Shooting bags - do you dress left or right?

[graybeard]

I'm right-handed and carry my shooting bag and horn about under my right elbow. I carry the horn on a separate cord and tried wearing it on the left for safety purposes, but found it awkward pouring the powder. So now I shove it back, sort of behind me, and hope for the best. I carry my knife under the shooting bag on a belt and often a pistol and hawk on the left side, with the pistol a little to the front.

 

[CrackStock]

Bag on the right so that the right hand can quickly access the contents efficiently. Horn on the left with the measure hanging from a strap.

CS

 

[AZ-Robert]

Hey Jaegermeister,

Really nice pic. Never thought about it in this context, but it shows what I think is the same stance I (and, I'll guess, most folks) take when firing - 'off' foot towards the target. That kinda moves that bag (and horn) back away from the sparks, eh? And the sack on your left hip is now right below the lock?

 

[Walker357]

I'm right handed and wear the bag and horn on my right side for the simple reason that the straps seem to interfere with shouldering the rifle when I wear them on the left.

 

AZ-Robert, you are correct. I guess a photo is worth a thousand words. As I said earlier, the sack/bag on my left holds a flint wallet and a baggy with pre-soaked cleaning patches. I swab between each and every shot so I pull a patch out of the baggy, swab the barrel (and the frizzen/flint area if needed) and put the dirty patch in the bottom of the sack. This keeps me from looking too awkward on the firing line during shoots as I keep the plastic baggy out of sight when reaching into the bag and I have a place to put my dirty cleaning patches as well. This keeps my shooting pouch free from too much manure.

 

[reddogge]

Right side. I pour better with my right hand, handle the measure better with my left hand, cut the patch with my right hand, handle the starter with my right hand......

I carry the rifle in my left hand at trail and in my right cross body.

 

[roundball]

"....the sack/bag on my left holds a baggy with pre-soaked cleaning patches..."
"...I pull a patch out of the baggy, swab the barrel and put the dirty patch in the bottom of the sack..."
"...I have a place to put my dirty cleaning patches as well..."

Glad to see this posted about using ziplocs, taking care of dirty patches, etc...I carry a few quart size ziplocs in my hunting pouch that hold my "field cleaning kits" to use after a shot while hunting.

1 Quart size ziploc bag holds the following:

6 wet cleaning patches in a tiny 3" plastic bag;
6 dry cleaning patches in a tiny 3" plastic bag;
1 prelubed bore lubing patch;
1 foil wrapped alcohol wipe;
1 Q-Tip;
1 pipe-cleaner;

After a shot, I take my time, pull out a 'field cleaning kit', and completely clean/dry/lube the bore and breech...clean frizzen/flint/pan with the alcohol wipe...clean vent with Q-tip & pipecleaner...then seal everything back up in the quart size bag, toss it in the trash when I get home.

No mess, odor, or litter left in the woods...and the best part is that the rifle is just about perfectly clean and I know the fresh reload will fire even if I'm out for the rest of the day...carry 3 or 4 of them in the pouch...works really well.
:front:

 

[susie s]

I wear my bag on the left and my horn separately on my right. It's easier for me to reach into my bag and get things and easier for me to load that way if you don't mind an X across your chest. Since I only target shoot and am not going through brush or anything, it works well for me. S

 

[Stony]

Well, I'm right handed and find with the exception of the patch knife, everything just seems to work better when the pouch is on the right side. I carry my rifle with my left hand/arm so nothing really bumps on the shooting bag against the rifle. When I'm loading on the line, I use a loading block so I don't go into my pouch that much.

 

[Darkhorse]

I'm lefthanded and for years carried both bag and horn on my left side. I could load real fast without thinking about it. Though sometimes the horn got in the way and clunked against the rifle.
Last year I bought a bag from October Country hoping to get drawn for an Elk tag. This bag had a pewter button and I could carry a lot of useless junk up and down steep mountains with it. But now I am shooting custom rifles and the pewter button was marking my wood and the horn still clunked against the stock. It just became too much clutter in one spot. So I moved them both to the right side and now I'm much happier. And I can still load just about as fast.
I do though, like to have my horn attached to the bag and a little above it. It just seems to ride better and quieter with less swinging around when going over logs and under trees.

 

[AJFedak]

I shoot right side and carry the bag right side. I have canvas fowler bag and found that when the weather turns bad I can carry the lock under the outside flap. This has kept out the rain and snow.

 

[Greg Walden]

I'm righthanded, shoot right side, and carry pouch and horn on the right side. But I suspect that's mostly because I carried a military cartridge box for many more years than I've carried pouch and horn, and that hangs on the right side.

Greg

 

[mikee51848]

Right side, along with the horn.

 

[sidelock]

Wonder how Colter made out without ZIP LOCK bags---- it must have been hell without them in YELLESTONE. :m2c:

 

[Stumpkiller]

Wonder how Colter made out without ZIP LOCK bags . . .

Oh, I suppose he probably used greased sturgeon air bladders. :winking:

 

[oomcurt]

Speaking of ziplock bags...How do you guys keep your patches stored in your bag? Ziplock works....but it is kind of unhandy...patches tend to migrate out of the dang things. At least they do with me. Plus I always do any wiping with a cleaning patch...and yes..they are escape artists too. There has to be a better way and one where you can get one patch at a time and not two or three.

 

[Rebel]

Carry a strip of pre-lubed pillow ticking and cut at the muzzle or use a loading block.

 

[merdean]

I shoot right handed. My bag is on my right. Horn is on left on long rawhide string over hunting bag strap. I can push the horn behind me when shooting or pull it around front to load. All in all, I am comfortable with this setup. To each, his own. I use long stips of pillow ticking and cut as needed. When squirrel hunting, I use a 12 shot bullet block hanging with horn. I carry extra loose balls and patch material in the bag.

 

[sidelock]

Patches stay pretty well put in a loading block. :imo:

 

[Stumpkiller]

I make little buckskin bags, turn them inside-out and work beeswax into the lining with a heat gun and an acid brush, then store six-foot rolls of pre-lubed cotton patch strips (pulled out from the center of the roll) inside them.