What Every Precision
Long-Range Shooter Needs:
Lyman Tac-Mat
Some years ago in a nowhere corner of South Dakota, I was on a prairie dog shoot and the notion of going prone on unfamiliar grass was no small dilemma.
I could have used Lyman’s Tac-Mat Long Range Shooting Mats, introduced this year by an outfit whose reloading gear I’ve been using for decades. Heck, if their dies, tumblers and electronic scales work, so should a fairly simple pad.
There are a couple of versions, the standard/basic model made with 600 denier construction is available in black or flat dark earth. There is also a heavy-duty model with 100 denier construction that has elbow pads, a built-in bipod stop plus a carry handle and metal D-rings clip on the adjustable web shoulder strap. The heavy-duty model is 87″ long and 14″ wide.
Tac-Mat Long Range Shooting Mat
When the Tac-Mat is folded, it’s held closed by nylon straps featuring hook-and-loop nylon fasteners.
I was using a bipod out on the prairie, so having a bipod stop built-in makes good sense. I had a padded vest I tossed down as a makeshift mat but compared to one of these Lyman products, it left much to be desired.
The basic version weighs 2 lbs., which is nothing when one considers he’s also carrying a bull-barrel rifle with a long-range scope weighing somewhere north of 7 lbs., along with a backpack containing a camera, short tripod and a lot of ammunition, plus water and a couple of snacks.
The heavy-duty version weighs 4 lbs., and even that isn’t much of a burden.
Tac-Mat HD Long Range Padded Shooting Mat
According to Lyman, these shooting mats offer protection from dirt, rocks, insects, wet surfaces, gravel, pavement (who’d shoot from a road?) or hot truck bed. I can see a winter coyote hunter using one of these and such a shooting mat would obviously be right at home on a rifle range.
While they provide a “large footprint,” these mats also fold or roll up to a compact size for transport. My guess is in a pinch you could even grab a snooze under a shady tree on a hot day, but trying to find a tree out on the prairie while the dogs are romping and begging you to keep shooting might take a miracle.
MSRP for the basic model is $79.98 while the heavy-duty Tac-Mat model has a $117.98 price tag.
For more info: www.lymanproducts.com
Phone: (800) 225-9626
