More than a decade has passed and this Bulls Bag X7 shooting rest is still going strong.
Year in year out, I bench test dozens of firearms that range from vintage reproduction rifles to AR platform rifles to a broad array of handguns. A common denominator for the vast majority of my testing has been to cradle them in a Bulls Bag shooting rest while shooting groups.
Formerly know as Tonoloway Tack Drivers, the Uncle Bud’s Bulls Bag Company has been building Bulls Bags for 30 years. The product has changed very little over nearly two decades. A few years ago, they reorganized to create X SEVEN, Inc., which continued doing business as Bulls Bag Company.
New management, same product
Keeping many of the original designs with the well-liked patented “butterfly grip,” Bulls Bags has engineered new designs to meet a broader array of shooting needs. Adding to several new bag designs, like the Bulls Bag X7, the company introduced a fantastic target to double-check the alignment of your rifle’s scope.
The new Ballistic Tactical Bulls Bag includes four models that have the seal of approval from the National Tactical Officers Association. The model that I have fired thousands of rounds over during the past several months is the Bulls Bag X7. The seven-bag system makes more than 50 shooting rest combinations.
The 7-in-1, Bulls Bag X7 Shooting Rest is designed to provide the ultimate in stability in firearm support for more accurate shooting in multiple shooting environments. This unique gun rest’s all-in-one design accommodates shooters’ demands by including features that lock rifles into place with a vise-like grip while reducing felt-recoil and muzzle-jump.
The rest’s suede tops protect the stock of the firearm while providing a better gun rest grip to reduce movement while sighting and firing. One of my favorite practices is to use the rest in its primary configuration, which is high enough to securely rest an AR-15 loaded with a 30-round magazine.
Disassembled, the X-7 is comprised of two sets of heel-and-toe rifle rest bags. Placed touching each other, the two bags also provide a steady pistol rest that supports the barrel and bottom of the grip.
The X-7 design also transforms from a one-bag shooting rest system into seven independent shooting bag rests. This allows the shooter to configure many additional shooting rests.
The two lower bags unzip to give access to a pair of 6-inch and 3-inch bags. The X-7 Bulls Bag shooting rest will transform into the company’s Hi-Pro or Low-Pro series butterfly-bag, an owl-ear design, stackable bags and pistol rests. It can also configure to an adjustable window and blind bag rifle rest. The hook-and-loop fasteners between the top suede bags and the lower bags gives you the option of reattaching the top bags at various angles in relationship to the bottom bags. This comes in handy when draping the bottom bags over the window ledge of a deer blind.
The X-7 is 10 inches long and weighs 30 pounds when filled with media. It is constructed from 900 polyester tree-patterned material, and its double-seam construction promises years of reliable service. Back when I ordered mine the X7 sold for $140 unfilled, or $20 more for filled bags. These days, the X7 sells for $224 filled and shipped.
From the VP’s Desk
Discussing the concept of the Bulls Bag design, I learned that some shooters hold a different view of the traditional method of placing supports under the forend and the butt stock to steady a rifle for bench shooting has its drawbacks. “Any time you make a point of contact with a rifle on a rest, you create pressure points,” Bulls Bag’s Vice President of Marketing William Sullivan said. “When you add multiple pressure points, when using front and rear bag rest designs, you can create multiple variables in the shooting pattern and can cause a flex in the rifle resulting in inconsistent grouping. Two points of contact under the forend and butt, and the shooter applying pressure above the trigger-guard, presents what is known as downward and upward pressure, creating a total of three points of contact while using this technique. Any changes in pressure from shot to shot can affect accuracy. Using a Bulls Bag rest reduces the number of pressure points, thereby improving accuracy.”
Ten years ago when I received my Bulls Bag X7 it was available in Realtree camo. This bag is a little faded these days, but still going strong. The Realtree version has been since discontinued, but you’ve got a choice between black and OD Green. The newer versions offer MOLLE loops, too.
I have been very satisfied with the X-7’s results on the range. I have shot hundreds of 5-shot groups under ½ MOA, so I’m happy with the stability this rig produces. Check it out, and you may change the way you shoot, too.
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