Bipod rail location pros and cons question

[BobbyJ]

I just ordered a bipod for 24" AR with 15" hand guard. I've notice most people mount them near the end but they usually have shorter hand guards Was thinking maybe mounting it too far forward might put extra strain on where the hand guard is mounted via leverage .

Does mounting it too far forward ever cause issues with the hand guard getting bent from the extra leverage with a 24" bull barrel?

Like in the photo they have it mounted on the end but what if that hand gaurd was 8" longer would they then just mount it further forward?

 

[Mike Casselton]

I wouldn't worry about strain on the chassis.
WRT bipods, they are way more stable the further forward you mount them.

If you mount them close to the action, any movement at the butt end is magnified. That will cause a lot of stringing, horizontally and vertically.

 

[AccelR8]

I think the bipod should be mounted as far forward as possible. I don't think there would be undue stress placed on any part of the system.

But I recently put together a rifle very similar to the rifle in your second pic. Rifle-length gas, 15 inch M-Lok hand guard.

Because of the location of the gas block it was obvious I couldn't mount my M-Lok bipod adapter on the farthest forward position as the M-Lok hardware wound hit the gas block. So I mounted it one position back, behind the gas block location.

I had a huge amount of vertical stringing. I took the whole thing apart and found two marks on the barrel from the two M-Lok screws. While it wasn't obvious during assembly despite all the holes and openings in the rail you can look through, when the screws were tightened up they did contact the barrel. This is a heavy barrel, something like .980” all the way to the gas block.

I switched the barrel to a mid-length gas barrel and put the bipod all the way forward on the end of the rail and all is good, the screws do not hit the smaller diameter portion of the barrel forward of the gas block. It's just not the set up I wanted.

 

[BobbyJ]

This is a heavy barrel, something like .980” all the way to the gas block.

Yea that one in the photo is heavy too 1" all the way to rifle block where its .936" weighs over 4 pounds just for the barrel. Its a pig!
But it hangs from the top rail so it should clear the block.

 

[AccelR8]

Yea that one in the photo is heavy too 1" all the way to rifle block where its .936" weighs over 4 pounds just for the barrel. Its a pig!
But it hangs from the top rail so it should clear the block.

That's a good set up, I may look into that so I can go back to my heavy barrel on this one. I was not aware of any way to mount a bipod on the top rail.

 

[MislMan]

AccelR8 - if your mounting screws are contacting barrel, they are ‘too long’. The protruding screw could be cut/ground to shorten its length. The protruding length is not helping with grip.

 

[AccelR8]

AccelR8 - if your mounting screws are contacting barrel, they are ‘too long’. The protruding screw could be cut/ground to shorten its length. The protruding length is not helping with grip.

I did consider shortening the screws however a certain length would have to be maintained so as to keep the nuts on when the screw are backed off for removal and installation. Not sure if I could grind enough for clearance. The nuts themselves take up a considerable amount of space too.

I do have two options on hand for the heavy barrel, a. one of those straight knurled aluminum tube hand guards and b. a National Match style free float tube and modified A2 hand guards. Which is pretty cool...

I just posted my experience above as a “watch out for this” potential problem just so someone doesn't wind up at the range with a gun that shoots like crap and his buddies making fun of his brand new build that shoots like crap...hypothetically of course...

 

[BobbyJ]

That's a good set up, I may look into that so I can go back to my heavy barrel on this one. I was not aware of any way to mount a bipod on the top rail.

It just came! Wow the thing was soo easy to put on. Two screws for rail then just push the rail pin into a hole and CLICK its on.

Very tight no wiggle, and steady. I've used a few under the rail types in the past and the gun always wants to tip over if you are not careful This thing is like hammock, nothing moves and the tension is easy to adjust. So far so good. It can be mounted under like a traditional too, maybe if more elevation is needed.

 

[dunraven]

MPA made the 'spigot mount' for the purpose of mounting the bipod out further.

 

[BobbyJ]

MPA made the 'spigot mount' for the purpose of mounting the bipod out further.

Yea I can imagine people with short hand guards would want it out further. Yea I'm fine with it out on the end seems stable and a side bonus is the feet protect the end of the barrel when its up.

The engineers out did them selves on this design, the way its super stable, rotate left/right w variable tension on the fly and up down. Plus can go with less stable under the rail if needed. Super versatile and fast to remove like 1 button and done.

 

[BobbyJ]

I took it to the range today and its better than expected. Better than bags or a lead sled. Much easier to use and VERY stable easier to shoot without moving. And its so sturdy I can open it and clean the barrel with a rod and it stays put. Much easier, I'm buying 2nd one for my other AR, its too good.