Anyone have an opinion about the Magpul bipod vs Atlas Cal? I’m needing to make an upgrade from my Harrises. The Magpul is half the price of the Atlas Cal. I know the Atlas Cal is the right choice, but I just wondered how well the Magpul works.
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Bipod comparison
- Thread starter Newbie2020
- Start date
Not even close comparison.
I definitely like the magpul over the Harris though and as a whole he magpul isn’t bad.
I definitely like the magpul over the Harris though and as a whole he magpul isn’t bad.
My buddy bought the magpul for his 22 cz457. I let him shoot my Bergara with the atlas. I never shot his gun but his claim was the magpul was nice for the money but he felt like he couldn’t load it as well as the atlas. His new plan is the magpul for his AR and trying out that MDT bipod when it comes back in stock.
Definitely apples to oranges.
The mapul is a decent little bi-pod for the money. My wife runs one on her .22 comp rifle and it does everything she needs. It's a no frill bi-pod that has some nice features (i.e. cant and lockable pan/no pan). I run a MDT ckye-pod (similar to atlas) on my comp rifles and it does everything i ask (which is a lot more and too much to list here). If you have the money go atlas (or Ckye-pod), you will not have to upgrade later.
The mapul is a decent little bi-pod for the money. My wife runs one on her .22 comp rifle and it does everything she needs. It's a no frill bi-pod that has some nice features (i.e. cant and lockable pan/no pan). I run a MDT ckye-pod (similar to atlas) on my comp rifles and it does everything i ask (which is a lot more and too much to list here). If you have the money go atlas (or Ckye-pod), you will not have to upgrade later.
Thanks to everyone for your feedback. I’ve never put hands on either but I’ll save my sheckels for the Cal.
I recently ordered a Magpul 933 bipod and it's..... the worst. It wobbles badly fore/aft and a little side/side. There does not appear to be any way to 'tighten' up the fore/aft wobble. Atlas is beyond my price point so I will stick with Harris for now.
I own Harris, Atlas, and Elite Iron bipods........Atlas over Harris, Elite Iron above all.......never owned or tried a Magpul.......no reason to.....
Agreed Elite Iron > Atlas Cal > Harris/Magpul
The Magpul has 3 things going for it, it's "cheap", it's compact, and it's light. Unfortunately all of those things come at the cost of stability, so it really depends on what you want and your use case. Larger/heavier/wider bipods are going to be more stable, and usually more expensive. It's nothing to drop $400 on a bipod these days, $500 seems to be the new standard. Heck just an pic rail adapter from Elite costs almost as much as a whole Atlas bipod.
It really depends on your use case because these days there are several very expensive, very good options, (Elite, Atlas, Ckye-pod, Waryne, Accutac, LRA, Thunder Beast, etc.) all of which might be best for a certain use case. The CAL is a great all around bipod that will be hard to go wrong with without breaking the bank, the Ckye-pod also seems to be regarded as very versatile. Atlas also frequently has blem products on their webpage so you can get a pretty good deal on one that way as well.
One thing I'm surprised about, and perhaps it's simply the reduced potential customer base due to fitment limitations, is that we don't see more bipods that either mount above the barrel using a top rail, onto the forearm of an AR/chassis using mlok, or some custom mount like the Elite that accomplishes the same. We know a design that gets the apex of the legs above the barrel is more stable.
The Magpul has 3 things going for it, it's "cheap", it's compact, and it's light. Unfortunately all of those things come at the cost of stability, so it really depends on what you want and your use case. Larger/heavier/wider bipods are going to be more stable, and usually more expensive. It's nothing to drop $400 on a bipod these days, $500 seems to be the new standard. Heck just an pic rail adapter from Elite costs almost as much as a whole Atlas bipod.
It really depends on your use case because these days there are several very expensive, very good options, (Elite, Atlas, Ckye-pod, Waryne, Accutac, LRA, Thunder Beast, etc.) all of which might be best for a certain use case. The CAL is a great all around bipod that will be hard to go wrong with without breaking the bank, the Ckye-pod also seems to be regarded as very versatile. Atlas also frequently has blem products on their webpage so you can get a pretty good deal on one that way as well.
One thing I'm surprised about, and perhaps it's simply the reduced potential customer base due to fitment limitations, is that we don't see more bipods that either mount above the barrel using a top rail, onto the forearm of an AR/chassis using mlok, or some custom mount like the Elite that accomplishes the same. We know a design that gets the apex of the legs above the barrel is more stable.
If the magpul is all your budget allows it's ok, but no atlas comparison. Like a Honda to a Mercedes.
- Nov 3, 2010
- 9,722
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I've been using the hell out of my TBAC and I think it does give the CAL a solid run for the money. Not sure if I'll get another ckye pod but I think the elite iron is on the list.Yep.
It’s like using craftsman tools your whole life thinking they were fine then one day you picked up a snap on ratchet and see the heavens (and your wallet) open up.
Beyond popular thought process here, I’ve never had issues making groups off of a Harris, when it’s not resting on the leg springs.... but my Harris is also upgraded with a RRS Arca rail adapter and spiked feet. By the time you buy all of that stuff your basically in the Atlas CAL money. So I would go Atlas. I have no experience with the magpul. But I don’t plan on trusting a plastic bipod on my precision rifle.
FWIW I have a Ckye pod, Atlas PSR and decked out Harris. My go to is the Ckye pod.
FWIW I have a Ckye pod, Atlas PSR and decked out Harris. My go to is the Ckye pod.
