<span style="font-weight: bold">see pg 3 for update</span>
I had been really interested in getting my hands on an Atlas to try out since I've been reading all the rave reviews. Another hide member was good enough to send one my way (BT10-LW17 w/ the ARMS mount) to try out and it got here last week.
I looked around for a rail that would fit my Manners and didn't find any in stock. I ended up cutting the rail from an AR15 riser I had laying around, filing the mating surface flat, drilling holes and affixing it to my Manners T4A with 10/32 buttonheads. I was pretty excited playing around with it in the office, and high hopes for a field eval.
Well, I finally got it out today and put some rounds downrange with it. Sorry Kasey, but its just not this shooter's cup of tea.
I noticed on the first string of ten shots that the bipod seemed to slacken up just a hair each shot, lowering my POA each time. I found myself resetting my NPA with every shot, something I don't usually have to do.
I also found that every time I'd pan the muzzle to the left, the tension knob follows. When returning to center or panning right, the tension knob wouldn't follow, essentially loosening itself more and more with every left to right move I'd make.
The quick release on the leg extensions wanted to be stubborn on the right leg, to the point that I'd have to fold the leg towards me, then release the extension lock, adjust leg, then move it back to where it was. Whenever I did such a manuever, the tension knob would loosen up as well.
Mind you, I personally run the tension on my Harris swivels pretty tight and prefer a solid bipod to a loose one, so that may be coloring my opinion somewhat.
While I think the Atlas is a great design conceptually and may fit many shooter's needs, the tension adjustment loosening up on me during use is a dealbreaker. If the design can be modifed into a "set and forget" tension level adjustment I think it would be a piece of kit I'd really like to have, but as the design is now I've got to say I'm glad I was loaned one to eval and am out nothing more than the shipping.
I had been really interested in getting my hands on an Atlas to try out since I've been reading all the rave reviews. Another hide member was good enough to send one my way (BT10-LW17 w/ the ARMS mount) to try out and it got here last week.
I looked around for a rail that would fit my Manners and didn't find any in stock. I ended up cutting the rail from an AR15 riser I had laying around, filing the mating surface flat, drilling holes and affixing it to my Manners T4A with 10/32 buttonheads. I was pretty excited playing around with it in the office, and high hopes for a field eval.
Well, I finally got it out today and put some rounds downrange with it. Sorry Kasey, but its just not this shooter's cup of tea.
I noticed on the first string of ten shots that the bipod seemed to slacken up just a hair each shot, lowering my POA each time. I found myself resetting my NPA with every shot, something I don't usually have to do.
I also found that every time I'd pan the muzzle to the left, the tension knob follows. When returning to center or panning right, the tension knob wouldn't follow, essentially loosening itself more and more with every left to right move I'd make.
The quick release on the leg extensions wanted to be stubborn on the right leg, to the point that I'd have to fold the leg towards me, then release the extension lock, adjust leg, then move it back to where it was. Whenever I did such a manuever, the tension knob would loosen up as well.
Mind you, I personally run the tension on my Harris swivels pretty tight and prefer a solid bipod to a loose one, so that may be coloring my opinion somewhat.
While I think the Atlas is a great design conceptually and may fit many shooter's needs, the tension adjustment loosening up on me during use is a dealbreaker. If the design can be modifed into a "set and forget" tension level adjustment I think it would be a piece of kit I'd really like to have, but as the design is now I've got to say I'm glad I was loaned one to eval and am out nothing more than the shipping.