I see a reviewer noted "Only bad thing is the smell, be prepared to have your windows open for a couple days." I know how that is -- I had to air-out my carpet remnant as well.
Quote from: Stand on April 19, 2012, 12:35:25 AM
Posted this on the other shooting mat question as well. Golds Gym Equipment mat. about $20 with tax at Walmart.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym-Rolled-Equipment-Mat/11089967
I've got a couple of the puzzle type mats from them. Nice and thick.
All that said, a MidwayUSA shooting mat is hard to beat.
Quote from: SSG Platz on April 16, 2012, 10:18:30 PM
Let me know how it works out for you, Im thnking about going to Ollies and picking up some carpet untill I can catch the shooting mat I want on sale.
I took my carpet out to Proctor this weekend and field-tested it out. Here's what I found
- The carpet was very solid, kept flat, and didn't slide around much
- When I took off my long-sleeve shirt halfway through the day, my elbows got a little scuffed by the carpet, but not that much. Elbow pads, a shooting jacket, or even a long-sleeve shirt will prevent discomfort.
- Carpets get much heavier when it rains :P
For Sunday, I left the carpet at home to dry out, and took a foam sleeping pad:
- The foam pad was much lighter than the carpet, and would blow around without something heavy like a rifle on it
- Resting on top of a tarp, the foam pad stayed pretty dry. Because the pad isn't that wide, the tarp also kept the rest of me off the ground and dry.
- I was concerned about beating up the pad with my boots and brass, especially during quick transitions, but it only sustained a few minor scratches
- The foam pad moved around a little more than the carpet, but not enough to be a significant problem
- My foam mat is textured and 22 casings would sit down in the troughs of the texture, so I'd have to work harder to clear casings off the mat.
Conclusions:Shooting on carpet isn't a horrible idea, especially if you know it's not going to rain and if your carpet costs $5 or less.
Shooting on a foam mat works well, but it's less durable than carpet and won't lie as flat or stay down as well. Choose untextured over textured patterns. You'll probably want a plastic sheet/tarp under the mat.
I'll try to test a Midway shooting mat and one of the exercise-equipment mats at some point. I assume that the Midway shooting mat is mostly waterproof and is lighter, while the exercise mat is heavier, but wider, cheaper, and more waterproof.
Thanks for the info, it is quite helpful.
~PlatzOut~
Quote from: qubit on April 24, 2012, 01:46:18 AM
Quote from: SSG Platz on April 16, 2012, 10:18:30 PM
Let me know how it works out for you, Im thnking about going to Ollies and picking up some carpet untill I can catch the shooting mat I want on sale.
I took my carpet out to Proctor this weekend and field-tested it out. Here's what I found
- The carpet was very solid, kept flat, and didn't slide around much
- When I took off my long-sleeve shirt halfway through the day, my elbows got a little scuffed by the carpet, but not that much. Elbow pads, a shooting jacket, or even a long-sleeve shirt will prevent discomfort.
- Carpets get much heavier when it rains :P
For Sunday, I left the carpet at home to dry out, and took a foam sleeping pad:
- The foam pad was much lighter than the carpet, and would blow around without something heavy like a rifle on it
- Resting on top of a tarp, the foam pad stayed pretty dry. Because the pad isn't that wide, the tarp also kept the rest of me off the ground and dry.
- I was concerned about beating up the pad with my boots and brass, especially during quick transitions, but it only sustained a few minor scratches
- The foam pad moved around a little more than the carpet, but not enough to be a significant problem
- My foam mat is textured and 22 casings would sit down in the troughs of the texture, so I'd have to work harder to clear casings off the mat.
Conclusions:
Shooting on carpet isn't a horrible idea, especially if you know it's not going to rain and if your carpet costs $5 or less.
Shooting on a foam mat works well, but it's less durable than carpet and won't lie as flat or stay down as well. Choose untextured over textured patterns. You'll probably want a plastic sheet/tarp under the mat.
I'll try to test a Midway shooting mat and one of the exercise-equipment mats at some point. I assume that the Midway shooting mat is mostly waterproof and is lighter, while the exercise mat is heavier, but wider, cheaper, and more waterproof.
How did you guys make out sunday? di dyou get rained on a lot?
Quote from: gundog on April 24, 2012, 07:23:38 AM
How did you guys make out sunday? di dyou get rained on a lot?
Sunday was timed just about perfectly -- it was threatening rain all day, but it got worse heading towards 4pm. We wrapped up shooting and had nearly all of our gear packed up, target backing down, etc... before the skies opened up.
Speaking of the rain:
I took some of my gear (staple gun, pens, earplugs, knife, tape, etc..) in a 6qt Sterilite plastic shoebox. You can pick them up for under $1 at Walmart or Bi-mart. On Saturday I had one out in the pouring rain for quite some time, but it kept everything inside bone dry. With a bit of weight in it, it also helped to keep the corner of the plastic sheeting down.
Sure, a more durable/better-locking ammo box or toolbox would probably work even better, but for the price, they can't be beat. If you want a good, cheap tool for bringing lots of small/medium stuff out to the firing line, pick up a few of these -- they're even clear, so you can see what's sitting buried on the bottom without digging through!
Midway has mats on sale this month. $50 for a large and $25 for standard size (half price). We used carpet the first time or two; they are a little rough. The mats are worth it.
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/169107/midwayusa-competition-shooting-mat-pvc-coated-polyester-olive-drab
I used a couple folded moving blankets for years. Last March in the snow and melted ice and mud they became soaked. I bought one of the Midway PVC/Polyester mats; well worth it.
I did the larger mat: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/276544/midwayusa-pro-series-competition-shooting-mat-pvc-coated-polyester-olive-drab
I believe they are similar ( don't know that for a fact ). This one is a bit larger just about everywhere and a bit thicker, but I still will need to use elbow pads. It also has a storage pocket in the flap, for what that's worth.
This is still on sale (until 5/31) marked down from $99.99 to $49.99, but watch out they get you for $17+ shipping
The foam camping mats work well ,to my thinking elbows are about the only reason for a mat.
We do have a california instructor who practices with bare elbows in gravel , in order to "callous " his elbows . ::) The founders are indeed smiling ;D
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed on April 29, 2012, 08:50:35 PM
The foam camping mats work well ,to my thinking elbows are about the only reason for a mat.
The foam mats also provide some insulation, so if you were shooting in a cool situation, not only would you be up above any water or mud (or dust/sticks in an arid environment), but you'd retain more body heat. We really do have such amazing equipment these days -- even if it is something so seemingly simple as a foam mat!
Like any skill (shooting, first aid, etc..), it can be really helpful to train in the manner in which one would actually operate. So even if I don't have a mat, I could use a blanket, or a coat, or etc. I guess that means that I should practice shooting on various types of substitute mats!
Quote from: Johnnyappleseed
We do have a california instructor who practices with bare elbows in gravel , in order to "callous " his elbows . ::) The founders are indeed smiling ;D
yowzah! I used to run around barefoot as a kid, but shooting prone in gravel with no elbow protection sounds a lot more intense!