I have the atlas psr, so the feet don't spin when preloading, on my Ruger rpr. I have liked it really well so far. I put the hawk hill feet on it and they work nice. if you get the v8 model and spike feet, you wont have to worry about feet spinning much and its cheaper. i preload my gun and it feels really stable. The harris not so much, but that was the top of the line for years. i have heard of the Magpuls breaking under preload, If you have a nice rifle, put a nice bipod on it. I wouldnt personally buy douglas tires at walmart for a ferrari. Im not a bipod snob but you get what you pay for most of the time. The CAL looks really beefy so if you got the coin go for it. You will be more than happy with atlas imho.
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I had an "adjustment issue"( caused by my hands) on my Atlas a while back. Just casually mentioned it on the forum. Kasey from BT contacts me and says he'd like to see it. I shipped it to him and got back a bipod that functions like it's custom made for me and my arthritis infested hands. Maybe I'm wrong but for the cost, service after the sale like that is gonna be tough to find!
Theyre supposed to have a warrenty and customer service like vortex. A single bipod for a lifetime. Im good with any company that backs up its products like that.
I'm a fan of accutac as well, I've got a wb4 that is similar to the cal in its stance.
They're a little heavier built than the atlas stuff so may not be the best for your application depending on your use.
They're a little heavier built than the atlas stuff so may not be the best for your application depending on your use.
Accutac supports knock-off Chinese products, so long as it isn’t their products. Fuck Accutac.
That ain’t a J Allen.
Ive owned a couple magpul bipods. Ive owned alot of other much better bipods.
The magpul is great. perfect.
on the right rifle. its kind of like those gay grip pods. you wouldnt put a grip pod on a precision rifle. magpuls like that. great on a fighting rifle. not very stable, but more stable than not having a bipod. and its super light so it doesnt make your rifle as front heavy as some other bipods do.
Cal is a real bipod. Perfect for precise precision shots. perfect for a heavier rifle.
I once thought a magpul bipod would be good for a lwrc csass (repr), I was wrong. it wasnt even close to stable enough. wrong tool for the job.
put one on my radian ar15 to assist in seeing how well it grouped. Perfect tool for the job.
My top 2 are the TBAC and Cadex Falcon. with the knights as a close third for total cool factor.
The magpul is great. perfect.
on the right rifle. its kind of like those gay grip pods. you wouldnt put a grip pod on a precision rifle. magpuls like that. great on a fighting rifle. not very stable, but more stable than not having a bipod. and its super light so it doesnt make your rifle as front heavy as some other bipods do.
Cal is a real bipod. Perfect for precise precision shots. perfect for a heavier rifle.
I once thought a magpul bipod would be good for a lwrc csass (repr), I was wrong. it wasnt even close to stable enough. wrong tool for the job.
put one on my radian ar15 to assist in seeing how well it grouped. Perfect tool for the job.
My top 2 are the TBAC and Cadex Falcon. with the knights as a close third for total cool factor.
CAL all the way, I happen to like Accutac also.. but mainly for this one.
put it on the PX. If priced right It will sell in minutes. Believe me; I’ve been watching.
Had a magpul bipod. Past tense because after I tried a Atlas PSR on my buddies JP, I got rid of that thing and bought the Atlas PSR. I now have a Atlas CAL and love the shit out of it. Damn fine piece of kit if you need no frills and guaranteed to work no matter what. (Running it on a 280rem Model 70).
I also have 2 MDT Ckye pods that I very much enjoy but you didn’t ask so I won’t tell
I also have 2 MDT Ckye pods that I very much enjoy but you didn’t ask so I won’t tell
put it on the PX. If priced right It will sell in minutes. Believe me; I’ve been watching.
I picked this GGG bipod up at my LGS for very short $$ .... $50.
I don’t think they knew what it was.
is QD, USA made and very nice. I have Atlas, Harris (on somevi rage rifles) and this GGG.
I’d put it somewhere in the middle of the pack. Looking at their Web Site, good value and good company.
But I still will buy Atlas... If I am buying new. They have been good to me and SH for a long time.
Cheers, Sirhr
I don’t think they knew what it was.
is QD, USA made and very nice. I have Atlas, Harris (on somevi rage rifles) and this GGG.
I’d put it somewhere in the middle of the pack. Looking at their Web Site, good value and good company.
But I still will buy Atlas... If I am buying new. They have been good to me and SH for a long time.
Cheers, Sirhr
Yeah, accutac posted a picture of a rifle that sports a rip off stock, from the factory like that, I didn't see them promoting it, merely shooting an m1a.
I get ripping off USA products and don't condone it as well, but not sure I'm ready to boycott accutac over that; are we boycotting amazon too because they sell chinese versions of American products? Asking for a friend.
I get ripping off USA products and don't condone it as well, but not sure I'm ready to boycott accutac over that; are we boycotting amazon too because they sell chinese versions of American products? Asking for a friend.
I 100% boycott Amazon, yes.
Fuck Amazon.
I like everything about the CAL better. The footprint is wider, It also has non-rotating legs, there is no panning “feature“ with the knob that inevitably loosens up, and the pod-lock allows you to lock the bipod well.
Pretty much this! You can tune the tension range in the pod lock but it sometimes does work its way loose. However I did sell off all my PSRs after getting hands on a CAL.
I prefer Harris for field/hunting rifles because they're quick and get the job done. I prefer Atlas for my match rifles.
I had a Magpul and gave it to a newer shooter. I didn't like it at all. It felt chintzy.
I had a Magpul and gave it to a newer shooter. I didn't like it at all. It felt chintzy.
I just bought the magpul bipod, wish I could return it, but I opened it, and threw the packaging away. Now I guess I have to try to sell it. My complaint is it's just way too heavy... But I'm not sure if there's a way around that.
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