Bipods, which is the best one.

deerwarden

Well-Known Member
My harris bipod has finaly given up the ghost, had it for 15 years, so a good buy then. Now, some not only cant but pan as well, I want one to fit on the extra sling stud I've fitted on bottom of forend, are the ones with extra slots in the legs better, are the pan and tilt any good, are Harris still the best. your opinions wanted, deerwarden :D
 
I personally prefer the Versapod: you can easily detach it, you can deploy it quickly one handed and you get pan as well as cant. Not as secure and solid as a Harris, but hey, it's not target shooting! I've got the standard length one and a kneeling version, it's dead easy to switch between the two or go without either. I bought my kneeling one straight from their website, it arrived quite quickly.

There's also a cheaper Harris knock-off, no idea how they compare though...

IMHO :)
 
Not quite the answer you want - however, as a stalker, I hate bipods!

Been there, done that!

I recognise that for shooting from a static position at long range, they will provide an optimum rest. Certainly, the notched leg version of the Harris is far swifter to deploy and my choice. However, has been said - this is a deer stalking forum, so I answer from that perspective! ;)

They are noisy, uncomfortable on the shoulder, catch on foilage, and will frequently have you altering your stalk to ensure you can get to a suitable fire position.

My preference is to make use of your binoculars or Roe sack for prone support. My usual tool for lowland stalking is a pair of Stoney Point Steady-Stix.

They weigh nothing, allow me to drop into a swift sitting or kneeling position and make a shot that is accurate enough for deer stalking. Speed kills, and being able to take a shot 'right now' has resulted in much venison in the larder.

They really score in terms of comfort. Sit for hours with your back against a tree, ready to shoot within seconds. The ability to alter height by moving forwards and backwards, and pan through 90 degrees or more ensures you are never caught out by a target appearing from an unexpected direction.

To clarify what I mean by 'accurate enough.' In an unsupported sitting position, using these Stix, I can hit an A4 sheet - at 600m.

Yep, I'm a convert!

Rgds Ian :)
 
harris

I have both the Harris and "rip off" versions. Harris win hands down. The slotted legs are better than the tubes with tightening screw as they are a pain to adjust quickly. Definately go for the swivel cos if you dont and you get set up and the target moves then the legs snag as you try to move the gun and if you are unlucky you pull back a bit and the legs collapse.

I got an unswivel pair and they are now on permanent loan with a mate.

Dont think I have ever shot a deer off the bipod tho!! (dont do hill stalking yet tho
 
I'm a beginner to shooting and all the deer I've shot (a grand total of 3 I must add) have been shot off the bipod.

My take on it is that more experienced hunters can easily shoot off sticks in the blink of an eye etc. but as a beginner I need a nice solid rest and a little while to settle myself. Of course this means that I miss a lot of opportunities that an experienced rifle would use to put a deer down but that is the difference between experience and a beginner. I'm sure I will get faster and more confident with time and so will be able to take advantage of situations that I currently consider marginal.

Based on my very limited experience and of watching those much better than I in action I agree with what Ian says but I also think that a bipod is a very valuable asset for me and that it may be of significant benefit to everyone on some types of ground.

My Harris is solid and dependable and I like and use the cant function a lot. I have no experience of other models and have no feeling that I need to trade the Harris for something "better."
 
Deerwarden

I have a Harris swivel bipod permanently on my Sako. I shot a roe doe two weeks ago at a subsequently paced 160m. I was sitting, with the bipod fully extended (27" I think). The vegetation was too high to take a prone shot and there were no trees nearby which I could have leant against to give a more stable standing shot - I'm always happy to get the most stable shooting platform possible.

If I look at my records of stalking down South, about 10% of my shots are taken off the integral bipod (i.e. prone, kneeling or sitting). I use long sticks for standing shots.

In Scotland all my shots have been off the bipod.

I'm happy keeping the bipod on all the time - my only complaint is that you need a larger rifle slip!

willie_gunn
 
IanF: Remind me never to lend you my bino's, old military tricks die hard ,I don't think my swaroskis would like a .300 or a .270 laying on top of them .

This post has forgotten one thing we are all Deer Stalkers ?

Therefore there should be plenty of time to take the shot ,as this is a stealth thing slowly does it giving us plenty of time to fix sticks, bi pods get the range finder out the camera , nervous pee etc .

Yes there is the odd snap shot taken ,we've all done it and there's the frustration shots as well .

Ive found the long13" 25"+ Harris bi pod is the business in long grass and heather ,never had any problems with any of them, Ive got one thats 18 years old as good now as it was when i bought it made to last .
 
