Bipod hop with Sinclair Gen 3 f class bipod.

[diego-ted]

Shooting FT/r, I know I am loosing concentration (maybe points) to fussing with the bipod to get back on target after a shot is fired. My muzzle is moving left a target or two. I have tried adjusting my position to the left both shoulder and body with mixed results. I know I must get this figured out to improve. My setup routine is the same as I have all components marked on my shooting mat so I can repeatedly set up the same. I have heard that some are using different types of carpet for a pad that help in tracking the ski type bipods. So I am asking what works best for you to help with hop.

thx Ted

 

[Medic505]

I've always made a point to watch shooters while scoring. Bi-pod hop is something that has intrigued me from day one. The only bi-pod I have ever seen and then shot that I can say doesn't hop for me is a Flex-Pod. If adjusted and loaded properly, most of the time I can see my bullet trace. I can always see bullet impact. I'm not going to say it will work for you because other shooters have tried my setup and hate it /can't shoot it. To each his own I guess, but I'll probably never shoot any other bi-pod in competition.

Before somebody screams BS about the bullet impact statement, I'm talking about dust and or dirt flying up from behind my target.

 

[suberjc]

I have a gen3 that I picked up off the raffle table at SWN this year. I have always shot open so I had to buy a gun to screw into my new bipod, sort of a bipod accessory you might say. I was having a devil of a time with jump then I put some of Alton Britts DPR feet on it and the jump went away. Now I can't say for sure that it was the feet. I am pretty much F/TR ignorant. I may have naturally started touching the gun differently I dunno but, I think it was the feet.
Anyway, I'm having fun with my new bipod and my Savage made bipod accessory.

 

[Keith Glasscock]

Shooting FT/r, I know I am loosing concentration (maybe points) to fussing with the bipod to get back on target after a shot is fired. My muzzle is moving left a target or two. I have tried adjusting my position to the left both shoulder and body with mixed results. I know I must get this figured out to improve. My setup routine is the same as I have all components marked on my shooting mat so I can repeatedly set up the same. I have heard that some are using different types of carpet for a pad that help in tracking the ski type bipods. So I am asking what works best for you to help with hop.

thx Ted

I have struggled with the same problem. Sadly, I was never able to fix it. My rifle, with a centershot bipod, always jumps to the left. I have changed my body position as far, both directions, as possible with no improvement. This is all off of concrete...

Enter the bathroom rug. On softer surfaces like grass, the hop is better and the rifle tends to stay closer to the point of aim... At least my target is still visible in the scope. On hard surfaces, it doesn't have much effect.

I struggled and struggled to no avail. My scores were good, winning often enough to think that improvement wasn't really needed because the bullets were hitting right where they should. Then I decided to shoot F-open. My Dasher was amazing. I stayed on target and I could watch the trace. It returned to point of aim. Things looked good. Then I shot my 284. oddly, the return to battery was always left of the initial point. After 10 rounds, I have to move the rear bag.

I finally found that the shape of my shoulder is the problem. When I'm in position, the slope of my collar bone pushes the butt away toward my arm with every recoil. Think of dropping a superball onto a playground slide. The only thing I've found to combat it is to move the recoil pad till it goes well under my shoulder and onto the muscle below. It is better, but not perfected.

I'd love to hear how others have overcome this problem.

 

[dm.oakes]

When I initially started shooting this bipod I had hop all over the place. I found that after some trial and error there were two primary culprits.

1. Rifle/body/rear bag setup is critical. If the rifle, the target face, and you are all in a direct line the problem goes away. If you are off angle to the left it hops to the left, if you are off angle to the right, it hops to the right.
2. Shoulder/grip pressure I found also to effect the hop.

Once I was able to get these setup items resolved, the hop went away and the movement of the bipod also went away. If I'm doing my part and setup corectly, my rifle doesn't typically jump much more than a 1/4 of the target height and returns to the exact spot it was prior to pulling the trigger.

 

[diego-ted]

If you are off angle to the left it hops to the left, if you are off angle to the right, it hops to the right.

So I have been told! However, knowing this I have adjusted until I am blue in the face and yet, here I am! I have tried moving my entire body to the left and tried moving just my shoulder angle to the left, neither with much success. Prior to laying down, I double check my set up to ensure a consistent position. I have heard others have minimized this with a shag type carpet\pad.

Diego

 

[Dos XX]

Another convert on the Flex Bipod. I was shooting a Duplin. If I got everything correct on the setup, It would ski straight back. When I did that, things were good. It just wasn't easy enough for me to repeat the set up. Also, even when it skis straight back, you still have to push the rifle back forward to return to zero. The feet on my Flex Bipod don't move forward, backward, or sideways.

