Shooting Mats for Bipod and Prone Shooters

We’ve been doing a lot of bipod shooting lately with the Anschütz 64R Biathlon rifle we’ve received for testing. (Great little rifle by the way — accurate, ergonomic, versatile. It’s a definite winner for the Rimfire Tactical game.)

Shooting off the ground with bipod has taught us the importance of a good, comfortable shooting pad, with non-slip areas for the ‘pod legs and sufficient length (and thickness) to cushion our middle-aged hips and knees. Creedmoor Sports offers a high-quality Shooting Pad for $75.00. This mat, popular on the High Power rifle range, has a waterproof vinyl bottom and a marine finished top with extended textured non-slip pads for elbow placement. Interior jute padding provides ample protection for the shooter in the shooting position. The Creedmoor pad measures 29.5″ X 68″.

ChampionShooters.com offers a similarly-sized shooting mat with some additional features. The 27″x72″ Champion Deluxe Roll-up Mat is soil-resistant canvas with a vinyl waterproof bottom. It has a 25″ X 21″ rubberized section added to the shooting area. To provide additional protection there are leg flaps on either side at the bottom, together with a dust flap in the front. This pad weighs 8 lbs. and costs $74.00.

Desired Upgrades for F-Class Shooting
For F-Class shooting, one thing we’d like to see from the pad manufacturers is a second no-slip, rubberized section in the middle of the mat for the rear sand-bag. We’ve seen some pads that have been modified with a rubber-covered aluminum plate in the middle of the mat for the rear sandbag. That provides great stability for the rear bag, but a hard plate demands that you fold the mat, rather than roll it up.