Newbie Rifle Bipod Shooting Basics ?

[GSS]

Hello All,
I am a long time Competitive NRA / CMP Service Rifle ~ Sling Shooter so I have never shot a rifle off a bipod.

A friend of mine ( that doesn't shoot competitively ) just bought a DPMS AR10 for a fun gun.
The range he is a member at has 100, 200 and 400 yard ranges where he can shoot from benches or the ground.

This is his 1st rifle that he has a bipod mounted on.
I was telling him I believe the proper way to shot a rifle with a bipod is to forward load the bipod for the shots. ( Shooter ----/ Target )

As opposed to letting it rest to the rear ( Shooter ----\ Target )

Seems very simple and kinda common sense but...
Is this correct ?

Does this video do a decent job of explaining the reasons why one would shoot from a bipod with the bipod loaded like this, Shooter ----/ Target as opposed to like this Shooter ----\ Target

Appreciate links to any videos or info that possibly explain this better.

Thanks All,
George

 

[Fast14riot]

Search "bug holes from a bipod" on the main page here.

 

[Ned Ludd]

I'm one of the few F-TR shooters left that actually still shoots off a traditional bipod with [heavy] pre-loading. Most everyone else has moved to the newer ski-/sled-type bipods that slide freely on a piece of carpet (or similar) and are not pre-loaded. The approaches used with the two types of bipods are quite different.

I personally prefer the legs of a traditional bipod to be canted forward slightly at the feet (i.e.----\), or at a minimum straight up and down. I would think that having the legs canted backwards with feet trailing behind (i.e. ----/) would make it much more difficult to pre-load the bipod in the forward direction, and I suspect bounce (muzzle hop) would be more pronounced as well. If the legs/feet are positioned angled toward the rear, they would likely have a tendency to slide when forward pressure was applied. In fairness, however, I have never actually tried to shoot off a bipod with the legs angled toward the rear, nor have I ever seen anyone doing it that way. Maybe we're talking semantics here, because of course the legs/feet will bend a little back as you pre-load the bipod. But even with the legs positioned straight up and down before pre-loading, you'd have top pre-load the bipod pretty hard to get them to actually visually bend backwards.

Regardless of my or anyone else's opinion, the simplest thing to do is to test it. It should be very easy to test with the legs angled forward and toward the rear and find out directly what effect each has on your precision, shooting style, and comfort behind the rifle.

 

[GSS]

Search "bug holes from a bipod" on the main page here.

Thank You Alex, I found this one (searching bugholes in the titles)
http://forum.accurateshooter.com/threads/help-shooting-bugholes-with-a-bipod.2373219/

Some interesting info there but,
Not much on the Question I asked here about which way and/or how is better to pre-load the bipod.
Forward, back, straight up, other?
Hopefully that is the thread you were referring me to


Thanks you Ned for your response as well.
Hoping more experienced BiPod shooters ( bench or prone ) will chime in here as well.
George

 

[Fast14riot]

I also shoot from a Harris bipod, I do prefer to preload the bipod by leaning into it. Either a fold of material or a stiff batten sewn into a shooting mat give a good place to push against and spikes work well on the bench.

When preloading in prone, I like to hold myself up on my elbows slightly and pull the rifle into my shoulder, so when I "come down" into position it loads the bipod. This eliminates trying to lean into the gun and muscling it around. You should be able to let go with your trigger hand and have the rifle stay in position.

 

[Darwin]

I would shoot with those Atlas legs standing straight up. Harris user here. No preload gave me less vertical. Your targets will tell what’s right for you.

 

[rammac]

I've shot from a bipod for many years and I don't preload mine. I learned about using a bipod while in the Marine Corps and the only reason I could figure out why we were taught to preload the bipod was because they were worn out and loose fitting. A good, tight bipod wont need to be preloaded. If I have to preload in order to get proper sight alignment and sight picture then it's time to replace the bipod.

 

[Jarhead6870]

Shooting with a bipod and loading it consistently takes practice. While it may seem simple, learning to put the "SAME" amount of pressure on the bipod from shot to shot is not. If you do not apply an amount of pressure on the bipod each and every shot, your recoil impulse will vary and your POI will change; usually evident by vertical stringing.

I do most of my shooting prone using a rear squeeze bag and take the slack out of the bipod without getting into it too much and zero my rifle. I do this for a couple of reasons; I want to manage the recoil a little better for faster follow-up shots and I may have to shoot from a position other than prone. If you load the bipod heavy and zero your rifle, then if you shoot from a bench or barricade where you cannot exert the same pressure, your POI will be high. The reverse is also true; if you just take the slack out of the legs and then shoot locked into a tripod with a sling, you will impact low because you've changed the way the rifle recoils.

I will add that the amount of pressure you use on your bipod can also be dictated by the rifle and caliber you are shooting. While I just take the slack out of my bipods, it's on light recoiling rifles with muzzle brakes; 6mms, 6.5s and a .284. When shooting larger calibers like a .300 Norma or .338 Lapua, I get into the rifle and bipod a lot more but making sure I zero with the same pressure on the bipod I'm going to shoot with.

 

[GSS]

Awesome feedback and Info, Huge Thanks All !!

As I stated he is just a recreational shooter and bought a DPMS AR10 ( new on sale for $599 = wow ) for a fun gun.
He will likely be shooting mostly off the bench for now as it's winter in New Hampshire but will eventually shoot it prone out to 400 yards at his club. If it goes well I imagine he may enter a match or two for fun at my club where we shoot NRA / CMP Sanctioned matches out to 600 yards.

I passed along the advise to just mess around with it off the bench trying it preloaded to the front, to the rear and straight up with no preload at all and see how it goes.

As Darwin stated above, the targets will tell him what works best once he try's a few things.

I'll also stress to him how important consistency is with the pressure he puts on the bipod and buttstock whatever method he is using. I fully understand this as that fully applies to me as a Distinguished Service Rifle Sling shooter as well.

I'll pass on how it went for him after he gets to shoot it some

Thanks again to all that provided the helpful info.
George