I wanted to come up with a practical way to carry shotshells while out on adventure. There are plenty of solutions online: I looked at side-saddles that attach directly to the shotgun, chest rigs made from ballistic nylon, bandoliers that sling over the shoulder, and even buttstock covers with loops to hold cartridges. But at the end of the day, almost all those solutions were way more tactical than I wanted. When I head out, it's usually in a wool sweater and oiled leather boots.
The best all-around option seemed to be the leather cartridge bag. It will work equally well for plinking in the woods, shooting in the gravel pit, or hunting during pheasant season. Loaded with 100 one-ounce shells, it'll weigh in around six pounds.
I found this one on Etsy:
My biggest concern with ordering this cartridge bag was the fact that it shipped from the UK. I was quite pleased with the entire process. The bag was listed for $51.36 (USD). The final cost (including taxes and shipping) was $63.80 (USD). That's not very expensive for a leather bag.
I ordered the bag on January 2, it shipped on January 3, and I received it January 14. So it was less than two weeks from placing the order to receiving it, and four days before the estimated delivery date.
The cartridge bag looks just like the pictures. The leather is a little thinner than I expected, and the buckles are a little smaller. But the bag is quite sturdy, and I have no doubt it'll last me for many years.
The only thing about the bag I don't like is the leather "drawstring" in the mouth of the bag. It's leather, but it's quite flimsy. I expect I'll end up pulling out that leather thong.
The listing says the bag holds over 100 cartridges. I emptied two boxes of shotshells (50 cartridges) into the bag, which filled the bag about half-way. So it seems like 100 cartridges is about right. I noticed the bag held more when I turned all the shotshells to lie in the same direction: when I just dumped the two boxes' worth of shells into the bag, they filled it more than half full.
The leather feels a little too stiff, but I think after some use and some leather treatment, it'll be great.
All in all, the bag is well worth the price. It was delivered on time, and I'm quite excited to take it out on an adventure.
