What bipod for hunting?

quakshot

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Jul 30, 2009
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Just wanted to get some feedback on what brand of bipod yall use in hunting situations. I currently use a Haris that I have had for years but am looking to upgrade before Elk season. Any suggestions?
 
Personally, I use a 6-9" harris with swivel head and leg notches. Has taken care of 99% of the hunting I have done. When I need more height, I throw my pack under the bipod.
 
OK, so I'm going to ask...

What don't you like about the Harris?

nothing actually, just shopping around, and new to things, so I like getting info on as much as I can. Rereading my post, I think I had bad wording, was not trying to knock Harris, I like mine. I like my current Harris, but figured, when looking for a new bipod (mine is a non-swivel model) I thought I'd shop around
 
I have a Harris 2 axis as well, with no notches. Good unit. There are. however, a whole bunch of real good copycats in the marketplace. Shooters Ridge has a Harris look alike for about half what a Harris costs. Even looks component wise like a Harris but isn't stamped Harris....

I have one and it's hard to tell the difference unless you examine them close up.

I think the Harris 2 axis is a hundred bucks and the Shooters Ridge is about 30.
 
I just picked up a pivoting 9" to 13" Blackhawk at Walmart for $44. Cheapest pivoting one I've found. I have a Caldwell one that works good. One that's not a pivoter and I don't like it. One that pivots and traverse,s don't remember the brand, since getting it I realized I don't need the traverse, just a little to much fiddling when I get down to shoot.
 
I like the pivot because most times when I set the rifle on a surface, the surface isn't level eo to level the scope bubble. the pivot is easier than the leg adjustment....and quicker.

If you just shoot bench, the pivot is really not necessary because the bench scenario is most times level.
 
For a LRH capable bipod, I would feel completely comfortable with a swiveling, notched-leg Harris. Cant capability is a definite must. Cant angle must be limited to a reasonable amount, or else the rifle will have a tendency to flip over and hit the ground scope first -- I cringe every time that happens and with a Versa-Pod/Parker-Hale design it happens easily! Been there, done that.

I DON'T like pan on bipods. Once you reach the limit of the pan range, the bipod changes from a floating unit into a solid one. That, in my opinion, can have a harmful effect on recoil consistency from shot to shot. I'd rather have a stiff horizontal connection to the bipod so when I turn, the feet are actually dragged into a new position, constantly pointing to where the barrel is pointed.

I think Harris is a very good bipod and really I have no other complaints besides the slight tendency to hop. For LRH, I think it's beneficial to see your own impacts. Atlas is supposedly (I hear) a very good bipod also and it actually has some axial float, so it might be what I'm building is completely pointless -- but when you feel an unexplainable need to stand in a pile of chips, you come up with better mousetraps to build... At least that's my excuse... :)

NewTRGbipod1.jpg


I try to update the build log whenever there's real progress but I'm swamped with a million other projects to finish, not to mention I'm supposed to start a gunsmithing course soon. And that's on top of my day job in radiotherapy systems development...

There's some incoherent ranting about bipods in the blog which I'm not going to repeat here. Feel free to visit the blog.

RUISTOLA: Bipod prototype
 
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