KRG Spigot, Harris Bipod mount and KMW pod lock

[drew_235]

My ARCA Spigot and Harris bipod mount arrived today and after assembling them, I ran into a problem. The KMW pod loc ratcheting collar on my Harris bipod is longer than other locks and actually prevents me from putting the forend cover back onto the Bravo chassis.
After further inspection, it appears that I could grind ~1/8" off the Harris (the little hump where the red arrow is pointing) and then flip the mount around so the pivot mount sleeve is closer to the muzzle by an inch. I cannot think of a reason why the hump that I intend to grind off needs to exist, but I'm open for thoughts and suggestions.
And yes, I totally understand that I could fix this by purchasing a ARCA clamp, but I'm holding off on that till I have another rifle.

The Pod Loc ratcheting collar will protrude above the portion that I intend to grind flat, but it appears I'll have .030" or .040" clearance to the underside of the KRG bipod mount.

 

[J-Ham]

I had that same setup with the 'wide' KRG mount & it worked fine... Committed to Altas so if you want to try the other one, let me know & I can set you up CHEAP.

Actually, on further inspection I don't see what the problem is... The forearm cover shouldn't protrude into the spigot area...

In full disclosure, I've been drinking, so I'm easily confused I'm sure.

 

[drew_235]

I had that same setup with the 'wide' KRG mount & it worked fine... Committed to Altas so if you want to try the other one, let me know & I can set you up CHEAP.

Actually, on further inspection I don't see what the problem is... The forearm cover shouldn't protrude into the spigot area...

In full disclosure, I've been drinking, so I'm easily confused I'm sure.

I'll take some more pictures in the am, I disassembled the rig and also had a drink. I'm thinking that I'll document my proposed modification tomorrow and post pictures.
I may take you up on the offer of the wide base for a 2nd setup.

What was the driving force to switch to Atlas? I'm too new to know all the nuances, but the Atlas' do look sweet.

 

[J-Ham]

While I'd like to sell you the mount, the truth is the Atlas CAL is the way to go (or similar). Not only is it wider & thus more stable, you can also load it easier because it's not as 'rigid' as a Harris. It's more robust & just generally of higher quality as well. Harris is the lowest common denominator... Atlas is a big step up.

 

[drew_235]

Here's another photo of the issue I am having. I was able to get the forend on with a bit of wiggling and muscle, but it's so close to the pod loc handle that I can't pull back to use the ratchet feature, rendering it useless.

Regarding the Atlas, I could cut my losses on this Harris and just put it in my hunting rifle. Is the BT65-LW17 CAL with the qd pic rail setup approximately what you use?

 

[J-Ham]

Yeah, except I use the Area 419 Arca mount rather than the ADM one that you're looking at for a picatinny rail, though if I were mounting to a rail, I like the ADM mount a lot.

I guess when I had the similar setup to yours I remember it being fairly close there, but once you have the Pod-Lok set to where you want it, aren't you basically done messing with it & it's just a simple twist of the handle to go from loose to all locked up?

 

[drew_235]

Here's the finished product.

I was able to reverse the KRG Harris bipod mount, moving the bipod ~1" further forward.

Here's the offending hump of metal.

Here it is after a few minutes with a Dremel and a hand file to clean it up.

After cleaning off the metal shavings I ended up with this. I'll repaint it with some Krylon tomorrow.

 

[J-Ham]

That looks way mo' betta.

 

[tony413]

sweet mod, thanks for sharing. I will be doing the same if I find myself in this situation.

 

[Tallahassee]

Thanks, I see myself doing this later next week.