Frustration with Bipods!

[Gargoyle]

Unless I’m shooting my 25lbs + ELR gun… on lighter guns, I’m ditching the bipod. I’ve tried all sorts of bipod techniques and turns out on lighter guns, like 12lbs and under I’m better off with a forend hold resting on top a bag. I can modulate my bone support & muscle relaxation to achieve better groups. Ok, that is all! lol

 

[NZ_Fclass]

You are not wrong. Bipod hop is a fact of life and takes a while to overcome. For us FTR guys it's a combination of bipod, gun weight / balance and the rear bag. One day, I'll get it right.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

If that’s the case, your shooting form is wrong.

 

[FeMan]

Its a struggle for sure!! I shoot several hundred or more rounds a month from multiple rifles off of a bipod. Rifles weigh from 8 lbs to 25 and calibers ranger from Dasher to Edge. I can actually shoot better with a bipod and squeeze bag than my $2k F-open rests! I spent several years at 1k F Class practices learning what each rifle liked, and they are all different. The rear bag is as important or more than the bipod in my experience.

What bipod(s) are you using? I have Harris, Atlas and Hatch bipods but my favorite is my double pull Ckye Pod.

 

[Gargoyle]

Its a struggle for sure!! I shoot several hundred or more rounds a month from multiple rifles off of a bipod. Rifles weigh from 8 lbs to 25 and calibers ranger from Dasher to Edge. I can actually shoot better with a bipod and squeeze bag than my $2k F-open rests! I spent several years at 1k F Class practices learning what each rifle liked, and they are all different. The rear bag is as important or more than the bipod in my experience.

What bipod(s) are you using? I have Harris, Atlas and Hatch bipods but my favorite is my double pull Ckye Pod.

I know it's a case of the Indian and not the arrow. I really think I am inputting too much muscle while trying to load the bipod and also pressure back into the shoulder.

I'm using an Atlas CAL, spiked feet, Armageddon pint size rear sand bag. AR10 build shooting 168 FGMM. Groups are good, vertical stringing is killing me. I don't have this problem with my ELR rig due to the weight, so I am able to relax and let the gun do the job...hey wait, LOL.

 

[whatsupdoc]

First its the AR10 that's killing you, and second you only need to get the slack out of the bipod not bend the legs.

It has nothing to do with weight and and all to do with trigger control, lock time and the mass
movement within the rifle.

AR10 has to be held "still" longer than a bolt action, pushing the bipod too hard is making it worse.

Dont get discouraged as large frame AR's are not easy for anybody.

 

[JSH]

Put a bipod on a good 22RF, OMG what a learning lesson. With that frustration I have some what found what a particular rifle will respond to in a little less time.

 

[CharlieNC]

Under various setups and conditions it is difficult to load a bipod consistency. Over the last several years some "experts," have evolved to recommending not to load, which clearly offers improved uniformity. But watch that cheek weld and shoulder pressure, and as previously noted the rear bag management. All these other factors dominate recoil control one you stop loading the bipod.

 

[Gargoyle]

First its the AR10 that's killing you, and second you only need to get the slack out of the bipod not bend the legs.

It has nothing to do with weight and and all to do with trigger control, lock time and the mass
movement within the rifle.

AR10 has to be held "still" longer than a bolt action, pushing the bipod too hard is making it worse.

Dont get discouraged as large frame AR's are not easy for anybody.

Well, I feel better now! Thanks

 

[Gargoyle]

Under various setups and conditions it is difficult to load a bipod consistency. Over the last several years some "experts," have evolved to recommending not to load, which clearly offers improved uniformity. But watch that cheek weld and shoulder pressure, and as previously noted the rear bag management. All these other factors dominate recoil control one you stop loading the bipod.

I'm thinking I should use the rubber feet and make sure I am not pushing them through the grass. Just to the point slack is out and feet stay in place.

Headed out again today for a clean slate!

 

[Topstrap]

Somewhere around here i have a Harris 6-9 bipod that a shooter broke in half from trying to "load" his bipod. Usually on a light gun all you get is bounce and inconsistencies. Everyone mentioned paying attention to cheek weld, shoulder pressure and other things but if you can do exactly the same thing every shot and it feels "perfect" you will know when something isn't right without going thru your mental checklist.

Watch my Son Chris, adjusting his fingers on the grip slightly till it just feels right, no loading the bipod, no cheek weld or shoulder pressure. It finally just feels "perfect" without forcing anything to be lined up. That stage put 3 shots the size of a quarter at 400 yards at Rayners. Shooting rifles is much easier but also easier to inflict more external forces on the gun. Sometimes it's hard to narrow down what is causing the problem with so many things inputting contact to the gun.

We're not Bench Rest shooters but still need great accuracy for the longrange steel plate matches. Usually setting up on target, lightly releasing pressure on the gun it should sit perfectly on target then sneaking back up into position and touching it off. Seems to work on everything from our ELR pistols, 22 rimfires and up to the 338 Lapua.

This may not be "correct" but works the best for us. Don't be afraid to experiment, pay attention to the top finishers in any of the types of shooting you like.

Topstrap

 

[Ledd Slinger]

No, keep the spiked feet. You don’t want the bipod to hop on the ground.

Never have I ever loaded a bipod. Thats a bunch of crap if you ask me. Tried it and it doesn’t work because the more pressure you put on a rifle, the less stable you are. But you DO need to make sure that the spiked feet are dug into the ground.

