Bipod selection for beginner

[GLG20]

I've been going in circles trying to decide on a bipod.

I think I've whittled my priorities down to just two things, and I'm asking for some input from you folks. The first is I want to stay under 20 oz. as it will see some field use and needs to be at least somewhat lightweight.

The other priority is ease of use/forgiveness for accurate shooting (not speaking about leg deployment, buttons or not buttons, etc.) By this, I mean are there certain bipods that are less finicky with form, preload, etc? In other words, if you were to recommend a bipod for a beginner that would be more forgiving of inconsistencies on the shooter's part, what would you recommend?

Or, if they are all the same, please tell me that as well. I've been reading a lot about some bipods requiring more practice and consistency than others. Wondering if this is true, how big of a deal is this, and is this even something I should be thinking about. I have a lot of other things to work and concentrate on, so just trying to remove variables to build a foundation and shorten my learning curve, if that's possible.

I'd like to add that I'm not asking a financial question. I'm willing to pay for a good bipod that I can grow with and keep. In fact I'd prefer that to buying something that I will just want to sell or upgrade later.

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Mormegil87]

What type of shooting are you primarily doing? Hunting, plinking, PRS, NRL Hunter ect?

 

[GLG20]

What type of shooting are you primarily doing? Hunting, plinking, PRS, NRL Hunter ect?

Mostly medium and long range plinking and target shooting to build my skills, and it would likely be used for a limited amount of hunting as well. The hunting/field portion of it's use has me thinking maybe I should get something with all sorts of adjustability and features like splayed legs, pan, etc. (ckypod, Tier-one, etc)

But as I noted in my post, I think my priority should be a firm, stable platform over features. I'm not suggesting a ckypod wouldn't meet that requirement. If it does, that would be great, please suggest it. But if those features come at the cost of needing to pay more attention to my bipod than would other options, then I think I might want something a bit more basic, at least for now.

 

[OREGUN]

Poor fundamentals are a bigger variable than any bipod. Or, if you are a fundamentally strong shooter, you will be fine with any bipod. What cartridge? What sport/activity? The shooter is by far the most important piece of the equation. Big cartridge, light gun, good technique (how you hold the gun, shoulder pressure, cheek pressure, trigger control, consistency). Heavy gun, small cartridge, you can have less good technique. In neither case does the bipod really matter. It might take 20 rounds to figure it out but you can make bugholes with Harris, or Ckye, or elite Iron, or a crazy sled-footed F-class bipod.

Something like a double pull ckye pod can make a versatile choice for field use but it’s heavier. Thunderbeast makes a good option. My rifles all wear single pull ckye pods. 90% of hiders are going to say you need an Atlas Cal because we are 90% of that generation. Let your weight limit, your desired leg position and your wallet guide you. You can shoot anything.

 

[Mormegil87]

I primarily run harris bipods. As stated above, fundamentals trump equipment. I'm not a Ckye Pod fan at all. If I weren't using Harris bipods I'd be using an AccuTac Br4

 

[GLG20]

As noted, I see lots of people using the Atlas CAL and was wondering if that's due to a certain advantage it offers or if it's just a preference.

 

[OREGUN]

Trying to stay under 20 oz, I’d look seriously at the Thunderbeast.

On a side note, I really prefer spike feet instead of rubber but couldn’t care less about panning.

It’s been several years of ckye only for me (the opposite of mormegil on this, it’s the only bipod I care to use) but I just this week got out a 308 with a harris on it. It works just fine. And it’s a lot cheaper.

 

[OREGUN]

As noted, I see lots of people using the Atlas CAL and was wondering if that's due to a certain advantage it offers or if it's just a preference.

They are light, a solid value, and have a lot of history of being the best option (before artisanal bipods became a thing) so they have a strong following.

 

[theLBC]

i used a harris for years, but the angled positions of an atlas bipod have come in handy, and the feet don't spin like my harris.
i prefer my accu-tac bipod from the bench but for field i have an atlas cal.

