Need Advice on Bipods

[Dave R]

I searched the archives, and saw a whole lot of "buy a Harris." OK, but I have some specific requirements. Wonder if you folks can help me out.

-I will use this for varmit hunting. Whistle pigs (errr, ground squirrels) and Rock Chucks.

-Must be usable from a seated position. Needs the long legs. I tried a 21" (23"?) and it seemed to be too short. If I wanted to shoot uphill (which is often the case) my elbows would be in the dirt and my back bent in half.

-Needs to swivel and cant.

-Should be under $100, if possible.

So here are some I looked at.

-Caldwell. It was tall enough, and had cant & swivel, but I hated the way the legs work. (The twisty locks). Takes forever to get 'em set. And the guy in the store who wanted to sell me the $120 bipod said they strip out pretty easy, and slip frequently. Murphy says it would slip right before I take a shot.

Versa-Pod. I liked the leg locks, and the cant/swivel/tilt. But the head seemed a little loose. Is it steady enough? And it was too short.

Harris--but they were out of the ones with cant and swivel. Gotta have it.

So what do you use? Any Caldwell or Versa-Pod users want to talk me into one of those? Other brands?

MidwayUSA.com is down, so I couldn't read the reviews there, which I generally find helpful.

 

[Fumbler]

If you want to use it mainly while sitting then don't mess around with an attached bipod.

Get one of these:

http://www.stoneypoint.com/bipod_index.html

IMHO these are much more useful in the sitting position than a bipod. Bipods, even the ones that cant and swivel, limit your range a lot more than these do.
I have the Explorer model and have found it to provide a solid rest in the field using long guns and my GP-100.

For $100 you can get one of the Polecats and a Shooter's Ridge (harris knock off) bipod for prone shooting. That will cover you from laying down to standing up.

BTW, the Shooter's Ridge Bipods aren't bad. If you shoot recreationally they hold up fine compared to the Harris models, but if you have the money definately spend it on the domestically made Harris.

 

[Dave R]

Fumbler, I did as you suggested. Got a Stoney Point, and immediately went to do some varmiting. Results were very satisfactory.

 

[Fumbler]

Wow, that was fast.
I'm glad you like the bipod.

The only thing I dont really like about it is there's nothing that keeps you from rocking back and fourth. I'm sure if I actually spend some time practicing with it then it will work better.

 

[MassHunter2190]

Wow, that good huh? Might have to pick up one of those.

 

[Dave R]

The only thing I dont really like about it is there's nothing that keeps you from rocking back and fourth.

Actually, rocking back or forth is a great way to reduce height in a jiffy if you discover a target downhill.

Here's a more in-depth review.

I picked up the Expedition model (?) on my way out to shoot Whistle Pigs (ground squirrels.) These things are much smaller that Prairie Dogs. Between the size of hamster/gerbils and rats. So the kill zone is maybe 1"by 2". Small things. Its tough making hits out beyond 100 yard, particularly without a bipod! I was hunting rolling prairie. I typically work an area, then walk over the next ridge and work the next area.

First of all, its nice a light. Lighter than a Harris bipod.

I like the way the legs adjust on the Stony Point. You turn a leg 1/2 turn to free it or lock it. There are 3 legs per side on the Stoney Point Expedition. It adjusts from 23" to 64" or something like that. Basically, from sitting size through kneeling to standing. I tried all 3 positions.

When I walked to the next ridge, I used the pod in standing position as a walking stick. Nice. Then, when I first crested a ridge, I would take a couple of the closest shots in standing postion. Closest being 100 yards or under. Then adjust to kneeling or sitting postion for farther shots. Sitting postion was the most steady, but kneeling was very similar. Being able to shoot from something higher than prone is important, because the grass is up and the best way to see the critters is to get some height.

Because the pod is not attached to the gun, its easy to shift positions for targets of opportunity. You can pan & tilt to a great degree. And if you need to hit a target downhill, you can quickly reduce height just by rocking back or scootching back an few inches. Because I'm working a valley and ridge, targets vary in height considerably. I don't think a conventional attached bipod would be as good for quickly changing from a valley shot to a ridge shot. If you scan a target more than, say, 45 degress from where you're pointing, its qick to pick up the pod and move it.

So, is it as steady as an attached bipod? I dunno, I haven't tried an attached. But its certainly steady enought to improve my aim dramatically. Without the pod, I rarely made hits beyond about 120 yards. With the pod, I made hits out to 200, and didn't miss much under 150. Remember the kill zone we're talking about 1" X2". I think that is close to the accuracy limit of my rifle, which is just under MOA.

I liked the ability to use it as a walking stick. And I liked the ability to shoot from standing to sitting. And it is light. And stedy enough for me. And, of course, you could use it with any rifle without having to attach the swivel stud. You can even use it with handguns and cameras.

The only downside is that, with 3 legs and 2 adjusters per side, it does take a 20-30 seconds to go all the way from standing height to sitting height. And once in a while, I would grab the lower leg and twist and the upper leg would twist. So adjusting he lower legs can be a 2-hand job. That's not an issue for fine adjustments, because you're only adjusting one leg. It only applies when going from one extreme to the other. I can live with then in exchange for having that much range to work with.

So, at this point, I have no desire to change to an attached bipod.

 

[Fumbler]

Very good review

I feel the same way about mine.
I particularly like to use it as a rest when shooting handguns.

It is not as stable as an attached bipod, but a whole heck of a lot more stable than me resting my elbows on my legs and it offers much more versatility than an attached bipod.