Bipod Questions?

[LynnJr]

Does a bipod mount need to swivel if shooting on flat ground?
If yes why?
If the elevation will remain the same each time can fixed distance legs be used?
What is the best way to attach a bipod to a stock?
I see some attached to a rod out the front of the for end and I see them attached under the stock. On my rifle I have neither right now but will design it in.
Also what about a flat plate as an attachment point?

[bsumoba]

IMO, it needs to be able to swivel for the mere fact that a flat ground may not necessarily be level. that means you could have some cant in the rifle and that becomes an issue for shooting long range. so, for not that much more, why not get a swivel bipod and use a pod-loc to lock the bipod from swiveling?

I think you can use fixed height legs since you can adjust the elevation slightly with the rear bag. But why not get adjustables like in a harris bipod with the notched legs?

I think a sling stud is best if you were to use a bipod like a harris. If you need to have the bipod our further to accommodate for a heavy barrel and to prevent the rifle from tipping forward, then maybe you can use some sort of rod or spigot like in an AI chassis and use a swivel stud or pic rail to attach the bipod.

[sonofeugene]

Buy a tripod without swivel or cant and you will regret it. Same goes for adjustable legs. As for mounting, I went with a short Picatinney rail and an Atlas quick disconnect. Very handy and convenient.

[JMP]

Lynn, unless you want to be on the battle field to be able to take out insurgents from all directions, the three most important things about a bipod are stability, stability, and stability.

It will vary dramatically depending on what type of gun you are using. In generally, you DO NOT want a swivel. The reason that you need a swivel in practice is that you'll find you end up getting set at different angles, thus having some swivel is a good way to readjust.

Here is a photo of the bipod I have for my unlimited. It needs to be strong enough for a lot of force, torque, and weight, so the best practice is mounting it to your stock with as WIDE a base as possible. You can see that might is locked on tight to the stock. I have a swivel adjustment, but once I get the right angle, the lever locks it down so there is NO SWIVEL. In general, once I have the rifle set up with my scope's verticle crosshair orthogonal to the ground for centering, I lock it down and there is no movement. If I fall out of alignment, I can readjust it a bit, but this is generally not necessary. The important thing is that it has a really wide base and it is strong.



Below is a very different that I have for a short action. Because the gun needs far less support than a heavy gun, a regular strength bipod (such as a Harris or Atlas) is fine since the weight will not overcome the swivel tension. However, what I have done to get more stability is to install a forward bipod block, which extends the bipod several inches forward from where you'd normally mount a bipod. You can increase stability by installing the bipod as far forward as possible. This gives you more leverage with less stress on your bipod. If your stock isn't long enough, having the bipod mounted underneath makes your gun too sensitive to small movements to hold it steady for a shot.



As you know from Benchrest, having your rifle as steady as possible is imperative. If you are trying to mount a bipod for Big Red, I'd recommend using the style like the one I have in the top picture. It could handle a lot more than my rifle, which is only 30lbs. However, Big Red is almost 100lbs and you are shooting 50 BMG with a brake that is applying a lot more force downward on each shot, so I think you may need an even stronger bipod, so you will want to get a custom bipod.

Remember, the key is stability. You need the ability to adjust it to get correctly aligned on target, but you don't want one that'll adjust while you are shooting like a Harris, Atlas, et al, which your gun is just too heavy for.

One of the ways you can get adjustability that is not in a swivel is by choosing the right leg adjustments. You can get a setup where you can raise an lower the height of the legs by screwing them in or out. With a threaded style adjustment, you can adjust one leg or the other up or down in tiny increments to get back on center rather than a swivel.

Remember the key for stability is to get it as far forward and possible and as wide a base as possible to give you the leverage for stability.

If you get a typical bipod like an Atlas or Harris with the swivel, you will HATE it on a heavy gun. They are too flimsy, the base isn't wide enough, and you won't want the swivel since the weight of a heavy gun will overpower the swivel tension. The bipods with tightening swivel tension are okay for smaller, lighter weight guns, but would be disastrous for Big Red. You don't need anything fancy, just the stability with minimal adjustments to allow you to line up square with the target.

As with everything, bipods come in many different styles for the type of shooting you do so I have many different systems (those are just two common examples). However, when shooting prone with a bipod, your bipod setup is CRITICAL to providing the stability you need for accurate prone shooting.

You then need to figure out how you want to adjust the rear. That's why I don't like a moving bipod since the fine adjustments come from the rear. You will need a rear rest that allows for fine adjustments, yet it must LOCK your gun in place for you to make your shot. Again, you will want to make your rear rest as I've found the commercial solutions to be disastrous. You probably want to make your own rear rest by filling a material of the right tension with rice. Rice has been the best filler I have come across as it seems to allow for adjustments, but it lock in place better than a more round filler like sand or beans.

[Switchbarrel]

Hi Lynn-

I know this isn't a "which bi-pod" question, but...

Looks like the JoyPod might be a viable option for you. Mounts via Picatinny rail or freeland/Anschutz rails. In the absence of a mechanical rear rest for steering, seems like a good alternative.

