Brand new to distance shooting - Bipod ?

[Jaeger62]

So I just got my first 308 and putting it all together. My primary use will be bench rest shooting and some prone work at distance.

I'm really down to the Atlas BT10 or the Atlas CAL. Is the CAL really that much better, since you can just crank up the tension on the BT10 so it doesn't pan?

Are both of these significantly better than a Harris? With a law enforcement discount, the price isn't really much of a difference.

 

[_Windrider_]

The Harris is trash. The difference is huge. I recommend the CAL but some prefer the panning feature of the BT-10.

 

[JC0352]

I can personally attest the CAL is better than a Harris.

 

[Steel head]

CAL is awesome.

 

[Jaeger62]

So, I'm almost sold on a CAL.

But if I bought a PSR, could I just crank down on the tension to prevent it from really panning when didn't want it to? Or will it always pan somewhat, regardless?

 

[J-Ham]

Don't have a PSR, have a V8 & a CAL though... Yeah the CAL is worth the extra coin.

 

[2aBaC̶a̶]

Tried a friends Atlas, didnt see what it does better than my Magpul for the price. Just sayin.

 

[Steel head]

So, I'm almost sold on a CAL.

But if I bought a PSR, could I just crank down on the tension to prevent it from really panning when didn't want it to? Or will it always pan somewhat, regardless?

You want to be Peter Pan?

Or Hulk hogan?

 

[M8541Reaper]

CAL is where it’s at. There’s a thread from a few months ago that’s like 200 posts long with reasons behind going with the CAL (or PSR). Go dig through that one and you’ll see why it’s worth it.

Also, buy direct from either B&T (makers) or EuroOptic and you’ll have no regrets.

 

[_Windrider_]

So, I'm almost sold on a CAL.

But if I bought a PSR, could I just crank down on the tension to prevent it from really panning when didn't want it to? Or will it always pan somewhat, regardless?

You will never get the PSR tight enough.......unless you get the voodoo wrench to get a good purchase and torque on it. Might as well just get the CAL and save yourself the regret and heartache.

 

[Steel head]

You will never get the PSR tight enough.......unless you get the voodoo wrench to get a good purchase and torque on it. Might as well just get the CAL and save yourself the regret and heartache.

This!

 

[RTH1800]

For field shooting the Harris is far better than any Atlas I have tried. For games Atlas is likely better. Certainly better made. Works better??

 

[theLBC]

Bipods | Accu-Tac | Precision Bipods and Firearm Accessories

Accu-Tac's high precision bipods are a standard in the firearms industry. Keep your rifle mounted securely while your discharge even the toughest targets.

www.accu-tac.com

 

[beenjammin]

Harris is certainly not trash. There are many trashy clones of it out there, but the name brand harris is still what many consider the gold standard out there. Certainly one you should consider beginning this path.

Get the 6-9'[ with notched legs that swivels. Add a KMW podlock ( can get the clone of it) to lock the cant. If you find you want to really commit and sped some extra money in the future, you can consider an ATLAS, but there are many others out there now. thunderbeast is release their new one at shot. Tons of good options, but harris always holds great resale value if you wanted to sell later ( so does Atlas).

 

[Steel head]

Tried a friends Atlas, didnt see what it does better than my Magpul for the price. Just sayin.

I actually like the the magpul for smaller calibers.
Not so hot on bigger calibers or heavy rifles.

 

[Lowlight]

Harris is pure crap...

its the lowest common denominator and should only be used as a placeholder until you can afford a better bipod

I find it comical guys will stress about handloading and work on brass all day, and then think an out of Square bipod is gonna work to help them and is not, in fact, hurting them.

We have guys now Checking Square on their Harris and finding a 1/4" to a 1/3" of an inch variation between the legs and the centerline of the rifle. It's physics too, the tighter the pyramid is, the worse it will be for stability. In other words, balancing the barrel at the top of the pyramid is not gonna be as stable as hanging it inside. With smaller bipods like the Atlas, the pyramid is similar, but the body of the bipod is consistent as it is machined. With the CAL and other bipods like the TBAC they opened up that peak to widen the base of the bipod giving you better support.

This is why the TBAC was created, the Army tested this, after listening to many were saying, Bipods matter just as much any other part of the system and they wanted to keep the size smaller but open up the legs to be wider.

Recoil matters, which is why recoil management matters, recoil tells the bullet where the barrel is upon release. How you manage that recoil and how the bipod forces the rifle to reach will affect your zero. This is why two shooters will have a different zero, Recoil Management

if recoil management is important enough to talk about when showing someone how to shoot, and the fact the Army now includes Recoil Management in their fundamental discussion, it would seem important that device controlling this be of a higher quality


While the Panning feature of a bipod can have a bearing on the movement, how you tighten and use that panning feature matters. Yes, the Atlas Tool works excellent in locking the bipod down, but more importantly, the Atlas is machined and not stamped metal. The Atlas is consistent the Harris is not.

The Atlas CAL is a great bipod that removes the weak link in the Atlas system the panning feature, but the Victor Company ATW is an easy fix that works. I carry them now all the time for classes.

