Sinclair F-Class Bipod - How To Shoot It?

[Piotrowski]

I'm hoping to switch from a $30 Harris Bipod clone to the Sinclair F-Class.

I've heard nothing but good things about this bipod, but this morning's shooting set a Personal Worst of 81 for a 10-shot group. When I couldn't get any two shots to tag the steel in the same place, it just got worse with me chasing the X-Ring.

The Harris clone required me to manhandle the rifle, with lots of loading. It did shoot good groups when I remembered to press hard into it.

With the Sinclair, I hear the name of the game is free recoil. When that wasn't working, I tried a firmer cheek weld and more shoulder pressure.

I sat around for a while thinking about it, and then the wind started blowing harder, so I decided I wasn't going to waste any ammo in increasingly difficult conditions.

(I did spend about half-an-hour sitting behind the scope trying to figure out what I might be doing wrong, but no light bulb went on. I also wasn't seeing any reticle jump when I was dry firing.)

I was shooting the bipod on a floor mat that seems to allow for easy movement of the "ski" feet.
Ammo was the same load I've been shooting for months...

Tips, links to videos, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

 

[savageshooter86]

Mine "jumped" terribly. I returned it and bought a Duplin. Much happier now

The ski type bipods are not meant to load. Try putting piece of carpet under feet. Try different bipod location on forend. I believe all bipods "jump".

Also don't think the bipod causes bullets not to hit sane spot on target? Think that is load/shooter

 

[Keith Glasscock]

I agree that bipod jump won't cause bad accuracy; however, changing things (shoulder and cheek pressure) trying to get it to stop jumping around will.

I've concluded that some of my bipod jump is the stock. Other folks with different stocks have less of a problem than I have. When I shoot their rifles, I get less jump too.

In my case, I don't bother worrying about the jumping around. I just put her back on target and give it another shot... Funny thing is, the scores are darn good that way...

 

[Lapua40X]

...
The Harris clone required me to manhandle the rifle ...

I tried a firmer cheek weld and more shoulder pressure.

Some of your problem may be in those two sentences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weBuYmnpg38

 

[diego-ted]

http://forum.accurateshooter.com/index.php?topic=3849745.0

Diego

 

[Piotrowski]

Diego, Doh! I used the search feature... don't know how I missed your recent thread. Thanks.

Lapua, that video is exactly what I use(d) when I do my pellet gun and dry fire drills. Sight picture and trigger control probably aren't the problem, as I got bored with counting the number of one-hole, five and ten shot groups I shot at 50' and twenty yards with my MRod. I probably shouldn't have used manhandle, but there is pressure applied to load the Harris type bipod. My clone likes a LOT of forward pressure. Obviously, all of those shooters are using a pretty firm cheek weld. I varied those two things with the Sinclair in desperation, trying to find out what I wasn't doing right.

Busdriver, same answer applies. If I had gotten anything close to the Bull, I wouldn't have changed a thing. Bounce definitely doesn't bother me, or I would have gotten rid of the Clone a long time ago. (Using it on everything from pellet guns, .22LRs, 7.62x39 and .308s.)

BTW: I do video myself at times to see what the heck is going on. I may have to do the same at the next session with the Sinclair.

SS86, you won't ever see me blame the Rifle (like a heck of a lot of Internet Shooters do). I know it's me... that's why I'm asking for ideas. I think I can say it's not the load. I'm not loading to .0005, but I'm consistent enough. It wouldn't have been an 81 with the Clone.

(My last half-dozen sessions with clone have been 97-98-93-97-97-91 (with 20+ mph winds. I know I need the practice... so I headed out. All of my recent shooting has been done at 600 yards.)

It would be great if someone who made the transition from Harris type to Sinclair could explain what/if they had to change things.

BTWII: If I can't figure this thing out, I'll probably return it for a Sinclair Tactical.

 

[Piotrowski]

I like talking to myself...
I've also kicked in a few bucks...

Ten shot group at 600 yards this morning...
Off of the Sinclair...
My Optimistic Scoring calls it a 97-3X. (Would probably be less if on paper... Might have been better if I didn't switch ammo at 5 rounds...)

So here are my comments regarding this thing:
I know I changed 2 things and maybe 3...

1. Thanks to whoever, wherever, made the suggestion about a piece of foam under the bipod. I didn't have anything fancy; I just grabbed a couple of large foam-filled shipping envelopes and put that under my shooting mat.

2. I used a much stiffer rear rest, instead of my usual squeezable rest. (That might have been a Jade question/comment.)

3 (possibly). I was much more meticulous about making sure the Sinclair was setup at the same height as my Harris Clone. I also paid much more attention to making sure all of the different adjustment screws were tight to the point I thought I might break something off. There was definitely non of the wobble that I read about in some posts. (I thought I felt some last time, before I knew it might exist.)


Big thanks to Seymour and Jade for their PMs. I do have a Flex Bipod on order based on their recommendations. After reading their messages and a couple of evenings of reading, it seems that it will be a better match for my shooting style, coming off of using the Harris type for so long.


BTW, does this qualify as Big Guns Porn?
BTWII: I'm just looking to get a Mid-Range Master rating. (I know this ain't going to win any matches, but this kind of shooting will help me get that rating.) I've shot out to 1Km with a different gun and know that, although I might try it at a match, or two, I'm not interested in the pain required to become consistent out beyond 800 yards. I'm getting a .338LM for that next...