Let me start by saying, no, I’m not trying to stir the pot. Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out of the way…
Harris Engineering makes a good product that is in my opinion the minimum needed in the bipod department for precision shooting. Understanding their product and its limitations should help to get the best results out of it.
First, understand Harris Engineering has been making bipods since the 1970s. Honestly, they haven’t changed much since they started. They are a company that is not in the least bit tech savvy. They do not advertise. They do not have a website. If you google their name and find a website with the name Harris in it, listing their products, that website is not owned or run by Harris Engineering, but rather one of their clever customers taking advantage of Harris Engineering’s lack of technological know-how. The company is owned and ran by a very sweet octogenarian who is building bipods in the USA and whose company is great about taking care of their customers if they have an issue with their product.
So, what’s the problem?
To start, their naming scheme is confusing. Making matters worse is a third-party website that uses their own naming scheme further adding to the confusion.
Their popular models have a cant feature that is honestly hard to control without an aftermarket locking lever.
As has been pointed out on this forum, there can be issues with the bipods being out of square with the rifle, inducing issues with precision and accuracy.
Finally, designed to attach to a sling swivel stud, many find themselves adding aftermarket adapters of some sort to use with a picatinny or arca rail.
I’m going to break down the naming scheme later. For now, let’s focusing on the oh-so floppy cant feature, the issues with being out of square, and the attachment mechanisms.
So, the floppy cant is a relatively easy fix- get yourself a Pod Loc or the like and you’re good to go.
The issue with being out of square is a bit trickier. I see this issue most often when the Harris is used with a stock or chassis that has a wide flat bottom on the forend. The “saddle” on the Harris was designed when most rifles had a rounded bottom on the forend and works quite well with that style stock. But who is serious about precision AND using a flat bottom stock these days? Not a lot of people.
Attaching to a rail of some sort can also be solved by adding an aftermarket gizmo. There are picatinny adapters and replacement parts for both picatinny and arca rails.
So, now we’re looking at a bipod that needs almost as much as its cost to solve the issues it has. There is a better answer.
Recently Harris Engineering started offering a few new features on their product. Harris Engineering has new features? You hadn’t heard this before? I’m not surprised. As I said before, they’re not especially sophisticated. They don’t market, they don’t have a website.
Their new PICATINNY mount bipods do a good job of solving the previously mentioned issues. Yes. Harris Engineering makes bipods that are picatinny mount, ready to go, right out of their package. The picatinny clamp has a knurled nut that may be tightened by hand. There is also a second screw that may be used to more permanently attach the bipod to a picatinny rail. The mount solves the issue of needing an aftermarket adapter or replacement part and ensure the bipod stays square to the rifle (assuming the picatinny rail installed is also square).
Included with their new picatinny models is a hand-tightened knob for adjusting the tension on their cant feature. Honestly, the knob is not as effective as a Pod Loc, but it is usable and it does work as intended.
Cool part about these new picatinny models- they are only a little bit more expensive than their old counterparts, honestly probably less than a cruddy picatinny adapter would cost you. Here is a pic of one of the new S-LMP:
The other new feature is bipods offered with their “self-leveling” legs. These bipods leg extension are spring driven outward through their full range and are locked/unlocked in a position with hand-tightened knobs. Harris also offers “standard” legs, and “notched” legs.
The “standard” are spring driven inwards; if pulled all the way out they will lock out automatically, a button must be depressed to unlock them; they also have a hand-tightened knob for locking the legs between in any position other than full extensions.
The “notched” legs have multiple notches that are used as locking position. A button is used to unlock from or skip a notch. The legs do have a spring, but it is only engaged at the most retracted position; once locked onto any of the notches the spring is no longer engage.
Here is a diagram of how the legs work (forgive my miserable editing skills). For reference these are S-BRP, S-BR2P, and S-BRMP bipods, from left to right.
So, how do the names/part numbers work? The bipods have a prefix and a suffix. The prefixes are easy; all the bipods fall into two categories:
1A2- non canting bipods
S- canting (or “swivel”) bipods
The suffixes are a little trickier. The main two are the variants of the “BR” and the “L”:
BR- “Bench rest” or 6-9”
L- 9-13” (I’m not sure what the “L” stands for)
Added to this may be various other initials and now numbers.
M- indicates bipod has notched legs
2- indicates bipods has new self-leveling legs
Absence or either “M” or “2”- indicates bipods has “standard” legs
P- indicates bipod has picatinny mount (all picatinny mounts are on “S” bipods AND have the hand-tightened cant tension knob)
So, a S-BRMP is a canting bipod, has 6-9”, has notched legs, and a picatinny mount; a S-L2P is a canting bipod, has 9-13” legs, has the new “self-leveling” legs, and is a picatinny mount.
So, are the Harris Engineering bipods the best ever? No. But for many they are a good place to start and the new products help eliminate some of the potential bipod induced errors. They are simple and with good technique can be used very effectively.
