Bipods - what advantage

[Erik Hamburger]

I purchased a Harris Bipod with my first (air)rifle some 8 years ago.
It is now used on the air rifle, .17HMR, .243W and .308W if and when required.
So a good investment.

Saying that, apart from a few rabbits with the .22 Air and .17HMR I have shot little using a bipod, in deer stalking I have never found a need for it and it will not be attached to my hunting rifles by default as you can always you your roe sack, back-pack, branch, tree or fence post.

 

[Mungo]

I guess all rifles react differently to various combinations of hold / bipod / rest etc.
My P-H. 243 is clearly the complete opposite to your. 270 Mungo! For accuracy I need to keep my left hand well away from the fore-end when shooting prone off bipod. I have my left fist clenched under the butt, holding the sling at the point where it's attached to the rifle . My left elbow points more or less down range.
Probably highly irregular, but works for me and my rifle / bipod combination.

I've heard about PHs being fussy about bipod quite a few times. I think they have quite slender fore-end that don't react well to the stress imposed.

My 270 is an ugly brute of a Sako Finnbear, with a massive, flat bottomed fore end. I have no idea what they were designed for - it's old enough that it was built long before bipods became standard.

 

[bogtrotter]

Shot for many years without a bipod, but as 90% of my stalking was hill stalking and shots required to be taken prone this ment fiddling about with rolled up jackets or resting on binos etc ,not always easy to get the right height above the heather .

Since aquiring a bipod I would not want to go back to not having one use it when ever possible lives on the rifle permanently even when lowland stalking I will use it when possible even when using sticks the bipod sits in front of the sticks (tripod) causes no interference.

I always shoot one handed with a bipod right wrist resting in left hand,unlike others who have posted I hasve never found it to effect accuracy ( fully floated Sako) no moderator which in theory should make it worse I would hasve thought

Would hate to be without my bipod.

 

[VSS]

I've heard about PHs being fussy about bipod quite a few times. I think they have quite slender fore-end that don't react well to the stress imposed.

I think that's exactly the issue. I don't know if the previous owner (Rake aboot on this site) used a bipod, but I definitely noticed a lot of flex in the fore-end when I started using one. So much so that the woodwork actually touched the barrel at times, right at the tip. I have opened up the channel a bit, which made a big improvement.
I think that the fact I have a large and heavy mod adding about a foot to the overall length of the rifle means I don't get the bouncy recoil, so am ok shooting without holding fore-end. Without the mod I guess it would be a different story?

 

[ChrisWill184]

I think that's exactly the issue. I don't know if the previous owner (Rake aboot on this site) used a bipod, but I definitely noticed a lot of flex in the fore-end when I started using one. So much so that the woodwork actually touched the barrel at times, right at the tip. I have opened up the channel a bit, which made a big improvement.
I think that the fact I have a large and heavy mod adding about a foot to the overall length of the rifle means I don't get the bouncy recoil, so am ok shooting without holding fore-end. Without the mod I guess it would be a different story?

Are the PH's supposed to have a touching barrel/forend - much the same as the BRNO 601 that I have? When I did some research into this it seems that for the most part it works fine but others have to get the barrel free floated before the rifle would group at all.

Anyway. I put a harris on my rifle and not had any issues. To be very honest though I could manage no bother without it. Looking back on the number of shots where I actually used it last year it doesn't count for many deer. Usually use the nearest tree/wall/sticks as the undergrowth is very often higher than the 13" of bipod I have. Have to zero off a bag anyway unless the ground is soft because the gun bounces all over the place when on a hard surface and opens up the group. Can't bring myself to take it off though as it still is useful for the few it does help to account for.

I think the question is much the same as for scopes. Always something that can do something a little better for (hopefully) a little more reliability than the competitor. Does an extra £300 make you more steady on a shot or a little less tired carrying it about? If its justified in the users eyes then that's what matters I suppose. My entire rig up (rifle, scope, bipod and sticks) cost about the same as one of those Blaser bipods. Can't say I'm at a disadvantage.

 

[AN DU RU FOX]

Both mine are somewhere in the cupboard with dust on them, I zero off my sticks which they also in turn gives me a slight downward angle.

I did use them a lot when I first started but found the laying down bit crap with my neck lasting about 3/4 shots.

As I shoot shot guns a lot the natural stance of standing up suited using quad sticks with the pod going in the mentioned above.

There are situations where they are a must but not in my shooting as I don't take them with me..

Tim.243

All of the above.

 

[bewsher500]

If your rifle shoots badly with a bipod its a clear indication of the physical pressure the load is imparting on the barrel channel

I had this in a BSA lightweight stocked majestic
4" was a good group
Lose the pod and it was sub 1"


If your rifle only shoots well with a bipod its usually an indication of operator error or poor position or platform building when using bags or natural terrain.



