Advice needed on bag targets and how they are measured by shops

Belker

New member
Hey all.

I wanted to get some advice on bag targets and their sizes. I ordered a 70cm target bag from a company.


When it arrived, the bag looked small. The foam that I?d be firing into on the front of the target ? was about 64cm high. I measured from the top and bottom edges of the foam that I could feel in the bag.

Confused, I got in touch with the shop and sent photos. Their position is that the 70cm comes from the total size of the bag, not only the foam that makes up the front of the target. The bag goes higher than the foam.


Is this the standard way of measuring bag targets in the industry ? something that everyone is used to? As someone new to archery, this feels like an odd way of doing this.

Yes, the arrow could get stuck in the top or sides of the bag. There is some padding there. But I?d be aiming at the front of the target.

The shop said the bag is within their tolerance for dimensions, so I?d have to pay return postage myself if I wanted a refund (or I could buy the ?90cm? and get free delivery).

I need to figure out if any bag I get, from any manufacturer, would be measured in this way. If so, then perhaps it isn?t worth returning it and spending more money.

It feels like I ordered a large pizza, but got a medium one delivered in a big box.

Thoughts?
 

Timid Toad

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Ironman
*In my experience* bag targets are looser than layered targets and like cornflakes can move around. Lifting and shifting them causes them to change shape too. You'll find shooting at it will cause it to readjust also. So yes, I think it's what you should expect. Has yours got a handle on? Give it a lug about and see if it changes any. I regularly used to jump on mine to redistribute foam when it started to develop a soft bit - that will happen quickly, by the way - and the woven mesh bag itself will wear too if you don't distribute your shots evenly across the entire face.
If you want to pack it out a bit I discovered in NZ they use woollen (proper wool, not acrylic or anything) jumpers to fill bag targets on field courses and they'll stop compound arrows so you could stuff an old motheaten cardi in there.
 

Belker

New member
Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Yes, it has two handles on on the top. It has changed a bit since I moved it around. I've realised there is some padding at the top of the target, so it isn't only the plastic material. The padding isn't as thick as on the target face, but at least it's something. I still think describing it as a 70cm bag is a little optimistic, but as you say this is perhaps what one should expect. I think the shop should have done better in its description though.

That's a good tip about woolen cardigans. I'll try to remember that for the future. I'm setting aside plastic bag and old t-shirts too.
 

Timid Toad

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You'll also find the sides will bow out. This made mine a bit rocky, so I used a couple of planks and a length of webbing and ratchet to keep top and bottom flat. This also helpled keep the middle firm for longer too.
 
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