Finding high-quality range bags Made in the USA hasn’t always been an easy task. Besides a few options from Duluth, Lynx Defense, and a few small-time manufactures before 2013, it wasn’t easy to buy American.
Fortunately, Lynx Defense makes high-end range bags and cases right here in my home state of North Carolina.
About Lynx Defense
Lynx Defense was founded by my buddy, Michael Savage, in 2013 to create high quality – American made gun bags.
Since 2013 Lynx Defense has released 8 products, 6 of them being pistol or rifle range bags. I personally own nearly every Lynx Defense product made, and here is my somewhat unbiased review of the pistol range bag.
Lynx Defense Pistol Bag Overview
We are going to break down this review of the pistol range bag by looking a few specific things. We are going to talk about the following criteria:
- Design
- Features
- Materials
- Quality/Workmanship
First here are the company provided dimensions and description:
Dimensions
Exterior – 8” H x 13” L x 10” D
Weight – 2 lbs
- 100% Made in the USA – Fabric, Zippers, Thread, and Sewn in America
- Exterior Dimensions: Length: 13in Width: 10in Height: 8in
- Includes two gun/magazine inserts (More add-ons are available for purchase)
- Inserts fit most guns (feature gun and magazine holders)
- Recommended maximum of four inserts
- 500D Cordura Fabric Exterior
- Built-in Detachable Rollout Cleaning/Range Mat
- Removable Hard Bottom Provides Increased Durability
All this info is useful but what it comes down to is you can comfortably fit 2-3 pistols, spare magazines, a couple of hundred rounds of 9mm, ear pro, cleaning gear, Fix it sticks(a must for a range bag), Maglulu Mag loader(another must-have) and eye pro. There is ample room for more if you need it.
Lynx Defense Pistol Bag Design
At the end of the day it’s a pistol bag but there are some features that I find useful.
Visual
Overall the design is somewhat boring. Visually this bag is the equivalent of a stock base model pickup truck, and in my opinion, that’s a good thing. The low profile nature allows you to carry in when you don’t want people knowing you’re carrying a gun.
I’ve used this bag to hold my spare gun when attending training close. Walking in and out of the hotel doesn’t raise eyebrows due to looking like a small duffel that is likely to hold a change of clothes and a toothbrush. Not a firearm and other gear. Unlike a pelican base that people will assume you have valuable guns or camera equipment in.
I know some people like to throw camera stickers on their gun case, and that works great until the nice chatty person walks up asking your opinion on lens and camera bodies. If that happens, you better be able to talk the game or have a story on why you can’t.
The Lynx Defense Pistol Range Bag will avoid that conversation before it starts. That’s a nice feature to have for your gun range bags made in the USA.
Inserts
My favorite thing about the Pistol Range bag besides being made in the USA is the ability to switch out inserts.
Double Pistol
I really don’t love the system they use to hold the pistol. It holds the guns fine but I don’t care for them. I use the inserts are dividers and just place the pistols in between. These holders work better for Smaller guns.
Pistol/Magazine Holders
As stated earlier I don’t use the Pistol Pouches but I do use the magazine holders. They keep everything neat and organized but it can be hard to get double stack magazines in them.
I tend to bring 5-7 mags per gun to the range and if you’re bringing that many then it’s easier just to stack them between inserts. If you’re bringing 2-3 magazines the elastic straps on the inserts work great.
Ammo Dump Pouch
When Michael first told me about this insert I was skeptical. I always just pull ammo out of the box and I was happy with doing that. We were doing a 1000 round test on 2 different pistols and he pulled out this insert and we started using it to load the 4 ten round magazines we had. It was amazing! It really sped things up and if you’re loading a lot of pistol magazines it’s a must-have.
Other Features
Cleaning Mat
There is a rollout mat for cleaning your guns but I never use it. I keep a couple of pieces of an old T-shirt to use as a mat and throw them away when they get too dirty. The mat is accessible but a little hard to put up. Especially if the bag is full. I’d suggest old T-shirts but the Mat works great for social media Flexing!
End Pockets
There are two pockets on the end. They can work to hold Ear Pro, Cleaning Kit, or a driver kit(I absolutely love my Fix it sticks), and a Maglulu Loader. It’s just enough room to fit what you need but not enough room that you’ll be carrying unnecessary weight.
Shoulder Strap/Carry Handle
I use the shoulder strap the most, but I usually have a lot of weight in this bag. It works well when carrying the bag in and out of hotels or long walks from a parking lot to the range. It can be removed if you want to use the carry handle.
The carry handle works well too. If you’re carrying 200-300 rounds of 9mm and a pistol or two, this might be the best carry option.
Pistol Range Bag Materials
This bag uses 500D Cordura instead of 1000D, and many would consider that a downside. I’m not versed enough in Cordura to speak on the strengths and weaknesses as a whole so check out Michael’s article on 500D vs 1000D.
What I do know is that 1000D isn’t 2x the strength but just slightly more than 500D. I’ve overloaded the bag with ammo and guns a lot. I’ve never seen any issues from doing so. The 500D is more than sufficient from a strength perspective and saves you a little weight which is always good.
I think the most I’ve ever fit into this bag was 14 pistols. I wasn’t worried about scratching them us as they’re test fit gun that get used in the shop on a regular basis.
Lynx Defense Quality/Workmanship
The best thing about this Made in the USA Range Bag is it’s actually made in the USA. There are a ton of companies out there that name their companies and products patriotic names to make you assume their imported products are made in the US. This is not one of those products.
It’s made in Selma, NC, by a team that has multiple lifetimes of combined experience in the textile industry. NC used to be a textile hub before manufacturing was shipped overseas. With every pistol range bag, you get a certification of Authenticity signed by Michael stating this bag has passed all their quality control checks and the mill your materials came from.
Made in the USA Range Bag Summary
This isn’t the cheapest pistol range bag out there, but it’s one of the few actually made in the USA. It’s more durable than the imports. Sure, you can buy 2 of the imports, but they’ll last less than 1/2 as long. This is a bag you’ll get years of reliable service from. Go take a look at some of the best range bags.
