I’ve never been much of a cutting-edge guy. For one thing, I’ve seen too many new things that turn out not to be all that they are cracked up to be. Often, though, the reason is inertia—a.k.a. laziness. Dillon, makers of some of the finest progressive reloading tools and accessories, has been selling a shooter’s bag called the Border Shift for several years. It seemed like a great idea, but that ol’ inertia thing kept me from trying it firsthand. Over the winter I bought a couple of them for my regular practice ammo for the two pistol cartridges I shoot the most—.38 Special and .45 ACP. I bought two more about two months ago for my .223 and .22-250 Remington ammo for prairie dogs
It didn’t take long for me to go, “Doh!” It wasn’t laziness that plagued me; it was stupidity. Active shooting enthusiasts shoot a lot of ammo, and if you reload this bag is an absolute necessity to keep things orderly and simple. The Border Shift bag measures 13 1/2 inches long by 6 1/2 inches wide and 6 inches high. The top has two zippers along each edge. Inside is an oversized piece of material that separates the interior into two chambers. Loaded ammo goes in one side; empty cases go in the other. The bag holds upward of a thousand pistol rounds or about 500 .223 or .22-250 Remington cartridges.
I really like this bag on a varmint hunt where—if it’s a good day—I’ll go through 200 or 300 rounds. With the Border Shift bag I don’t have to chase cartridge boxes or Styrofoam inserts that often take to the air when the wind starts up. Keeping the shooting area policed is much easier with this bag; and another big plus is that I don’t have to remember to bring another bag for my brass. Finally, with each chambering I have a dedicated bag so I don’t have to waste a bunch of time separating cases later.
Dillon’s Border Shift Bag retails for $25.95; add a couple of bucks for a card holder that shows the caliber. I bought these bags; these are not give-a-ways to a gun writer. If you shoot a lot and have not yet used this bag you are missing out on something that will make your life much easier.