In the field I have started using bipods a lot more as they are very good at quickly creating a stable platform when undergrowth or terrain would make using a bag diffcult
I dont stalk with a big bag, certainly nothing that would allow a 12" rise from the ground to clear grass, heather etc

I do subscribe to securing the front of the rifle, especially the ,270 or 300wm
unless the ground allows me to use the bipod feet to "hook" into the vegetation, then under load the pod does not bounce, but rocks back and forth securely

That scenario in the field is a rare one!


I have a hooky chinese Versapod on my 300wm
if anything was going to smash its crappy alloy that will
It has survived several seasons without fault

I had a hook chinese Atlas. Other than the tilting head being a bit stiff, it was well made and also survived the 300wm in beast mode at a range
as well as my 308 Big Bertha 29" bull barrelled target rifle
no drama

I have a couple of harris pods I inherited, dont like them, noisy jagged affairs, pinging springs, nasty snap shut design, managed to debark a finger trapped in one at a stalkers shooting competition and had to continue the shoot with blood running down my hand!


for me the issue is design and mounting point choice
The blaser spigot for versa pods and the Sako TRG style is where I want to put the pod but looks like a "rifle penis" dangling underneath
Ugly!
should be female connector on the rifle and male on the pod IMO

Pic rails and Neopod style mounts are also hideous (never mind the NASA space program costs! CF tubing is cheap!)

People like harris as it is simple, doesnt detract from the aesthetics of the rifle or require any costly work to use
but the design needs an update

 

[jimmy milnes]

If I click one of my bipod legs down and grasp it with my left hand gripping it against the leg of my sticks I find it aids stability

 

[GJE]

+1 for Harris, got several and they last. Got one on a lightweight 270, bounces all over the place when firing, but holds sub moa, if I put my left hand over the top of the scope to stop it jumping about it won't hold less than 3-4" @ 100yds !

 

[FGYT]

I use an Evo Pod (tho its probably the only one In the country ) a mix of Atlas and Harris best bits and some improvmsnts to . its more expensive than the Atlas but with the extra bits its ability to change leg lengths and join legs together means i only need one and with a QD fitting for front rail I can take it on and off and swap to any of my rifles or just take the weight off the front all together .. It even converts to a Tripod mount

so taken against needing several height harris and a tripod clamp to match its flexibility etc its a good price

 

[Heym SR20]

Bipods are quick to deploy but make a rifle a bit more cumbersome. Good on the open hill if longer range prone shots are the norm. Personally don't like them and find they do restrict movement, and my rifle doesn't shoot well with one. Two or three short 10" long sticks with a bungy could make a very useful short bipod that can clip to your belt or be carried in a welly or inside. Makes a good drag handle as well. I have also used my binoculars as well as a pack or gunslip - on open hill usually carry rifle in a slip to protect it.

 

[flytie]

It is possible to make sure your rifle doesn't hop when using a bi-pod; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqFH0A7Py1Q

And it is also possible to fit a Neo-pod or Blaser bi-pod using the Sauer system; http://www.steinertsensingsystems.com/product-details/neopod-ultralight-hunting-bipod/ Which means you don't have to have it sticking out all the time.

Simon

 

[NigelM]

It is possible to make sure your rifle doesn't hop when using a bi-pod;

And it is also possible to fit a Neo-pod or Blaser bi-pod using the Sauer system; http://www.steinertsensingsystems.com/product-details/neopod-ultralight-hunting-bipod/ Which means you don't have to have it sticking out all the time.

Simon

Tactical stocks which have no drop in the comb allow you to keep the force of the recoil in line with the barrel which does make a big difference to barrel jump, whether using a bipod or a bag. The rifles they are shooting also have 6lb stocks (AICS by the look of it) and very heavy barrel profiles which helps a great deal. I bet their total rifle weight is in the 16lb to 18lb range. It is a different ball game with a hunting weight rifle and a traditionally shaped stock especially if using a Magnum chambering.

 

[NigelM]

Bipods are quick to deploy but make a rifle a bit more cumbersome. Good on the open hill if longer range prone shots are the norm. Personally don't like them and find they do restrict movement, and my rifle doesn't shoot well with one. Two or three short 10" long sticks with a bungy could make a very useful short bipod that can clip to your belt or be carried in a welly or inside. Makes a good drag handle as well. I have also used my binoculars as well as a pack or gunslip - on open hill usually carry rifle in a slip to protect it.

I carry a little 20 litre back pack which is narrow and 10" tall when placed on the ground. A Z-Aim sling allows me to wear the pack and the carry the rifle securely without it falling off the shoulder and when it's time for a shot the back pack doubles as a front rest. Back pack carries all the normal spares plus first aid kit, an extra fleece in case the weather turns, tracking harness, lead and neoprene coat for the dog and a piece. If it's really chilly I can wedge a flask in there too.

