what bipod

[jay43]

i was looking into purchasing a harris bipod for my 16 inch ar15 and was torn between getting the l model which adjusts 9 to 13 inches or the benchrest model 6 to 9 inches. my questuion is I'll be doing mostly 100 to 200yrd shoots with this rifle in a prone poistion in your opionion/experiences would I need a bipod more than 9inches tall. right now i have a busnell trophy red dot sight with 1/2 risers off my a3 rail putting the dot with a perfect cowitness with the factoty front sight post

 

[GunTech]

If you will be shooting prone, you want ther 9-13. The 6-9 is only usefull for bench shooting.

 

[Jim Watson]

I use a Harris 9-13 and it is usually about 1" above the bottom setting.

 

[dust_101]

+1 to what has been said... 9-13 for prone. 6-9 works very well for benched shooting. If you go 6-9 only, you may be at the 9" setting and find you need only .5 to 1" more and you're stuck.

 

[303carbine]

bi-pod

I have a swivel Harris 9-13 an have it set about two inches from bottom. It works great for about 95% of shooting situations.

 

[glockman19]

I have a swivel Harris 9-13

+1 me too.

Can be used sitting or at a bench.

It works great for about 95% of shooting situations.

Agreed

 

[The Annoyed Man]

Be sure to get one that swivels. Mine doesn't, but it was a father's day gift from my wife and son, so I don't have the heart to get rid of it. Most the time at the range, I shoot off sandbags anyway, so I just take it off.

 

[W.E.G.]

Be sure to get one that swivels. Mine doesn't,...so I just take it off.

+1

 

[rockstar.esq]

I bought a Versa pod because I couldn't determine if the "swivel" feature of the Harris bi pods meant that the rifle could pivot like a turret or cant to allow you to level your reticle. My buddy bought one and it mercifully cants to allow leveling of the reticle. The other infinitely cooler thing about the swiveling harris bi pods is that they reverse the spring layout. On the non canting versions there are a couple of springs that quickly RETRACT the legs, this is most frustrating when you're trying to adjust the legs independently so as to level the cross hairs. Plus the quick retracting is an answer to a question nobody asked. I mean, speedy deployment is useful, speedy stowing at the cost of utility is debilitating. I've determined that the non swiveling Harris models are useless from field positions because the ground will never be flat enough to allow you to level the cross hairs. The bench is another story. As for the Versa pod, it's cheaper than the harris but it rattles something fierce. Of course the Versa pod comes off quickly but then you've got to put it in a pocket or something for transport. For my target practice / field position shooting, I like it fine but it won't be coming along for hunting.

 

[elmerfudd]

I really like the bench rest bipods for target practice, but I'm a little dubious about their practical value for hunting or defense. Contrary to what others have said however, I find they work great from the prone, that is providing you don't have any vegetation in the way. When you use a bench rest bipod from a prone position you can curl your non-shooting hand around and use it as a sandbag between the buttstock and the ground giving you a very solid shooting position. I can easily shoot MOA 10 shot groups like this with my CZ452.

Unfortunately, in the field I find that there are things like plants and uneven ground that prevent them from being very useful for hunting. Generally you are just too close to the ground to get a clear shot at your target. I've used larger bipods as well, but I can't say I have been very pleased with them either. Generally I find that a sitting position with my elbows resting on my knees, my left hand grasping my right wrist and the forearm of the rifle resting in the crook of my left elbow to be nearly as stable as a taller bipod and I can assume that position and fire more quickly than I could with a bipod. It's not something you'd do in combat, but I've plugged a lot of critters that way.

 

[jpwilly]

I prefer the Shooters Ridge Rock Mount Bipod sold at Midway USA on sale for $39 or you can usually get them at Wal-Mart for $39 too. They are much like the Harris for half the cost. My .02