Not sure if you saw the short story where Darrell Buell was using one while shooting a 338AM. The Gen 3 has 12* of total tilt available, not much but it helps. With the counterweights, adjustments should be pretty smooth.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/featured/2500-yard-shooting-with-338-allen-magnum/

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2015/05/buells-baby-first-ever-counter-balanced-joystick-bipod/

-Rick

[bsumoba]

Hi Lynn-

I know this isn't a "which bi-pod" question, but...

Looks like the JoyPod might be a viable option for you. Mounts via Picatinny rail or freeland/Anschutz rails. In the absence of a mechanical rear rest for steering, seems like a good alternative.

Not sure if you saw the short story where Darrell Buell was using one while shooting a 338AM. The Gen 3 has 12* of total tilt available, not much but it helps. With the counterweights, adjustments should be pretty smooth.

http://www.accurateshooter.com/featured/2500-yard-shooting-with-338-allen-magnum/

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/2015/05/buells-baby-first-ever-counter-balanced-joystick-bipod/

-Rick

I forgot about the joypod, sinclair f-class rests. These awesome!

[JMP]

The JoyPod may be a viable option for Big Red as you need that wide base and something that can hold enough weight.

As you have a massive gun and are used to a Benchrest style, the typical tactical bipods you see folks used will find to be catastrophic.

[alpha_romeo_XV]

[joefrank64k]

I forgot about the joypod, sinclair f-class rests. These awesome!

Sebastian Lambang has some awesome designs. I'm thinking of picking up one of his Neo coaxials along with a Joy Pod.

You've got to email Ernie Bishop to get on the waiting list, though: ernieemily@yahoo.com

Waiting list is about 15 months for either rest. Neo runs about $1,040 shipped and the Joy Pod runs about $440 shipped.

[LynnJr]

Thanks for the replies.
I am in the design stage and need two bipods.
One is for a 338 SnipeTac and the other is for BigRed my 50 BMG.
The SnipeTac stock is a McMillan LBR with the 4 inch wide stock you see on 50 BMG light guns. I was hoping someone shooting with the FCSA in the sporter class would post.
On BigRed I was thinking of putting a 5/8 rod in the end of the stock about 18 inches deep.
I want a crossbar near the bottom and then adding some long screw in feet.

Rick you have me thinking I should just e-mail Seb and let him have at it. He is truly gifted and if I do it it will probably work but look horrible.

[bsumoba]

Sebastian Lambang has some awesome designs. I'm thinking of picking up one of his Neo coaxials along with a Joy Pod.

You've got to email Ernie Bishop to get on the waiting list, though: ernieemily@yahoo.com

Waiting list is about 15 months for either rest. Neo runs about $1,040 shipped and the Joy Pod runs about $440 shipped.

I have been on the list since Feb for a SEB Neo . Only another 3-12 months to go

A F T/R shooter is using the joypod right now and he likes his a lot.

[JMP]

Lynn, you are right on track to go custom and get yourself the wide base. I have spent so much money on commercial bipods that I could have just gotten an entire rifle. You have a unique situation, which warants a unique solution.

With the screw in legs, have a feature where you can adjust small distances by spinning the threads. Most of the bipods come with graduations that are too large.

Forward and wide = stable.

[LynnJr]

JMP
I have half a dozen bipods I use on hunting rifles but I don't like them.
I have one on my 338 Norma Improved and due to a bad shoulder I let other people shoot it. I had WhiteMamba shooting it off the bench making brass and the legs would extend from the recoil.
If you ever get the chance to go to Raton when they are shooting 50's there are shooters there making some extremely nice bipods that will handle a 100 pound rifle.
On a side note I am going to test a flat based 30 caliber bullet at 2000 yards. I will need 92 moa and no wind but if you want to shoot sub 4 inches at a thousand it works.

The deal with the Seb rests is all about shipping. He can ship a container for around $8000 or a single rest for around $175 and there is no insurance so most wait for the container.
Patience and relaxed would never be used to describe me.

[russ69]

Lynn,

Do you really need a tactical bi-pod? If it was me I'd put a serious bi-pod on the fifty (Atlas?). For the 338, how about an F Class bi-pod but it won't cant?

[brando]

I've got a thing for over-bore or center-bore bipods on large rifles. It's been my experience that they are significantly more stable than traditional under-bore bipods but they are extremely rare. Lloyd at RND Rifles has been making a number of different models that I've used over the years





But I wouldn't go this route if you were shooting a relatively light, low recoil rifle such as a .223 or .308. This kind of setup definitely shines on the bigger, heavier rifles, especially if you keep the bipod out a ways from the center of gravity. Some people like having a bit of roll and yaw with their bipods and I think on a traditional Harris setup it makes sense. But when you're dealing with a 20lb+ rifle you have to be careful with any kind of yaw and roll unless it's friction controlled. The first .50BMG AI I shot was using an old Parker Hale bipod that was floppy and loose, resulting in me having to muscle the **** out of the rifle to get it stable, which is kind of an oxymoron. Having the bipod above the bore allows the rifle the sling underneath and essentially hang, which according to physics is a more stable situation vs having the weight above the pivot point.

The RND bipods are expensive and not for everyone though. Elite Iron also makes a center-bore bipod that's pretty versatile, but I hear it's pretty heavy. The LRA bipods are also good, but again, mostly for the bigger rifles in my opinion.