Yes, interesting (the Joy-Pod bounce that is). I've used 'my' sample pre-production model in six matches now, four last weekend in a round of the GB F-Class league series. Five were shot off grass turf - wet on each and every occasion (very wet like the rifle and shooter last Saturday unfortunately), and one from a covered bench-rest firing point shooting prone while lying on the concrete floor between the benches, the rubberised front section of my Aim field Sports shooting mat between the bi-pod feet and the concrete.
Many people have watched the Joy-Pod's performance closely - it's a real crowd-puller! The only time I had any reports of bi-pod bounce was in Match 1 on Saturday morning in the league fixture where I'd fitted the optional foot spikes to see how the device would perform when 'locked-down'. Spectators said the front end of the rifle bounced noticeably on each and every shot - I wasn't aware of its behaviour myself. The subsequent three matches were shot with the unadorned feet and everyone agreed the rifle and bi-pod's behaviour was impeccable. I was aware of it tracking on the grass under recoil which it did very reliably - you get a nice set of short parallel tracks in the grass after 20 shots.
In the earlier covered / hard floor outing using the mat, its front section is very much thinner and with less give or spring than that used by Mr Tompkins in the video. The set-up seemed very stable and the rifle's handling seemed good at my end of the buttstock, but as previously noted, spectators (and video cameras) get a much better picture of what's going on! In this instance, TargetShooter online editor and all-round long-range shooter Vince Bottomley asked me after only a few shots if this was a 308 Win F/TR rifle I was using, or my .223 Rem such was the lack of visible movement. He was really surprised when I confirmed it was the 308 and told me afterwards how impressed he'd been by the rig's handling in these conditions. In any event it didn't do me any harm as I won the F/TR division on the day with 99.10v (199.10x in US terminology and scoring), and only lost out on an overall win to an 'Open' competitor on V-count.
Vince also RO'd the subsequent national league rounds last weekend and saw the Joy-Pod on various firing points, which being terraced and at the distance being shot over are below the targets' elevation at Diggle Ranges, and confirmed that once the foot-spikes were removed, the rifle's behaviour was impeccable. Vince goes further in fact and even before production of the Joy-Pod gets under way is recommending it instead of a heavy front-rest to F-Class shooters who opt for the smaller, lighter cartridges in particular the sixes and smaller 6.5s such as the Swiss Match, 6 and 6.5X47 Lapua, 6XC, 260 Rem 6mm Dasher etc.
Apart from the thickness, resilience of the mat, the other difference between my use and Mid Tompkins' is that I mount the bi-pod, irrespective of make / type much further forward, in fact as close to the tip of the forend as the mounting rail allows. Five of the six matches used a rifle in a Dolphin Gun Co. alloy chassis stock with a fairly long F/TR forend, that including the match off the concrete + mat. Of the other five matches, the Joy-Pod's first outing was also the inaugural match outing for a new rifle in a Joe West F/TR laminated wood stock that uses an exceptionally long and shallow forend - so in this instance, the Joy-Pod would be maybe 9-12 inches further forward than in Mid's set-up. I prefer to run with as long a 'wheelbase' as possible as my gut instinct is that it'll make for a more stable setup, although it reduces the effective aiming travel of the bi-pod head with a pivot point nearer the muzzle. Whether that helped, or whether it was the excellent stock design, I'd never shot an F/TR rifle that felt so stable in the aim and while taking the shot!
I've also moved to a heavier rear bag filled with Chromite foundry sand since getting the prototype Joy-Pods, so my 'rear end' is much more firmer and more stable than when I bag-squeezed. (Wow! That sentence reads really well - NOT!)
Great video Rick - thanks for posting it. I'll direct Vince in the direction of this thread and he may make a comment or two. Vince has forgotten more about rested rifle setup and shooting than I've ever learned.