The bipod has a bearing on the amount of precision you can squeeze out of a system. This is a system after all and everything within that system has an effect. I would put more effort into my bipod than brass any day of the week.

 

[Fig]

I have a dozen of them, but they are almost virtually identical to the 1979 model. It's a simple and tough design, that has not evolved for 40 years...

Really, in the firearms industry if you're not evolving you are sort of dying.

 

[Fig]

Speaking of the top of the pyramid; I actually like my Elite Iron bipod better than all of them...

TBAC is my next purchase.

 

[Steel head]

Speaking of the top of the pyramid; I actually like my Elite Iron bipod better than all of them...

TBAC is my next purchase.

I’m going shooting with my new elite iron tomorrow.
So excited!

 

[Lowlight]

The Harris is made on the exact same machines as they did from the beginning the actual inventor and creator is dead, his family runs it and has turned down every offer to upgrade. That is clue number one

We switch bipod on guys in class all the time to prove this point,

take the lowest common denominator in the class, someone who is demonstrating solid fundamentals and switch the bipod. Every single time without fail, guys will see an instant improvement, often as much as a 50% improvement. Groups that hover around 1.5" will easily become 3/4" with a simple bipod swap.

While many accomplished shooters will claim the Harris is fine, that reality is, they simply adapted to it over time and often have so much rifle over it, it's pretty hard not to have great groups. When you invest a ton in a system and throw a cheap bipod on it, it's the same as training hard for a marathon and wearing Danners to run a race. Sure you can put crappy sneakers on a great runner and he will beat a bad runner, but why work so hard?

We see 100s of students every year and 75% show up with Harris, but once they see what we show them, the class dynamics changes:

There is a reason you see entire lines of high end bipods in our classes, because it makes a difference

Every class here in AK has 16 Students, every class, and without fail, we only see about 2 Harris per, and the next time that student comes back, he has dumped the Harris

We switch stuff all the time, you cannot debate the results,

Look at this bipod, nothing about it says precision, it's completely out of square

 

[spife7980]

Well I finally bought an atlas CAL, the neat no dye model to match my silver acc... Ill see first hand how much better my groups do with it.

 

[seansmd]

Yet the winner of the AGC and his cohort said on their podcast they shoot the harris, speed trumps acccuracy?

 

[Lowlight]

the majority of their shots are not prone and they can get away with a lot

Also, refer to my comment about over-gunning on top of a Harris

Those guys have brand new rigs that weigh more than 20LBS and shoot 6mms, they are not shooting factory sticks, they do a lot of things fundamentally poor, but their equipment more than makes up for it,

They are playing a game and speed is part of their game, you can buy a hit in a lot these games

 

[opus56]

If you end up w/ a PSR get the Victor Company wrench.

BUILT FOR COMPETITION

victorcompanyusa.com

 

[seansmd]

the majority of their shots are not prone and they can get away with a lot

Also, refer to my comment about over-gunning on top of a Harris

Those guys have brand new rigs that weigh more than 20LBS and shoot 6mms, they are not shooting factory sticks, they do a lot of things fundamentally poor, but their equipment more than makes up for it,

They are playing a game and speed is part of their game, you can buy a hit in a lot these games

Haha, just listened to the podcast heard you make the same point.

 

[b2lee]

I'm glad the Harris holds up its resale value. I just sold 5 and now share a Atlas CAL with ARCA mount across multiple rifles. I'll buy more when I'm not poor broke.

 

[Steel head]

I'm glad the Harris holds up its resale value. I just sold 5 and now share a Atlas CAL with ARCA mount across multiple rifles. I'll buy more when I'm not poor broke.

that’s my plan for my 260 and ar’s
Cal for them.

Elite iron for my 7mm

 

[Dthomas3523]

Harris is certainly not trash. There are many trashy clones of it out there, but the name brand harris is still what many consider the gold standard out there. Certainly one you should consider beginning this path.

Get the 6-9'[ with notched legs that swivels. Add a KMW podlock ( can get the clone of it) to lock the cant. If you find you want to really commit and sped some extra money in the future, you can consider an ATLAS, but there are many others out there now. thunderbeast is release their new one at shot. Tons of good options, but harris always holds great resale value if you wanted to sell later ( so does Atlas).

......gold standard. Wow

 

[richthe1]

I have a Harris now and am looking to upgrade. Trying to decide between Atlas PSR and CAL (or TBAC, Cyke Pod - lots of good choices out there).

If I remember correctly, the Atlas guy on here (sorry, forget his name) said he sells more PSR models to military units than other models. Is that because military units need the panning feature? I keep seeing people say don’t get the PSR and go for the CAL. However, sounds like the Victor tension wrench fixes the PSR?

 

[Dthomas3523]

I have a Harris now and am looking to upgrade. Trying to decide between Atlas PSR and CAL (or TBAC, Cyke Pod - lots of good choices out there).