 

[ejg]

Tactical stocks which have no drop in the comb allow you to keep the force of the recoil in line with the barrel which does make a big difference to barrel jump, whether using a bipod or a bag. The rifles they are shooting also have 6lb stocks (AICS by the look of it) and very heavy barrel profiles which helps a great deal. I bet their total rifle weight is in the 16lb to 18lb range. It is a different ball game with a hunting weight rifle and a traditionally shaped stock especially if using a Magnum chambering.

Well....if you don't change anything you will never fix the problem or?
I have worked on recoil behaviour and stock shapes for the last ten years as the jumping rifle and inconsistent POI really annoyed me as well as it does others. Of course one can get a lightweight stalking rifle to shoot well and also to recoil back better. Especially in the initial recoil phase where the bullet has not departed the barrel. Departure angle. The goal of any hunting/sniper/stalking rifle would be to have the same departure angle whether one holds the forend or not, heavy or light rifle. The trick is to get the vertical COG of the rifle on the line of the bore. That is a great start, further helped by a stock shape that has a higher comb and recoil pad.
Only physics...not voodoo

I don't really get Nathan, why on earth would you want to rely your shot placement on the amount of hold you give to the forend??? just fix the gun....

edi

 

[flytie]

Well....if you don't change anything you will never fix the problem or?
I have worked on recoil behaviour and stock shapes for the last ten years as the jumping rifle and inconsistent POI really annoyed me as well as it does others. Of course one can get a lightweight stalking rifle to shoot well and also to recoil back better. Especially in the initial recoil phase where the bullet has not departed the barrel. Departure angle. The goal of any hunting/sniper/stalking rifle would be to have the same departure angle whether one holds the forend or not, heavy or light rifle. The trick is to get the vertical COG of the rifle on the line of the bore. That is a great start, further helped by a stock shape that has a higher comb and recoil pad.
Only physics...not voodoo

I don't really get Nathan, why on earth would you want to rely your shot placement on the amount of hold you give to the forend??? just fix the gun....

edi

And there speaks a man that knows! Well said Edi, well said indeed.

Simon

 

[NigelM]

Well....if you don't change anything you will never fix the problem or?
I have worked on recoil behaviour and stock shapes for the last ten years as the jumping rifle and inconsistent POI really annoyed me as well as it does others. Of course one can get a lightweight stalking rifle to shoot well and also to recoil back better. Especially in the initial recoil phase where the bullet has not departed the barrel. Departure angle. The goal of any hunting/sniper/stalking rifle would be to have the same departure angle whether one holds the forend or not, heavy or light rifle. The trick is to get the vertical COG of the rifle on the line of the bore. That is a great start, further helped by a stock shape that has a higher comb and recoil pad.
Only physics...not voodoo

I don't really get Nathan, why on earth would you want to rely your shot placement on the amount of hold you give to the forend??? just fix the gun....

edi

I changed something Edi, I scrapped the bipod, started using a backpack as a front rest, started using the sling properly and held the fore end. It tightened the groups up and stopped the flyers. It was a good lesson in technique that I have never been taught before.

That's not to say that your wrong. Perhaps a change to a tactical style stock with a high comb and recoil pad would make it even better - I'm sure you're right.

 

[McKenzie]

I changed something Edi, I scrapped the bipod, started using a backpack as a front rest, started using the sling properly and held the fore end. It tightened the groups up and stopped the flyers. It was a good lesson in technique that I have never been taught before.

That's not to say that your wrong. Perhaps a change to a tactical style stock with a high comb and recoil pad would make it even better - I'm sure you're right.

Out of interest, what sling are you using? I have the Brownells Latigo sling (as recommended by Wayne van Zwoll) & the Galco Safari Ching sling, which is my go-to sling as it's so fast to use & works extremely well as a carrying sling too.

 

[NigelM]

Out of interest, what sling are you using? I have the Brownells Latigo sling (as recommended by Wayne van Zwoll) & the Galco Safari Ching sling, which is my go-to sling as it's so fast to use & works extremely well as a carrying sling too.

It's just a Z-Aim sling. Using it traditionally rather than like the competition guys who put their left arm through a loop.

 

[Dan Newcombe]

My .22-250 shoots well on the range with no hold on the front end and leaning slightly into the bipod.

However you cant do that so well on the roof of a pickup or on an uneven surface so i hold the front end a bit and doesn't seem to hinder accuracy but i am more confident that the front end isn't going to flip off anywhere / slip.

More than likely that it is mental more than actual difference but works for me.

Dan