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Loading the Bipod?

DE-F-Open

Gold $$ Contributor
Here's a question for all of you T/R and Tactical AR shooters, police and military snipers, and Sunday morning enthusiasts:

I am interested in hearing the pros and cons of "loading" the bipod.

In formulating your responses please assume a standard, out-of-the-box Harris bipod and a rifle chambered in .308, either a bolt gun or an AR platform - I guess the answer could be different, but then, maybe not?

I am sure there are lots of opinions out there and I would really like to hear them all

"To load or not to load, that is the question?"

And, if you do - how and why; and if you don't, why not? Does it work or not?

I've heard several sides of this question over the years and have some of my own opinions - but I would very much like to hear yours.

Just curious, that's all - just want to learn.

Thanks,

John
 
My 2 cents : I play with a AR Match Rife and a Midway Mat . The Mat has straps for the feet of the Harris and are stops or hold back ? I have had good luck loading the Harris with those Straps. I shoot on a ShotMarker E Target at 5-6 Hundred Yards.
 
I think loading a bipod modestly works very well because trapping the rifle under pressure from the front and rear along with your palm’s steady hold eliminates or at least reduces the disturbance of pulling a 2-3 pound tactical trigger.

It also, with downward cheek contact, lets you know when your position in the front and in the rear bag has reached that level of maximum steadiness, so that it will recoil in the same known way as your prior shots. That point is when the crosshairs lock in and your body is in the same position relative to the rifle.

Loading also reduces the annoying bounce off of your shoulder that recoil causes.

The shooter/rifle combination as a unit is actually the part of modern F-class I miss the most, where all the interaction is with a joystick and a trigger, only, at least until recoil, even though that near-benchrest method nets higher scores, and in cold or rainy conditions is definitely superior.

In F-Open, it’s been shown to be very possible to shoot an X or 10 or during sighters while talking to, and even looking at your scorer, demonstrating just how well the aimed equipment stays put until you touch it off.
 
Last edited:
When load the Harris 9-13 it causes high flyers.
Best I can do loaded is 7 inch vertical at 1k. Unloaded 3 is best I can do. Shooting a 7 unloaded is hard on ear muffs.
 
Darwin said:
1k
Click to expand...
davidjoe said:
I think loading a bipod modestly works very well because trapping the rifle under pressure from the front and rear along with your palm’s steady hold eliminates or at least reduces the disturbance of pulling a 2-3 pound tactical trigger.

It also, with downward cheek contact, lets you know when your position in the front and in the rear bag has reached that level of maximum steadiness, so that it will recoil in the same known way as your prior shots. That point is when the crosshairs lock in and your body is in the same position relative to the rifle.

Loading also reduces the annoying bounce off of your shoulder that recoil causes.

The shooter/rifle combination as a unit is actually the part of modern F-class I miss the most, where all the interaction is with a joystick and a trigger, only, at least until recoil, even though that near-benchrest method nets higher scores, and in cold or rainy conditions is definitely superior.

In F-Open, it’s been shown to be very possible to shoot an X or 10 or during sighters while talking to, and even looking at your scorer, demonstrating just how well the aimed equipment stays put until you touch it off.
Click to expand...
thanks
 
Loading pressure consistey is the key for me. I take up the slop in the bipod and stop there. Too much pressure seemed to affect a shift in point of aim versus point of impact. I also use slight pressure on the grip. I practice with a 308 with no brake to establish enough pressure to practice recoil management and use that for the smaller calibers. This has helped me from getting lazy with the rifles that don’t have much recoil.
 
I do not shoot competitively. All my shooting is done from a bench and I shoot about as much off of a Harris BR bipod and rear bag as I do my front GE- rest. I do not pre-load mine at all. If my groups are affected by shooting from the bipod I have not seen it on my targets.
 
Not a Harris, or a 308, butttt......
I'm using an Atlas knock off on my Stevens 200 chambered in 250 Savage.
With the spiked feet shooting prone or off a wooden bench, i can load it fairly well. Typically shoots 5 rounds under an inch at 200 meters. (Sporter barrel, i use mostly for coyote hunting).
Took the rifle to a 200 yard IBS match. Concrete benches, had to use the rubber feet.
Couldn't get a decent loading on the bipod. Feet kept sliding.
Shot horribly!
Put spiked feet back on & shot from wood bench again. Right back to original.
 