I wonder if more weight, like on a Phoenix, helps with tracking and hop on a ski pod compared to the ultra light weights like the Center Shot and Duplin? I haven't shot a Phoenix, so i don't know. I personally couldn't make weight with one.

 

[6BRinNZ]

What rear bag and what stock are you using?

Typically I end up in the top left hand corner of my target and a push forward it is back on. If I am doing well I stay in the black.

If the muzzle is ending up left I would have thought you would want to move your body to the right, assuming you are a right handed shooter.

With the better FTR bipods I have viewed bipod hop as a result of stock/bag/hold as that is where the major pressure and contact occurs.

 

[dm.oakes]

The only front mat I've ever had was a cut to size berber style carpet.

 

[Down South]

Another convert on the Flex Bipod. I was shooting a Duplin. If I got everything correct on the setup, It would ski straight back. When I did that, things were good. It just wasn't easy enough for me to repeat the set up. Also, even when it skis straight back, you still have to push the rifle back forward to return to zero. The feet on my Flex Bipod don't move forward, backward, or sideways.

I wonder if more weight, like on a Phoenix, helps with tracking and hop on a ski pod compared to the ultra light weights like the Center Shot and Duplin? I haven't shot a Phoenix, so i don't know. I personally couldn't make weight with one.

The Phoenix bipod is a very nice, strong bipod that is heavy (very heavy) and well built.....I shot a few matches with it then sold it as i just couldn't hold tight vertical with it.....Obviously, others use it with great success as many big matches have been won using that particular bipod.....Like you, i tried Dan Pohlabel's bipod after talking with Dean and Herb and loved it then never looked back.....Vertical is tight and life is good......

As for the original post, i had the same problems with the ski bipods and never could get the consistent results i wanted with them......I tried several different ones and personally found out that loading the bipod produced much more consistent results for me vertically and in turn raised my average scores considerably.......Some guys hate the idea of loading a bipod and some love it.......I fall into the love it category........ ;D 8).........Good luck with whatever you do, hopefully you can figure out what works for you.

 

[RStewart]

Just shoot a .223. 8) No jump.

I use a Sinclair Tactical bipod. Easy to adjust for different ground contours.

 

[MNFinn]

I switched from using an Atlas to a Sinclair this season. I found that, while it jumps less, I still experienced some jump. I was straight behind my rifle. I switched my position so I was canted to the left, and that seems to work better for me. I still experience jump, but it isn't every shot, which leads me to believe that I just need to work on personal consistency now.

 

[Medic505]

The only front mat I've ever had was a cut to size berber style carpet.

Maybe it does come down to what you place your bi-pod on. I use a magic green rug I purchased at Wally-World. DosXX uses a Purple Swamp Donkey Pelt. Down South has a soft chunk of alligator belly..........OH, sorry Jade I know that was a secret!!

I think hop boils down to many things, rifle balance, shooters position and grip, rear bag, type of bi-pod and last but not least , what you shoot off of. Maybe one of Sebs neat looking sand filled bags would help. Find whatever works for you and chances are, it won't work for the next guy.

 

[M99]

I have always had the same problem with the Sinclair Bipod. What I found helped a great deal, was to put some rubber pads under the skids of the Bi-pod that don't slide around, place the bi-pod on a pad and then load up the bi-pod slightly with forward shoulder pressure. With the .308 the way we load them for F-TR, there will always be significant recoil so its not going to be able to smoothly free recoil like the they do with the F-Open calibers using heavy rests. So since free recoil doesn't seem to work, loading up the Bi-Pod seems to help a lot.

 

[Warren Dean]

I have a gen3 that I picked up off the raffle table at SWN this year. I have always shot open so I had to buy a gun to screw into my new bipod, sort of a bipod accessory you might say. I was having a devil of a time with jump then I put some of Alton Britts DPR feet on it and the jump went away. Now I can't say for sure that it was the feet. I am pretty much F/TR ignorant. I may have naturally started touching the gun differently I dunno but, I think it was the feet.
Anyway, I'm having fun with my new bipod and my Savage made bipod accessory.

+1 on Alton's feet. They are great.

 

[diego-ted]

+1 on Alton's feet. They are great.

I was thinking of inventing something along these lines. Looks like it might be what I was looking for.

Diego

 

[Dos XX]

They dang sure work for Alton.

 

[seymour fish]

Another vote for Dan Pohlabel's Flex-Pod. The Sinclair found a home on the Rimfire F-class rig.

 

[rocketron]

I had a sometime left movement sometime not. i found elbow placement was my problem.

 

[diego-ted]

I have tried to set up as free recoil as possible with as little interaction with the rifle as possible. Mostly just my thumb over and just touching the stock as I squeeze off each round. The butt is upto and touching the shoulder pocket. Sometimes I can get the recoil perfect where the muzzle does not move; however, mostly I get left muzzle movement, NEVER to the right?

Diego