I know I'm a little late to the party, but I had to chime in here. I've been shooting with bipods for over twenty years, but I've only owned the Harris brand. They've always served me well, but after reading all the high praise for Atlas, I wanted to try one, but was overcome with sticker shock. Late last year, I found a couple of "Atlas" bipods in a LGS for a great price. I bought one and mounted it on my rifle. I used it on a couple of training days, and it performed ok, but I kept having to tighten the "tension knob." It just kept working loose, and if I wasn't paying enough attention, the bipod would turn to the side, compromising the stability of my position. In frustration, I decided that all the hype was just hype, and the Atlas bipod was a POS.
THEN, a couple of months ago, I ran across a thread here about the counterfeit Atlas bipods. I pulled the "Atlas" back out of the junk box and compared it to the information I had found. SOB!! It was a FAKE. I couldn't believe I fell for that, but the bipod I bought actually looked like good build quality. The problem was I had never seen a real Atlas. It horrified me to think of the tragedy that could have resulted, had I used this bipod on a call out. Murphy's Law is in full effect on SWAT calls, and if I had had that fake mounted when I needed to take a shot, I have no doubt that it would have chosen that moment to self destruct causing no small amount of unintended consequences.
I decided to order a real Atlas. I bought it direct from B&T. OMG! I couldn't believe how much different it looked and felt in operation. The fake looked like junk by comparison. Appropriately so. No issues using the real thing for its intended purpose. I love it. Even more than my Harris. I try to save money where I can. I've always got my eye out for a deal, because I'm on a perpetually tight budget, working for a county government. However, the old cliche, "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is," is absolutely accurate.
I knew better, but I failed to make sure I was getting a deal on the real deal. In the end, someone else could have payed the price for my stupid tax. If you're new to long range shooting, it's expensive. If you're not new, it's expensive. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Thanks to the guys at B&T for making an outstanding product.
