Bipods, Which way?

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DynoDan1

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Okay, so I'm about to let loose that I'm more of an idiot than people already think I am.
No one's ever told me which way to mount bipods. By that, I mean which way are the legs
supposed to fold up? Legs forward or legs rearward?
I've watched a few video's on how to use them in the prone position but I can't shoot from
that position due to plate and screws in my neck and positioning my head to shoot prone
is very uncomfortable bordering on painful.
I shoot exclusively from a mounted concrete bench at the range I use.
I do have a few shooting rest gadgets as well as my old Army sleeping bag that I use. Haven't been able to tell the difference in accuracy, maybe my Caldwell Ledsled is the best...maybe. 20200930_071459[1].jpg
 
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Many of the newer and/or higher end bipods will fold both directions.

Folding forward does get them out of your way best in most situation.
 
I've had the carbine out to the range, but have not use the bipod yet still. Put one on it, and had the same quesiton. I set it up so they fold toward the back, becuase it seemed like folding forward, then I just have created something that will get hung up on every tree branch or bush walking around our shootin area, and that seemed wrong, but - having the legs fold backwards, depending on who's shooting might certainly impact how someone grips the forarm to shoot.
 
Harris and Magpul bipods only fold one way and per the included instructions that was intended to be forward. Though most can be mounted backwards if you choose for some reason.
 
Hmm...okay, there seems to be a consensus that the legs should fold forward (towards the front)
though it's doesn't seem to be written in stone.
I prefer shooting using a bipod because the bench is less cluttered with junk but my rifle (.308 bolt) has
a fairly hefty recoil (to me) and "jumps" a fair amount after each shot.
I've seen videos of folks using bipods and their rifles don't seem to "jump" as much as mine does or hardly at all and yes I'm
I'm watching videos with at least a .308 bolt or higher being used. And they seem to be shooting from a concrete or similar platform.
Am I doing something wrong? Could I be holding the rifle incorrectly? (I don't think so)
My Caldwell Ledsled seems to be the most stable when I use sand bags to weigh it down even more but when it does jump it's a
real PITA to realign for the next shot.
My sleeping bag works quite well too but I don't want to scorch it with a hot barrel.
 
My Harris-type bipods all jump, and I'm only shooting .223. That certainly is an issue for me, especially when shooting prone in the grass. Serious F-class competitors get around that by using hi-tech front rests costing several hundred dollars. I find that a pile of sand bags (akin to your sleeping bag) is best to get back on target without having to realign everything after each shot.
 
Okay, so I'm about to let loose that I'm more of an idiot than people already think I am.
No one's ever told me which way to mount bipods. By that, I mean which way are the legs
supposed to fold up? Legs forward or legs rearward?
I've watched a few video's on how to use them in the prone position but I can't shoot from
that position due to plate and screws in my neck and positioning my head to shoot prone
is very uncomfortable bordering on painful.
I shoot exclusively from a mounted concrete bench at the range I use.
I do have a few shooting rest gadgets as well as my old Army sleeping bag that I use. Haven't been able to tell the difference in accuracy, maybe my Caldwell Ledsled is the best...maybe. View attachment 1031059
I always fold 'em forwards.

That picture is stunning!
 
I mounted a Harris on my Colt H-bar many years ago... fold forward just because that made sense. If I had mounted it folding back, I would have had to hold the folded legs of the bipod when shooting offhand... not a good idea. Yes, putting it that far out made a muzzle-heavy rifle even more heavy when shooting offhand.

If you are mounting one on an AR, be careful... Shooting my AR, with or without tension on the 'pod caused a serious case of 'doubling' with it, because of the spring-back motion introduced by the bipod. It was so predictable that I could almost make it machine gun just by manipulation. I have since removed the bipod...

