September 18th, 2019

REVIEW: AIM Field Sports FS-42 Rifle Bag with Shoulder Straps

AIM field sports carry bag folding rifle FS-42 FS case backpack

AIM Field Sports FS-42 Rifle Carry Bag (Shoulder Pack)

Gear Review by Jason Baney
I recently had the opportunity to test out the AIM Field Sports FS-42 rifle carry bag from the UK. This brand, while not well known in the USA, is popular throughout Europe as AIM makes incredibly robust and well thought-out gear. In addition to AIM’s house brand, AIM also sells OEM gear for other well-known companies, so this outfit is well-versed in the market and know what works and what doesn’t. These are incredibly well-made bags at a very fair price (£157.50, about $196.00 USD). I expect we will see more AIM rifle bags come to the U.S. market in the coming years.

AIM field sports carry bag folding rifle FS-42 FS case backpack

About the Rifle — Accuracy International AX in 22 Creedmoor
The rifle in the photos is Jason’s new “Groundhog Laser”, chambered in 22 Creedmoor. Jason reports: “The Accuracy Int’l AX platform lets me swap barrels quickly and the Tangent Theta scope allows quick zero resets when switching barrels. The suppressor is a Silencerco Omega and the scope mount is an ERATAC adjustable. With the 24″ 1:8″-twist Bartlein 5R barrel and a healthy charge of H4350 it runs a 75gr Amax just a touch under 3500 FPS for a 1000-yard come-up of about 5.3 mils!”

Jason added: “Even my 6-year-old son loves to shoot the rifle (with the LOP set at minimum). The boy took the first 7 groundhogs with it over a 2-hour span. I took 4 that day as well — an epic groundhog adventure. My son also recently shot this rifle at 1000 yards. On his very first 1K outing, he went 10 for 11 shots on a 2/3 IPSC target!”

For me, the FS-42 was intended to carry my Accuracy International AX (another fabulous tool from the UK) to and from the range, matches, and groundhog fields. While AIM Field Sports makes several types of Carry Cases and Drag Bags, this FS-42 is the model for right-side folding stock rifles up to a length of about 41.5.” AIM’s FXS-42 would be the choice for similar length rifles but with a butt-stock that folds to the left.

AIM field sports carry bag folding rifle FS-42 FS case backpack

Good Shoulder Strap System Provides Comfortable Carry
The backpack straps received quite a bit of use and are well designed and rugged — you hardly know they exist until you deploy them for use. I actually enjoyed carrying my heavy rifle even when loaded with a tripod (strapped on the external loops), ammo, bipod, mags, suppressor, camera gear and a couple bean bags. It had no problem handling my heavy rifle and gear. Even with a 24″ barrel with suppressor mounted, and large Tangent Theta 5-25 scope the bag had plenty of room to secure and protect it.

AIM field sports carry bag folding rifle FS-42 FS case backpack

The FS-42 gives plenty of room for support gear and has many well placed straps and reinforcements to keep your rifle in place and protected in transit. The more time I spend with it the more features I notice. It is obvious that these bags were designed by shooters. While no soft case/drag bag can quite offer the same protection of a hard case, it is much less cumbersome and holds about the same amount of gear. It is so well thought-out there is even a spot for a cleaning rod along the spine of the case!

Overall, the AIM FS-series bags are well-made, well laid-out and a great value in a world where some similar bags can be nearly twice the cost. These AIM bags are a great alternative to dragging heavy hard cases around.

Final Thought: “The FS-42 Bag is excellent — I dig it. It has worked well for all tasks. The only thing I would change is a bit more padding where the bag lies on your low-back/pelvis area.”

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