BT65-LW17 Gen. 2 CAL Atlas Bipod - B&T Industries

The CAL (Cant And Loc) Atlas Bipods were developed for shooters that do not desire the Panning feature. The BT65-LW17 mounts directly to any 1913 style Picatinny rail via the included ADM-170-S Lever. It is comprised of 6061-T6 aluminum that is Mil-Spec Type III hard coat anodized and have heat...

shop.accu-shot.com

 

[GLG20]

Forgot to answer the question about the rifle. Just completed my first rifle build. It's a 6.5 CM, Marksman profile barrel. Weighs about 15 pounds. For hunting use the bipod would be on a lighter configuration, and I also have a .308 it might see some time attached to.

 

[theLBC]

i'd recommend a tripod unless you have to be lying down for some reason.
i realize that ain't saving weight, lol.
/old but slow

 

[GLG20]

Trying to stay under 20 oz, I’d look seriously at the Thunderbeast.

The TBA is definitely on my list, along with the lightweight ckye, Atlas CAL and PSR, Tier-One ATAC and Tactical, LRA Ultralight series, and others. The new Gunwerks bipod caught my attention as well, but it's been out of stock, so not an option unless I want to wait around for it. By then I may miss some possible good holiday deals on others.

 

[CK1.0]

Get a Harris BRMS and an adapter that’ll let you use it with both ARCA and picatinny (likely the adapter will cost more than the bipod).

Simple, stable, and fast (may or may not work better if you’re from Oklahoma).

One day you may need something more fancy, but the Harris will still work best for some things, so it’ll still be worth holding on to.

 

[Baron23]

I have owned a Harris. It was ok, but not more than that IMO.

I now have Atlas CAL and Elite Iron. While the Elite Iron does offer a pivot point above the rifle and hence should increase stability (think high wing Cessna vs low wing Piper), I find there is a lot of flext to tak out if the legs are extended to any significant extent.

I think this goes to the OP’s OG question about ease of use for a beginner.

Frankly, I like my CAL better and it’s easier to deploy IMO.

 

[GLG20]

Simple, stable, and fast (may or may not work better if you’re from Oklahoma).

I'm in the northeast, and the only thing flat on my property, or anywhere near me for that matter, is lakes, ponds, and my shooting bench.

 

[CK1.0]

I'm in the northeast, and the only thing flat on my property, or anywhere near me for that matter, is lakes, ponds, and my shooting bench.

That's more a joke on the Okies who rule over PRS, I'm convinced they all shoot the same rifle and just pass it off between stages. There's a whole click of them running Foundations with Harris's hanging off 'em lol.

 

[OREGUN]

That's more a joke on the Okies who rule over PRS, I'm convinced they all shoot the same rifle and just pass it off between stages. There's a whole click of them running Foundations with Harris's hanging off 'em lol.

Foundation/impact/tangent/Harris. It’s the okie starter kit. Also, a strong argument against chassis systems and expensive gimmicky bipods.

 

[Mormegil87]

I've owned Atlas, Ckye Pods and Accutacs and I just keep going back to a Harris. They just work, there's minimal flex in them and if they're good enough for guys winning Golden Bullets, they are good enough for me.

 

[GLG20]

I've owned Atlas, Ckye Pods and Accutacs and I just keep going back to a Harris. They just work, there's minimal flex in them and if they're good enough for guys winning Golden Bullets, they are good enough for me.

How does the Ckye pod stack up to others in terms of flex?

 

[Cat pitch]

I've got an Atlas, but it isn't light. Thought about the javelin, but just don't want two. The Hatch one looks great! I was looking at Accu-Tac today. Seems like 10 yrs ago there was only one option, Harris. Now there has to be a dozen. I wonder if RRS will ever get in the bipod game.

 

[Mormegil87]

How does the Ckye pod stack up to others in terms of flex?

