Any recommendations for a shooting mat? Plan to take a mid range marksmanship course. I'm not sure I need a mat as I don't use one now, just seems like a good idea.

What bipod should I look for? It will be for an AR. Also any good ballistic calculators for iOS?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: jezsuiz,

Midway makes a couple of models at a decent price point, especially when they have them on sale.

I use an EBrlestock Magic Carpet. I cant say how good or bad it is as its the only mat Ive ever used. Its held up and have no real complaints.

I've gone through several mats over the years and my latest one is a US Peacekeeper mat. It's wide and it's long for tall guys like me. I like the padding that it has, some of the firing lines I go to are not very nice and have lots of rocks and crap.

http://www.sinclairintl.com/sh...g-mat-prod42108.aspx

It's out of stock there, but others sell it.

Much depends on what you want the mat to do. If you're protecting yourself from sharp desert plants or rocky soil, then a larger padded mat makes sense. If you're on softer or dirty ground, a thinner mat may work.

I spend most of my time on a heavy nylon roll-up mat by TAB Gear, although I have heavier and padded mats. The TAB mat has helped a lot in rock desert soil, keeps newly-cut field grasses from poking sensitive regions, and has been a godsend when steel matches were held in muddy soil just after big rainstorms.

Figure out your type of mat first, which will narrow the choices a bit.

I have a Midway mat, it works for me. I'm 6'2" and it is kinda short.

I have a Midway padded mat and one made by CROSSTAC. Both work fine for the basic purpose, but the CROSSTAC has a couple of advantages over a roll-up design. Because it’s fan-folded, dirt, water, mud don’t get transferred to the top surface when it’s picked up and stored. Dirt also doesn’t get on the other stuff in one’s vehicle when going home. And although I’ve used it for that purpose only once or twice, as the advertising points out, it’s actually possible to carry a rifle by placing it in the middle of the mat and picking everything up with the mat’s handles. The folded design means that there’s no trying to flatten it out when deploying it or kneeling on the rocks to roll it up when finished. Unless it’s actually rolled up, moving the Midway mat is less handy as well.

The Midway mat is, however, significantly less expensive even when the CROSSTAC is purchased at a street price rather than MSRP.

As for getting the mat dirty, though, because I don’t use them enough to become unconcerned about such things, I usually place a piece of canvas between them and the ground. Unlike the mats that can only be wiped off, the cloth can be machine washed. That, of course, increases the time required for setup and takedown, and it probably wouldn’t be something that the guys who run from one target stage to another would put up with.

http://www.crosstac.com/shop-a...ng-mat-multicam-top/
(Note that the MultiCam version is more expensive, and unless one plans on hiding underneath the mat, the color hardly matters.)

I've been advised to not get black, because every speck of dirt will stand out.

I have used one of these for years

http://www.champchoice.com/sto...=CategoryBody&c=RASM

quote:

Originally posted by AUTiger89:
I've been advised to not get black, because every speck of dirt will stand out.

Any dark color will show dirt, but of course black will be among the worst if your local dirt color is light tan. IMO the worst problem with black is that the mat gets quite hot on a sunny day.

My mats are all solid coyote-colored or a digital camo coyote.

What did Mat ever do to you?

I'll be a 2nd for the U S Peacekeepers mat. Thick and large. I shoot on unimproved ranges or for gophers and this thing is COMFORTABLE.

quote:

Originally posted by jezsuiz:
What bipod should I look for? It will be for an AR. Also any good ballistic calculators for iOS?

I'm a firm believer in Atlas. The movement in their legs better allows the shooter to weight the bipod (aka press slightly forward), thus reducing bipod hop during the recoil cycle. Harris makes good bipods, but the unmoving legs mount means the shooter really must have his A game going while shooting from smooth surfaces.

I don't use ballistics calculators in the field, but many people do. I use JBM ballistics data, preprinted on data cards in Density Altitude increments of 1,000 feet. JBM and Shooter are commonly used aps -- other posters should be able to give you other options.

Whenever the question is asked about bipods, Atlas always emerges as the most popular among people willing to spend the money for them.

fritz identifies one issue with Harris bipods, and I prefer the Atlas for other reasons as well. I don’t like the spring-loaded legs of the Harris and their somewhat more exposed mechanisms. The Harris models are, however, faster to deploy if one is in a hurry, and they have been (or were, anyway) the standard among military snipers for a long time.

And of course Harris and Atlas aren’t the only options. Many other companies have gotten involved in offering their products, and it doesn’t hurt to consider them. I suspect, though, that finding reviews and meaningful discussions of most would be difficult.