If I remember correctly, the Atlas guy on here (sorry, forget his name) said he sells more PSR models to military units than other models. Is that because military units need the panning feature? I keep seeing people say don’t get the PSR and go for the CAL. However, sounds like the Victor tension wrench fixes the PSR?

Military and such take quite a while to migrate out of something they have been using a long time.

 

[richthe1]

Military and such take quite a while to migrate out of something they have been using a long time.

Ah okay, so CAL is best choice now. Thanks!

 

[Steel head]

......gold standard. Wow

gold plated Harris anyone?

 

[hafejd30]

Love my cal, still use my Harris, but love my cal

If your going to crank the PRS model down so it doesn’t move than just get the cal. You won’t regret it. Put a set of hawk hills on mine and absolutely love it. I also did a thread on which to buy a while ago if you want to search for it. Good info from many guys here

 

[Cerwinski]

Tried a friends Atlas, didnt see what it does better than my Magpul for the price. Just sayin.

Harris may be trash (I own a couple and think they have their place for certain situations) but I couldn't get rid of the Magpul I bought fast enough. POS for anything serious IMO.

 

[sodakhunter]

Not sure on the OPs budget but 5H works well for lots of things.

 

[hafejd30]

Harris may be trash (I own a couple and think they have their place for certain situations) but I couldn't get rid of the Magpul I bought fast enough. POS for anything serious IMO.

Most people buy a Bipod that looks cool, takes a few pics of it on there mossberg they claim shoots 1/2 MOA all day long. Then place in the cabinet. Only time they take it out is to show it off or fire a couple shots and make excuses.

People who actually use their stuff know the difference. Instructors and experienced people like frank above have used, seen and trained with many varieties of bipods. When they give there opinion it’s not just riding on a bipod that fired several rounds, didn’t fall apart and looks tacticool.

The atlas is excellent for LR precision. TBAC is on my shortlist. What makes these bipods good is they listen to real shooters and make the necessary changes for top level accuracy and overall function.

FYI I do own 5 Harris bipods as well. They work great but LR Precision is done better with the Atlas platform. For many reasons mentioned already above. For faster deployment the Harris edges it by a bit.

All that said the leg finally fell off my Harris this year after many years of use. They stand up to lots of abuse and work great for what they are. In my experience they do loosen up easily as well and for precision work that sucks

 

[Mxridr]

Please send your crappy Harris bi pods my way.

 

[Dthomas3523]

Please send your crappy Harris bi pods my way.

If I had any that haven’t broken, after quite a bit of use. I would.

 

[Dthomas3523]

The last Harris I broke was a simple drop test on the butt to check if the trigger was drop safe. One drop from about 16” and the top plate sheered off.

 

[Lawless]

I have a CAL2, had it just a short time but I am an Atlas fan now.
I have Magpul bipods and they are functional, have a harris too...

The Atlas is WORTH THE MONEY. Buy a CAL2 and don’t look back.

 

[RTH1800]

Harris works in hunting situations due to getting rifle above low vegetation etc. the precision bipods are not as variable for height.
I am mostly using a RRS tripod currently so really not that concerned with the bipod wars.
If I was forced to use a bipod in the field it would be a Harris.

 

[_Windrider_]

Harris works in hunting situations due to getting rifle above low vegetation etc. the precision bipods are not as variable for height.
I am mostly using a RRS tripod currently so really not that concerned with the bipod wars.
If I was forced to use a bipod in the field it would be a Harris.

The precision Bipods aren’t as adjustable for height?

 

[RTH1800]

Correct, none of them I have seen are as fast, simple or adjustable for height as the Harris that I use.

 

[Precision Underground]

I have a CAL and the standard models. CAL definitely feels more stable. But in some situations I like the panning feature because it allows you to be “square” without the feet being perfectly square. If you are trying to shoot tiny groups go CAL. If you are looking to switch between multiple targets quickly and easily without worrying about getting the feet square go with one of the standard models. I can shoot small groups off either though.

 

[_Windrider_]

Correct, none of them I have seen are as fast, simple or adjustable for height as the Harris that I use.

Ok boomer.

 

[_Windrider_]

@rth1800 all kidding aside I’m just messin with ya. You do you and if that works who the fuck am I to say otherwise.

 

[RTH1800]

My Atlas won’t go up to 20” without adding legs. My Harris will. I get coyote accuracy to 500 yards with the old pile of scrap metal.

 

[b2lee]

My Atlas won’t go up to 20” without adding legs. My Harris will. I get coyote accuracy to 500 yards with the old pile of scrap metal.

Coyote? You should be using a Swagger!

 

[Jaeger62]

Thanks for all the input on a subject that I know y'all get tired of hearing about.

I'm going to pick up a CAL2. Found a local dealer, hope they have one.

 

[DMP]

My body is old and PSR isn't for me. But I send a few hundred rounds a week down range at 1000 yds plus. After reading this thread I'm picking up a Atlas CAL. I have two rifles with Harris bipods. I'm thinking with the clamp I could get one Atlas and quickly switch between the two. Anybody else do that? Retirement income sucks.