We have the new models available on our site and will post in the PX as well.
Harris Engineering makes a good product that is in my opinion the minimum needed in the bipod department for precision shooting. Understanding their product and its limitations should help to get the best results out of it.
First, understand Harris Engineering has been making bipods since the 1970s. Honestly, they haven’t changed much since they started. They are a company that is not in the least bit tech savvy. They do not advertise. They do not have a website. If you google their name and find a website with the name Harris in it, listing their products, that website is not owned or run by Harris Engineering, but rather one of their clever customers taking advantage of Harris Engineering’s lack of technological know-how. The company is owned and ran by a very sweet octogenarian who is building bipods in the USA and whose company is great about taking care of their customers if they have an issue with their product.
So, what’s the problem?
To start, their naming scheme is confusing. Making matters worse is a third-party website that uses their own naming scheme further adding to the confusion.
Their popular models have a cant feature that is honestly hard to control without an aftermarket locking lever.
As has been pointed out on this forum, there can be issues with the bipods being out of square with the rifle, inducing issues with precision and accuracy.
Finally, designed to attach to a sling swivel stud, many find themselves adding aftermarket adapters of some sort to use with a picatinny or arca rail.
I’m going to break down the naming scheme later. For now, let’s focusing on the oh-so floppy cant feature, the issues with being out of square, and the attachment mechanisms.
So, the floppy cant is a relatively easy fix- get yourself a Pod Loc or the like and you’re good to go.
The issue with being out of square is a bit trickier. I see this issue most often when the Harris is used with a stock or chassis that has a wide flat bottom on the forend. The “saddle” on the Harris was designed when most rifles had a rounded bottom on the forend and works quite well with that style stock. But who is serious about precision AND using a flat bottom stock these days? Not a lot of people.
Attaching to a rail of some sort can also be solved by adding an aftermarket gizmo. There are picatinny adapters and replacement parts for both picatinny and arca rails.
So, now we’re looking at a bipod that needs almost as much as its cost to solve the issues it has. There is a better answer.
Recently Harris Engineering started offering a few new features on their product. Harris Engineering has new features? You hadn’t heard this before? I’m not surprised. As I said before, they’re not especially sophisticated. They don’t market, they don’t have a website.
Their new PICATINNY mount bipods do a good job of solving the previously mentioned issues. Yes. Harris Engineering makes bipods that are picatinny mount, ready to go, right out of their package. The picatinny clamp has a knurled nut that may be tightened by hand. There is also a second screw that may be used to more permanently attach the bipod to a picatinny rail. The mount solves the issue of needing an aftermarket adapter or replacement part and ensure the bipod stays square to the rifle (assuming the picatinny rail installed is also square).
Included with their new picatinny models is a hand-tightened knob for adjusting the tension on their cant feature. Honestly, the knob is not as effective as a Pod Loc, but it is usable and it does work as intended.
Cool part about these new picatinny models- they are only a little bit more expensive than their old counterparts, honestly probably less than a cruddy picatinny adapter would cost you. Here is a pic of one of the new S-LMP:
The other new feature is bipods offered with their “self-leveling” legs. These bipods leg extension are spring driven outward through their full range and are locked/unlocked in a position with hand-tightened knobs. Harris also offers “standard” legs, and “notched” legs.
The “standard” are spring driven inwards; if pulled all the way out they will lock out automatically, a button must be depressed to unlock them; they also have a hand-tightened knob for locking the legs between in any position other than full extensions.
The “notched” legs have multiple notches that are used as locking position. A button is used to unlock from or skip a notch. The legs do have a spring, but it is only engaged at the most retracted position; once locked onto any of the notches the spring is no longer engage.
Here is a diagram of how the legs work (forgive my miserable editing skills). For reference these are S-BRP, S-BR2P, and S-BRMP bipods, from left to right.
So, how do the names/part numbers work? The bipods have a prefix and a suffix. The prefixes are easy; all the bipods fall into two categories:
1A2- non canting bipods
S- canting (or “swivel”) bipods
The suffixes are a little trickier. The main two are the variants of the “BR” and the “L”:
BR- “Bench rest” or 6-9”
L- 9-13” (I’m not sure what the “L” stands for)
Added to this may be various other initials and now numbers.
M- indicates bipod has notched legs
2- indicates bipods has new self-leveling legs
Absence or either “M” or “2”- indicates bipods has “standard” legs
P- indicates bipod has picatinny mount (all picatinny mounts are on “S” bipods AND have the hand-tightened cant tension knob)
So, a S-BRMP is a canting bipod, has 6-9”, has notched legs, and a picatinny mount; a S-L2P is a canting bipod, has 9-13” legs, has the new “self-leveling” legs, and is a picatinny mount.
So, are the Harris Engineering bipods the best ever? No. But for many they are a good place to start and the new products help eliminate some of the potential bipod induced errors. They are simple and with good technique can be used very effectively.
We have the new models available on our site and will post in the PX as well.