H-bar, obviously, on top.

seulYRTm.jpg
 
putting it that far out made a muzzle-heavy rifle even more heavy when shooting offhand.
You should try shooting M60 machine gun with bipods off shoulder. :D

which way to mount bipods ... Legs forward or legs rearward?
I believe that depends on how the bipods were designed to work. Bipods on M60s I shot in the Army were designed to fold back but because they were mounted towards the end of the barrel right behind the muzzle, even when folded back, they did not interfere with the support hand grip to fire from the shoulder.

On other weapons where folded bipods would interfere with use of support hand on forearm/barrel shroud, bipods were mounted to fold forward.

I use both Harris type bipods that fold one way or other types that fold both ways. On my 10/22, T/CR22, Just Right carbine (With modular barrel conversions using shorter barrel shroud tube), 16"/18"/20" ARs/PCCs with 12"-15" barrel shrouds, Bushmaster 20" HBAR, etc., bipods must be mounted to fold forward or they will interfere with support hand on forearm/barrel shroud/hand guards.
prone position ... I can't shoot from that position due to plate and screws in my neck and positioning my head to shoot prone is very uncomfortable bordering on painful. I shoot exclusively from a mounted concrete bench at the range I use
Harris-type bipods all jump ... That certainly is an issue for me ... to get back on target without having to realign everything after each shot.
As to use of the bipods, I always "pre-load" bipods by pushing forward until certain amount of resistance is felt to better stabilize the muzzle and for recoil.

During rainy season, I shoot prone from inside of Suburban or Pacifica minivan with seats folded flat into the floor but when it's not raining, I shoot off Lifetime plastic table and chair using the same pre-load demonstrated in this video.

 
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I always fold 'em forwards.

That picture is stunning!
Thanks.
It's in a north central Colorado plains area at about 9,500 ft. about 100 miles SW of Denver
It was taken around 7:00 am on Sept. 30th when the west coast fires were ablaze and seriously fouling the air here in Colorado.
Makes for pretty pics but really foul air.
Weather report for this week up there is snow today and Thursday!!!
Last year it was shut down from Thanksgiving to 2nd week of June this year.
There's another older range like this one about 60-70 miles due south that I go to during the winter.
 
I got very used to the bipods on the M249 and M240: Feet facing toward the pistol grip. I found it easier that way to grab, pinch, and deploy them without sticking your hand far forward near the muzzle.
 
You should try shooting M60 machine gun with bipods off shoulder.

When I was still just a dumb PVT, at the end of our FTX, they told me to burn up all the M60 ammo in my position, so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of turning it back into the ammo point. Sure! One of the guys in the hole dared me to Rambo it... so I did what any randy PVT fresh from Basic would do... I said 'Watch this!' Once I stood up and started firing it, from the hip, one-handed, I realized the gun was so heavy I couldn't let go of the trigger! ...I ripped through almost the entire belt of 100 before I got my left hand under it and I was able to let go of the trigger. LT came running down and had some heated words with me after that.
 
I was maybe 8 or 9 years old at the time.
My dad was a special forces officer in the Army and we were stationed at a post out in the middle of nowhere in Utah (Dugway Proving Grounds).
The Pony Express trail went right across the front gate. Me, my dad and his CO went up the trail to some spot way up in the mountains and the CO brought out a bunch of guns and stuff. Some from the revolutionary war all the way up to present day (early/mid 60's)
One of the guns was an M-16. I had a full size realistic toy M-16 that did everything a real one does except it fired plastic bullets via a spring or something.
It jammed up just like a real one did so I knew how to get it unjammed or so I thought.
My dad handed the real McCoy to me and I set to go shoot it. It "jammed" up and so I went through the procedure to unjam it.
That meant switching it back and forth between semi-auto and full-auto, pulling this lever and flipping that switch and slapping on it
I pulled the trigger in full-auto mode and HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER!!!
Damn near killed my dad and his CO!!!
Ah the good ole days!!!;)
 
folding back looks backwards but is easier to manage in gun safes and gun cases and would probably be less likely to snag something if you had to sling it
 
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