SORD Shooting Mat

Like many people, ‘doing it rough’ and shooting from uncomfortable, unrepeatable field positions has been normal for most of my outdoor life. I’ve used jackets and blankets to lay on, but mostly just lay directly on the ground: it just never occurred to me to look into shooting mats as an option until fairly recently. For some reason- having never tried them- I always thought they were pieces of kit that belonged on a range, not in the field. But, once I started researching and using different mats, I realised how wrong I’ve been getting things for over 4 decades!

At this point, I have now spend considerable time in the field with various shooting mats: and they are not all the same. Some were excellent but too unwieldy for my uses in the field, and some made almost no difference to comfort, and were at best useful to protect equipment. But one mat really stood out above the others I tested: the SORD Shooting Mat. I’m pleased to provide a short review of it here.

It should be noted that SORD makes several shooting mats: this one is simply named ‘Shooting Mat’. SORD generously supplied this mat for review purposes.

Very early on during my SORD field tests, I realised the Shooting Mat would become a critical component for all of my future field shooting systems. I discovered it’s not just the thing you lay on with your rifle: it is, in itself, versatile piece of equipment that contributes to consistency.

The SORD Shooting Mat really shone in the field: here is an overview of my experiences.

First Impressions: Built for the Field

SORD is an Australian company. SORD stands for Special Operations Research and Design: this is a veteran-owned company, their products designed by people with extensive experience using similar kit in a professional setting. The design philosophy applied to the SORD mat- attention to detail, seamless field functionality, durability- are a testament to the experience these folks bring to the table. It was clear that this mat was designed with purpose: durability, portability, and quick deployment.

There are many features of this mat that are initially striking, and deserve to be highlighted:

Molle loops

At the front of the mat, easily accessible from the shooting position, are two velcro patches which can be customised to suit yourself. They are pre-fitted with two removable panels: the first contains a series of Molle loops. These can be used for attaching anything from an anemometer, tool kit, notebook, torch etc. In the future I’ll likely store a laser rangefinder in this location.

Dope card sleeve

The other pre-fitted panel is a really neatly designed dope card sleeve. It as a sun cover on it to eliminate glare, and is easy to deploy and read. I found this particularly useful for longer range ballistic data, though I’ve also toyed with placing topographic maps and also landscape-range cards here.

Both of these panels can be completely removed, and the space becomes ready to accept other kit with velcro backing.

Dope Card in the sleeve. This is easily readable from the shooting position.

Fold-out wings

At the front of the mat you’ll find two fold-out wings. These assist in maintaining elbow position during long prone periods, and help minimise body movement whilst making adjustments (eg. to the scope). These wings have a Grip-Tac coating to enhance friction: this also assists recoil mitigation.

Generous storage area

Also in the front position is a large sealable storage pocket, running the full width of the mat. I have so far used this pocket for maps, spare mags, anemometer, gloves, and chronograph. Together with the velcro region above it, this area makes the mat an extremely functional piece of everyday shooting kit.

The zippered storage compartment is generous in size, and easily accessible from the shooting position

Tie down points

The mat comes with thick built-in loops to secure it to the ground. I never had to do that myself, but I imagine if I was going to leave the mat in one position and keep coming back to it over the course of a day, such as messing about between shooting groups, I’d pop in a few pegs to secure it if any wind was about.

Bipod strap

The mat comes with two purpose-made bipod straps, with the option of securing each strap to a bipod leg, then back to the mat. This is to help pre-load the bipod (aiding recoil management), and this certainly worked successfully.

In SORD’s own words, here is an explanation which helps describe the design philosophy of this aspect of the mat, and the rigorous testing conducted in its production:

“The SORD Shooting Mat has been adapted and specially modified for long range shooting with bipod mounted weapon systems. The Shooting Mat has undergone extensive trials, going through multiple evolutions of development and tested in a range of environments from active-duty with Special Forces sniper teams through to F-Class competition, field firing, hunting and range practice.” SORD website

Construction and Materials

The mate is constructed from 500 Denier Cordura on the base, and 330 on top. The foam padding is 3mm thick: I found this plenty thick enough to provide comfort without sacrificing portability. To me, being portable is more important than being comfortable, but with this mat you get both! The thin foam also keeps the weight to a mere 700g.

