Got a new to me Protektor 55 rear bag.

S

Saigashooter

New member
I was scouring around on ebay and ran across a lightly used Protektor 55b which is the loaf style. It was 70 bucks with free shipping so I bought it. Then I went back and looked and the guy said that he is shipping it unfilled unless I want to pay extra. So what should I do as for a filling in it? The local club doesn't have much in the way of rules concerning bags and my dad has plenty of old 7 1/2 shot. But I think that might make it weigh 40 lbs. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also have a creek five minutes behind the house and I could figure out a way to strain the sand if needed. The old lady might not be happy about me stealing her kitchen strainers but I can deal with that.
 
Sand

Saigashooter said:
I was scouring around on ebay and ran across a lightly used Protektor 55b which is the loaf style. It was 70 bucks with free shipping so I bought it. Then I went back and looked and the guy said that he is shipping it unfilled unless I want to pay extra. So what should I do as for a filling in it? The local club doesn't have much in the way of rules concerning bags and my dad has plenty of old 7 1/2 shot. But I think that might make it weigh 40 lbs. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also have a creek five minutes behind the house and I could figure out a way to strain the sand if needed. The old lady might not be happy about me stealing her kitchen strainers but I can deal with that.
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Go to your nearest hdwe store and get a bag of sifted sand. Not Play sand, but sifted sand. Play sand is full of rocks.

Or if you have a Northern Industrial or a Harbor Freight near you, get some sand blast sand.

David
 
Here you go

get some dry baby powder to mix with the dry clean sifted sand and get a funnel with a long neck.
Lots of fun.
Centerfire
 
I agree with the previous posters but I’ll add that it also depends on YOUR likes and dislikes. If you plan to shoot registered matches, check with the governing organizations as to what they say is legal fill. My style of shooting “calls for” a soft bag, but again, it depends on you.
 
Also I kind of prefer a tighter bag, I think. I'm still pretty new to this damn addiction but I figure if I keep throwing money at it then eventually I might be satisfied.
 
Besides the types of sand alluded to here, there is also "heavy sand". As the name would indicate, it is markedly heavier than ordinary sand. I ordered a custom Protektor "Docter" bag with handle and special order ears. I had it shipped filled with "heavy sand". It weighs 22 pounds, about one third heavier than normal. Once set, it does not budge. I am very happy with it.
 
The powder

Saigashooter said:
Is the dry talc powder to fill in the area between the sand? And what happens if it would take on moisture?
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Makes it easier to get more sand in the bag. It "lubricates" the sand.

Be prepared to add more sand a couple of times the first year you use the bag. The new fill will settle quite a bit, even w/ powder.
 
That "heavy" sand was popular some time ago and it may still be as it's one of the better fills. David wrote that the sand would settle but the bag will stretch a bit as well, both requiring more sand to maintain the original fill you chose. There's no need to fill with anything but sand...sounds good but it ain't better.
 
I bought Heavy Sand from The Shooters Corner for my first two bags. Then read a post about using beach sand. So after reading all the comments and since I am 8 miles from an ocean beach and less than a mile from a bay beach, I went to the beach with my grand daughters beach pail and shovel. Got some beach sand, sifted it through a very fine mesh sifter, wet it and dried it then micro-waved it to kill and bacterial then soaked it and re-dried it. Works great.

Bob
 
I am not experienced enough Wilbur to know which worked better in my bags. Either seems to work. It is 49 miles to Bob White's shop each way, but a $15.00 toll to get back into Manhattan, so add that to the cost of the Heavy Sand and the Beach Sand is for sure the less costly alternative.

Bob
 
Is beach sand any different than the sand in my creek out back? Just granual size or how it packs? I have beach sand but my female maroon clown will attack me with a vengeance and all my other tank inhabits would be upset.
 
Saigashooter said:
I was scouring around on ebay and ran across a lightly used Protektor 55b which is the loaf style. It was 70 bucks with free shipping so I bought it. Then I went back and looked and the guy said that he is shipping it unfilled unless I want to pay extra. So what should I do as for a filling in it? The local club doesn't have much in the way of rules concerning bags and my dad has plenty of old 7 1/2 shot. But I think that might make it weigh 40 lbs. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I also have a creek five minutes behind the house and I could figure out a way to strain the sand if needed. The old lady might not be happy about me stealing her kitchen strainers but I can deal with that.
Click to expand...

Zircon sand.

Very dense.
 
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Well I ended up just using sorted creek sand. And instead of using the bag I gave it away. Here is a picture of the bag and recipient. I might have to take it away from him if he starts beating me. The setup in the background is mine.
 

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