A lot is going to depend on how far you can get your bipod
out there. Guy's shooting the long pipes with a short coupled
stock will actually hurt themselves by loading. I prefer a system
that will actually let you adjust length and balance the barrel
better. I do not load.

That GGG pod of mine has more room to move out. If I need
more because I spun on a longer pipe, That spigot will move
out of the stock another 4 inches.
 

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Pre-loading a traditional bipod or using a ski-type bipod have in common that both methods have specific requirements that are critical for them to work properly. With a ski-type bipod, tracking straight back during the recoil impulse is critical. Thus, body position and correct type and placement of the eared rear bag are very important.

When pre-loading a traditional bipod, lateral movement is less of an issue, although not zero, because the bipod feet should be planted in a relatively stable fashion. However, it is imperative to use the same amount of pressure each time you fire the rifle. If you do not, vertical dispersion will be the result. I personally load the bipod pretty hard; that is what works best for me. I lie straight behind the rifle and literally push forward with my toes and stomach (think snake crawl) to pre-load the bipod. If the muzzle wants to hop slightly left or right during the recoil impulse, I angle my lower body and feet ever so slightly in the same direction of the hop to change the angle of my shoulder pocket with respect to the rifle butt. However, not everyone's shoulders are the same and you have to experiment to find out what works best for you. This is true of any type of bipod setup you use; experiment to find out how it behaves in various situations so you know exactly what you're seeing and how to correct your position when it is slightly off.

I own a ski-type bipod setup and have used it on numerous occasions, but I find the traditional bipod pre-loaded works better in my hands. To that end, I use a Long Range Accuracy bipod, which is somewhat like an over-sized Harris or Atlas bipod. Because of that, it has a much wider footprint than either of those two types. The wider footprint help with handling the torque of the rifle. I also use an oversized rear bean bag (Tactical Pillow from Triad Tactical).
 
I do not preload my Harris Harris bipods. Years back shooting the inaugural shot at K&M in the panhandle of Florida there was a train up day on Friday. We were shooting prone from on top of the connex building, 2x decking. Guys were complaining about not being able to preload on the deck. Shannon Kay said you will shoot plenty of positional shooting in the field where you cannot preload, so he suggested to learn to shoot without preloading and I have ever since. I never preload and seldom did to begin with.
 
DE-F-Open said:
Here's a question for all of you T/R and Tactical AR shooters, police and military snipers, and Sunday morning enthusiasts:

I am interested in hearing the pros and cons of "loading" the bipod.

In formulating your responses please assume a standard, out-of-the-box Harris bipod and a rifle chambered in .308, either a bolt gun or an AR platform - I guess the answer could be different, but then, maybe not?

I am sure there are lots of opinions out there and I would really like to hear them all

"To load or not to load, that is the question?"

And, if you do - how and why; and if you don't, why not? Does it work or not?

I've heard several sides of this question over the years and have some of my own opinions - but I would very much like to hear yours.

Just curious, that's all - just want to learn.

Thanks,

John
Click to expand...
I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my question - THANKS GUYS!

Much appreciated!

This is a great example of how we make our sport better by helping to educate each other.

Again Thanks, to Everyone!

John
 
Dgd6mm said:
I do not preload my Harris Harris bipods. Years back shooting the inaugural shot at K&M in the panhandle of Florida there was a train up day on Friday. We were shooting prone from on top of the connex building, 2x decking. Guys were complaining about not being able to preload on the deck. Shannon Kay said you will shoot plenty of positional shooting in the field where you cannot preload, so he suggested to learn to shoot without preloading and I have ever since. I never preload and seldom did to begin with.
Click to expand...
What do you do if you don't preload? What size groups are possible?
 
Like Jade ; I also shot a Flex-pod for several years , and it had to be "loaded" to function correctly . It took a couple of months to learn to "drive" it correctly , but shot some really good scores with it . Moderate and consistent pressure is the key to the Flex-pod . And as Ned Ludd said , learning to align your body to counter torque and gun reaction is also key . Have tried to pre-load several "legged" Bi-pods and never had to much success with it . To much vertical jump .
 
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