The biggest key for shooting any bipod on any rifle is your body position and follow thru on the shot. You want to be lined up perfectly straight behind the bipod so that when the rifle recoils the barrel goes straight back and up then comes straight back down onto the target. If you’ve ever had a bipod hop while firing or after the shot noticed your scope reticle is way off to the left or right of the target then you know you weren’t aligned correctly.

Setting the rear bag is key as well. You shouldn’t have to exert hardly any side pressure on the rifle for windage and shouldn’t be having to squeeze the hell out of the bag to hold vertical position. I’ll get my bag and bipod legs set, let the rifle go untouched, and see where my crosshairs are lying. They should be pretty close to center on target to shoot accurately. If you are having to exert excessive pressures on the rifle to hold on target then your follow thru on the shot will never be consistent

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Try a different fill in your rear bag. I use those airsoft bb plastic balls. Also on an atlas you may not need to load it at all since theres not any slack to note in those

 

[Erud]

Shoot from a sling.

Like a man.

 

[Laurie]

Never have I ever loaded a bipod. Thats a bunch of crap if you ask me.

Also on an atlas you may not need to load it at all since theres not any slack to note in those

Whether a bipod needs a degree of loading or not depends on how much play there is in it. I used Versa-Pods for many years and still have one for a particular rifle. It's an excellent accessory, but is exceptionally slack and some pre-loading is essential.

Moving onto specialist designs, Dan Pohlabel's Flex-Bipod for F/TR has loading as an inbuilt part of normal usage. Both of these designs, and there are others, will shoot very badly indeed without being 'loaded'. Others neither need nor work well with any loading.

http://bulletin.accurateshooter.com/?s=flex+bipod&submit=Search

I still have my Flex-Pod but rarely use it these days. It was too radical a concept for most competitors I think, and AFAIK has been out of production for some years now, (but would love to be shown wrong on that).

 

[bobm]

Shoot from a sling.

Like a man.

The correct term is shoot standing up like a man. Sling, no.

 

[Gargoyle]

Try a different fill in your rear bag. I use those airsoft bb plastic balls. Also on an atlas you may not need to load it at all since theres not any slack to note in those

I got a bag of airsoft BBs. I'll try that. I think the sand settles/gets tamped and changes fill support per shot. Atlas bipods, mine anyway, do have some wobble in them to take out.

 

[marchx]

Unless I’m shooting my 25lbs + ELR gun… on lighter guns, I’m ditching the bipod. I’ve tried all sorts of bipod techniques and turns out on lighter guns, like 12lbs and under I’m better off with a forend hold resting on top a bag. I can modulate my bone support & muscle relaxation to achieve better groups. Ok, that is all! lol

I ditched tactical bipods like Fortmeier and Harris. I switched to an F-class bipod and it is ok. I think however that the rear bag makes a difference. SEB rear bag (or US alternative) filled with a zircon sand makes huge difference.

 

[JFrank]

No, keep the spiked feet. You don’t want the bipod to hop on the ground.

Never have I ever loaded a bipod. Thats a bunch of crap if you ask me. Tried it and it doesn’t work because the more pressure you put on a rifle, the less stable you are. But you DO need to make sure that the spiked feet are dug into the ground.

The biggest key for shooting any bipod on any rifle is your body position and follow thru on the shot. You want to be lined up perfectly straight behind the bipod so that when the rifle recoils the barrel goes straight back and up then comes straight back down onto the target. If you’ve ever had a bipod hop while firing or after the shot noticed your scope reticle is way off to the left or right of the target then you know you weren’t aligned correctly.

Setting the rear bag is key as well. You shouldn’t have to exert hardly any side pressure on the rifle for windage and shouldn’t be having to squeeze the hell out of the bag to hold vertical position. I’ll get my bag and bipod legs set, let the rifle go untouched, and see where my crosshairs are lying. They should be pretty close to center on target to shoot accurately. If you are having to exert excessive pressures on the rifle to hold on target then your follow thru on the shot will never be consistent

Well said’
I could not agree to any higher degree.

 

[K22]

Unless I’m shooting my 25lbs + ELR gun… on lighter guns, I’m ditching the bipod. I’ve tried all sorts of bipod techniques and turns out on lighter guns, like 12lbs and under I’m better off with a forend hold resting on top a bag. I can modulate my bone support & muscle relaxation to achieve better groups. Ok, that is all! lol

I stopped using a bipod many years ago for varmint hunting. It just didn't work for me since in the prone it limited my field of view, and it was too cumbersome to adjust when stalking. Instead, I began using shooting cross sticks which worked much better for me in the field.

I don't shoot much off the bench and know very little about the "proper" bipod methods off the bench. However, watch Ryan Cleckner's video on shooting. This guy was a Navy Seal sniper I believe. Anyway, he addresses the problems of shooting off a bipod. I kind of think this guy might know what he's talking about. He promotes shooting off a bag for practical applications.

Recently I posted an observation I made at the range a few weeks ago. I saw a guy shooting a bipod (Harris) off the bench using a piece of thick carpet (cut to fit the bench) with a piece of wood clamped to the front of the carpet making the system portable and usable off any flat surface. He positioned the bipod feet against the wood. He was shooting, if I remember correctly, a 6.5mm Creedmoor, sporter weight rifle. I was intrigued so I watched him shoot. The rifle did not "hop" and he was shooting some very nice small consistent groups.

You may also ask yourself, why are you shooting off a bipod? If you don't need to and it isn't producing the results you want, maybe try something else if recreational shooting only is your goal.

There are a lot of guys on the site who have a lot of experience with bipods off the bench so you may find some suggestions to improve your performance. Maybe try a few of their suggestions before you give up on the bipod if you want to use one.