I have come to the conclusion like IanF that I hate Bipods. For lowland stalking they are just extra weight and sticks etc are much better. If you need to take a prone shot you have numerous options including a rolled up sack, jacket, hat, gunslip or indeed the binoculars. You also have your rifle sling and learnt properly a sling provides a very solid support.

I find that with a bipod I can't get the rifle comfortable and solid as your length of legs is never correct when out on the hill.

I suppose I did learn to shoot though with target rifles - .22 with either a double point or single point sling.
 
Perhaps I should qualify my hatred of bipods by noting that I am a lowland stalker.

If I were spending my life,low crawling in heather things may be different.

WS - the rubber caps on the Leica ensure a suitably cushioned rest - and one that does not affect the lens coatings! :)

Rgds Ian
 
dw

DW

I would recommend the harris with the slotted legs. The legs with a screw to tighten are a pain to adjust in situ. The slots are much quicker.

Also make sure you get the swivel model, I got a none swivel one and regretted it. If you get set up and the target moves there is a real risk when you drag the gun round to adjust that the legs will collapse.

Also if you get the 27" legs then make sure you dont have them touching the moderator when folded up. (I packed the bracket with a post it note!)

cheers

SDD
 
You cant beat a harris ,Does this mean if you are using a bi pod it is some how cheating ! i thought the idea was to get as clean kill as possible do you think henry tegner and that era thought using a telescopic sight was cheating ! but i bet nobody shoots deer in this country without one now , just a thought .
 
I have to agree with Ian on this one..I should add that I love my Harris bipod for foxing, but for lowland stalking, I much prefer sticks...

And I agree that speed does kill...I am not talking about hasty shots at fleeing deer, but being able to capitalise on the sometimes brief window of opportunity you get when say a Muntjac mouches across a ride or a fallow offers when it sometimes pauses for that last look back just as it enters cover..
 
I too use a Harris - the basic clickety-clic version - but only on very rare occasions. Most of the time it just sits in the bottom of my kit bag, only coming out for those trips where I know it might be needed; and my last trip was just one of those. Then this thread started and I began to wonder whether I should splash out on a swivel and cant model. A quick search on the web revealed this by Parker Hale - http://www.talarms.co.uk/7611B.gif

At around £150 they certainly aren't bargain basement and they do require your rifle to be able to take the hand-stop and spigot. Nevertheless, they look the part and with the PH name behind them have certainly grabbed my attention.

They look identical to the VersPod. Does anybody have any experience of them?
 
Iwrch said:
Does anybody have any experience of them?

Yeah, My employer gave me a green rifle with a schmidt on top & a parker hale below, & the set up worked well. It's the spigot that put me off,as I have made enquiries in the past.
No problem fitting a spigot if you've got something hardcore like an SSG 69 though.
 
well i recently sold my bipod after becoming a convert to quadsicks ! admitedly the bipod i did have was a harris and it served me well for nearly 10 yrs and they were givben to me by a game keeper who had bought them 5 yrs previous to that ! so if thats not a good advert i dont know what !

with quad sticks ive found i can easily shoot deer at 200 yds with comfort they are just as quick to use and possition as a bipod .

but if i were to buy a new bipod it would be a harris , hands down !!

cheers lee
 
DL said:
Yeah, My employer gave me a green rifle with a schmidt on top & a parker hale below, & the set up worked well. It's the spigot that put me off,as I have made enquiries in the past.
No problem fitting a spigot if you've got something hardcore like an SSG 69 though.

DL,

The latest version of that green rifle apparently will have a harris rather than a parker hale if the published pictures are correct..

I've no idea why the switch, but the fact Harris bipods are half the price of a P-H may be something to do with it?

Regards,

Peter
 
DL, Pete

By 'green' are you referring to the SSG?

Howa do their 1500 in a green Hogue stock too!

Anybody found a good way to mute the twanging springs on a Harris? Mine sounds like a selection of sound effects off the Goon Show as the legs are folded out. I suppose I could oil it . . . ??? :confused:
 
I was refering to the latest version of the AI AW, the M115A3

If you scroll down to the illustration near the bottom of the link, it plainly shows it using a Harris, assumming the MOD are not buying Chinese knock-offs from Ebay! :lol:

With regards the "twang" from the springs on your Harris, I found wrapping the springs in insulation tape helped alot..The spring will still stretch back and too "inside" the tape, while the tape helps to deaden the noise...
 
The downside of the ph is that the bipod legs flop about a bit when deployed (from left to right) It's made out of steel,so is quite heavy & rusts quickly.
The harris will weigh less & like Pete says,cost less.
 
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