Size, Weight and Packability

The SORD Shooting Mat has the following dimensions:

The mat was smaller than I expected, but I soon realised that is yet another conscious design point. As you’ll see, it was plenty large enough to provide comfort and protection from the ground. The mat quickly folds into a compact rectangle that can be slipped into a backpack or stowed away in a vehicle or drawer.

Getting Set Up in the Field

To deploy the mat, a single velcro tab is removed, and the mat easily unfolds to its full length of 1m. The two wings also deploy at this stage, though can be folded back under the mat if not required (I always used them). It’s that easy!

Stability and Shooter Support

The mat has loops which enable it to be secured to the ground. I’m sure these work fine, but I never used them, and had no need to. I fired groups on sharp gravel, pine duff, field stubble, and open meadows, and the mat didn’t move at all during these sessions. This is the key role of a shooting mat- creating a stable interface between the shooter, rifle and ground- and the mat performed flawlessly.

The wings provided a secure elbow grip, and even when the mat surface got wet (dewy grass), contact remained secure. I never had to reposition myself due to any unwanted movement on the mat: which meant, in turn, I could get rounds downrange faster, taking advantage of lulls in the wind, or consistent wind. It also lessened fatigue, allowing me to spend longer behind the rifle printing more groups on paper. It was a nice change to complete shooting sessions still feeling fresh.

Wet, Muddy and Rough Ground

I tested the SORD mat on terrain varying from sharp gravel to grassy meadows. What surprised me is how the mat ironed out these surfaces: there was no major difference in shooting from these different surfaces when using the mat, unless the ground was particularly bumpy. Even in those cases, though, it provided benefits I’d never considered before.

For example, it was a completely new thing for me to end every single shooting session with clean empties. Instead of having to hunt for ejected cases hiding in long wet grass, they all gathered neatly on the mat: and remained dry! This saved time both in the field and back home.

Also, I remained dry throughout each shooting session, even in dewy grass! I’ve always been perfectly happy to return from the field soaking wet, but it was sure nice to realise this didn’t have to be the case! The mat does not claim to be waterproof, but I’m yet to discover a field condition that saturates the mat.

Noise, Movement and Fieldcraft

I enjoyed using this mat in the field. It is easy to move between locations, and is practically silent to operate. The velcro scrap securing the mat closed is audible, but it that’s an issue, a thick piece of elastic should achieve the same thing without noise.

It was enjoyable to use this mat for off-label purposes as well. It served well as a seating surface when making a coffee in the field, and could be used for the same purpose when glassing. On one occasion, when it rained, I stored my camera gear under it to keep it dry. You could also use it as a sleeping mat: again, I haven’t tried this yet, but plan to do so just for fun on an upcoming trip.

You may not necessarily purchase a shooting mat with things in mind, but it’s nice to know a given piece of equipment has multiple uses.

Durability After Repeated Use

After all my field testing, the mat still looks like new. It’s never been seriously cleaned, and though I’ve finished sessions with the underside covered in mud, it brushed/shook off when dry. The stitching shows no signs of fraying despite use on gravel, the zippers remain in top order, and the coating on the deployable wings remains as new.

Final thoughts

Testing this mat was part of a wider rifle system upgrade that saw my groups shrink by an amazing 25%. It is not possible to attribute how much of this was down to which particular factor, but my thoughts are this: the increase in comfort meant that I was able to send rounds downrange in with a much more relaxed and consistent shooting form. I could follow up on shots much faster due to my secure contact with the mat, taking advantage of wind/mirage conditions, and print more groups due to the whole shooting process becoming more streamlined. A significant portion of that 25% has to have its origins in these factors: the SORD Shooting Mat significantly improved my shooting, shooting form, and printed groups.

sordaustralia.com is the place to go to check out the Shooting Mat, as well as a whole swag of other top quality products.

COMING SOON: Eberlestock Spectre