Been meaning to do this for a while now... with the proliferation of 'wide' bipods for competitive F/TR shooting, we've been seeing a lot of cool gear hitting the market. Pretty much anything you can think of, someone is either making it or working on how to make it. One that seems to stay under the radar thus far is the 'Flex' bipod by Dan Pohlabel.
It's a very simple design... no mariners wheel for vertical adjustment, no joystick head, no changing width as it goes up and down... it is very light (as are most, these days) but also very durable. I haven't actively tried to destructively test it (generally, I don't have to; it just 'happens' - one of my talents
)but so far it's held up to being tossed in the back of the truck, hauled around to the range and everywhere else in between, etc. Definitely has not been 'babied' in any way, and its not noticeably any worse for wear. An added bonus is that it breaks down *very* flat for airline travel. Take the 'feet' off, take out the ratchet lever w/ screw, and it nestles very nicely in the bottom layer of foam in my gun case (with necessary cuts for the head, etc.) I'm definitely not worried about it mechanically in there - if they bash the case hard enough to damage what is essentially a plate of spring steel... I've likely got bigger worries.
This view shows a bit of the adjustment controls. Each leg has independent control for height, and there is a ratcheting locking lever that controls the cant. Instead of being directly centered like most other designs I've seen, this one is off-set a little, allowing a fair amount of movement without allowing it to completely 'flop' over to one side. Being as I've had guns literally flip over as they tipped over too far using other designs... I can appreciate this quite a bit. Also having the tilt control relatively close/tight to the bore of the gun helps with the stability as well.
Dan's original use was up in his locale of Ohio, where apparently grassy firing lines are the norm. Here in the PNW... I seem to encounter concrete or gravel more often myself, which is why I usually shoot off some sort of matt under the 'pod to keep it from sinking in too far. Dan's newest models have feet with some teeth to 'em to give better traction on hard surfaces such as the hard-pack clay/dirt under the skim of gravel @ Raton NM...
Why would you want more traction? Well... not every body wants a 'pod that slides around like a hog on ice. Some people manage to get things tracking straight back and forth, almost like it was constrained by a front rest. Personally, I have a hard time doing that in a repeatable fashion. While the Flex Bipod will shoot quite well with such a hold, what it was intended for was those of us who like to 'lean' into the gun a bit. Quite literally, the idea is that you get the feet to dig in slightly, and push against the rifle butt with your shoulder and the bipod will 'flex' or bow forward slightly. It is one of those things that sounds wonky until you try it... and it may take a few times to get a feel for it... but once you do, it is surprisingly repeatable.
The system does have a few quirks to it... personally I'd rather the rail attachment used another ratchet lever like the pivot control rather than requiring a separate tool to take it on/off the gun. Also... these bipods seem to work better mounted somewhat further back than other designs, and some experimenting may be necessary to find what works best for you. Then again, we all need more trigger time...
Please see the linked PDF below for a computer drawing of the bipod, along with brief instructions and Dan's email address if you're interested.
Flex Bipod PDF
It's a very simple design... no mariners wheel for vertical adjustment, no joystick head, no changing width as it goes up and down... it is very light (as are most, these days) but also very durable. I haven't actively tried to destructively test it (generally, I don't have to; it just 'happens' - one of my talents
This view shows a bit of the adjustment controls. Each leg has independent control for height, and there is a ratcheting locking lever that controls the cant. Instead of being directly centered like most other designs I've seen, this one is off-set a little, allowing a fair amount of movement without allowing it to completely 'flop' over to one side. Being as I've had guns literally flip over as they tipped over too far using other designs... I can appreciate this quite a bit. Also having the tilt control relatively close/tight to the bore of the gun helps with the stability as well.
Dan's original use was up in his locale of Ohio, where apparently grassy firing lines are the norm. Here in the PNW... I seem to encounter concrete or gravel more often myself, which is why I usually shoot off some sort of matt under the 'pod to keep it from sinking in too far. Dan's newest models have feet with some teeth to 'em to give better traction on hard surfaces such as the hard-pack clay/dirt under the skim of gravel @ Raton NM...
Why would you want more traction? Well... not every body wants a 'pod that slides around like a hog on ice. Some people manage to get things tracking straight back and forth, almost like it was constrained by a front rest. Personally, I have a hard time doing that in a repeatable fashion. While the Flex Bipod will shoot quite well with such a hold, what it was intended for was those of us who like to 'lean' into the gun a bit. Quite literally, the idea is that you get the feet to dig in slightly, and push against the rifle butt with your shoulder and the bipod will 'flex' or bow forward slightly. It is one of those things that sounds wonky until you try it... and it may take a few times to get a feel for it... but once you do, it is surprisingly repeatable.
The system does have a few quirks to it... personally I'd rather the rail attachment used another ratchet lever like the pivot control rather than requiring a separate tool to take it on/off the gun. Also... these bipods seem to work better mounted somewhat further back than other designs, and some experimenting may be necessary to find what works best for you. Then again, we all need more trigger time...
Please see the linked PDF below for a computer drawing of the bipod, along with brief instructions and Dan's email address if you're interested.
Flex Bipod PDF