I didn't like the amount of play personally. In terms of flex and play of the ones ive owned:

Accutac > Harris > Atlas > CkyePod

The Harris just deploys faster than the AccuTac

 

[hafejd30]

I’ve had several

7 Harris
2 Atlas Cal
1 TBAC
1 Accutac HD50
1 GGG

The Accutac HD50 was awesome but way overbuilt. Not even in the vicinity of what you want. But Accutac as a whole is decent. But that’s the only one I owned

The main bipods I use now are the two Atlas Cals. Have one set up for picatinny on my AI for crop damage shooting and the other I just put an RRS adapter for Arca and picatinny for everything else. Both have hawk hill talons for feet

I used TBAC and atlas for a while and eventually sold the TBAC

The TBAC is faster to deploy. But I didn’t need fast deployment. Which something like the Harris excels at.

Biggest reason I went with the atlas over the TBAC was the Atlas legs don’t rotate. TBAC they do. Atlas leg extension is on the outside of the leg. So you can literally set up in 3” of mud or loose dirt and when you collapse the leg your not worried about sucking up dirt inside the leg extension. I also like the grip and rip style of the atlas leg extension

The TBAC is like a up to date harris in its features as far as how the legs deploy and extend

 

[OREGUN]

How does the Ckye pod stack up to others in terms of flex?

The fact that it seems, on first inspection, like a rattly collection of parts, turns off a lot of people who want RIGIDITY. Put simply, it deploys more quickly, into more variable positions than any thing else out there. There isn’t any FLEX. It rattles because there aren’t any springs holding odd tensions on it…which means under recoil, it moves the same way every time in accordance with your preload. It may not be the best for bench shooting or f-class but otherwise, Ckye is the best option in the market. Period.

If you want me real opinion.

I too have owned all the others.

 

[GLG20]

Biggest reason I went with the atlas over the TBAC was the Atlas legs don’t rotate. TBAC they do.

This is the biggest reason I hesitate on the TBAC. Don't understand why you would design a bipod now with rotating legs. Do the entire legs rotate, or just the feet? If it's just the feet, do you think it could be modified to stop the rotation? Like drilled and pinned?

 

[GLG20]

The fact that it seems, on first inspection, like a rattly collection of parts, turns off a lot of people who want RIGIDITY. Put simply, it deploys more quickly, into more variable positions than any thing else out there. There isn’t any FLEX. It rattles because there aren’t any springs holding odd tensions on it…which means under recoil, it moves the same way every time in accordance with your preload.

Rattles, as in you wouldn't want to use it on a hunting rifle? Too noisy?

 

[OREGUN]

Rattles, as in you wouldn't want to use it on a hunting rifle? Too noisy?

No. It doesn’t really rattle. It’s just more loosely coupled at all of its joints.

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

Depends what you're looking for:

Speed - TBAC
General range shooting - Atlas Cal
Hunting or field type matches - some version of ckyepod

And a good tripod for most any type of shooting. Number of leg sections dependent upon your use and need to be able to travel with it stowed.


Also, if your bipod feel rotate and its "rolling" forward on you, you're loading too heavy into the bipod. Good fundamentals allow you to use rotating feet the exact same as non rotating.

 

[OREGUN]

What that guy says

 

[Rio Precision Gunworks]

I personally run a Tbac for most things. Used to run a cal until Tbac was released and still have a couple as backup or range use.

I'm not a huge fan of ckye pods for general use. Just too much play and things like panning I don't need on a regular basis. But for hunting or field use, a triple leg is extremely handy.

I have the two section RRS comp tripod along with a 4 section. The comp tripod is used to 80% or more. The 4 leg is for packing around or when flying to a destination.


As with most things, you'll likely end up with different tools for different jobs. Start with the scenario you'll use the most and then expand from there.



Harris' work. But they are just an old design. If you're on a budget, go for it. If not, I wouldn't bother with one.

 

[GLG20]

Depends what you're looking for:

Speed - TBAC
General range shooting - Atlas Cal
Hunting or field type matches - some version of ckyepod

And a good tripod for most any type of shooting. Number of leg sections dependent upon your use and need to be able to travel with it stowed.


Also, if your bipod feel rotate and its "rolling" forward on you, you're loading too heavy into the bipod. Good fundamentals allow you to use rotating feet the exact same as non rotating.

Thanks for the response and the tip on the rotating feet.