What’s the best way to attach a Bipod, swivel stud mount or Picatinny rail mount? I have used one before attached to my swivel stud, but is a Bipod that has a Pic rail attachment better or more stable? I’m thinking of putting a Arca/Pic rail on my Tikka instead of just a Arca rail to have this option. Thanks
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Preferred way to attach Bipods
- Thread starter Erie660
- Start date
I run Arca and pic rails on my guns. Then I can run either attachment. I generally run tripod on Arca and bipod on pic
Either is better than swivel
Either is better than swivel
probably because arca is common for tripods while pic mounts are more common on various bipod mounting options. same with wmls.
You can do that. I like to use a similar mount below. You bolt it on to your bipod. Now you can move the bipod on your bolt gun or AR no issue.
ARCALOCK Dual-Clamp with Picatinny
NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL WIDTH OF THIS CLAMP, IT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ALL AREA 419 ARCALOCK DEVICES. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO: Garmin XERO Arms, RailChanger X. We are big ARCALOCK people, and think it’s the best solution for most people trying to shoot mid- to long-range. We...
www.area419.com
This is the rail I was looking at. It would work on my Tripod and a Bipod.You can do that. I like to use a similar mount below. You bolt it on to your bipod. Now you can move the bipod on your bolt gun or AR no issue.
ARCALOCK Dual-Clamp with Picatinny
NOTE: BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL WIDTH OF THIS CLAMP, IT IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ALL AREA 419 ARCALOCK DEVICES. THIS INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO: Garmin XERO Arms, RailChanger X. We are big ARCALOCK people, and think it’s the best solution for most people trying to shoot mid- to long-range. We...
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Different options have pros and cons.
Stud is really only good for a Harris.
Plastic Rail will not survive recoil much beyond a 22lr so use metal and avoid stocks with molded in rails for more than rimfire.
Metal rail locks forward and back movement unlike ARCA so it will not slide around under recoil. I prefer a rail over ARCA on a spigot.
ARCA can slide around or off the end unless you have a stop. I tried the ARCA spigot on a 6.5C MPA bolt and it would walk off the end after 20-30 shots. Flipped it over to the rail side and zero issues.
The Aria 419 ARCALOCK locks like a rail and is in another class. My DT SRS M2 in 338LM has the ARCALOCK and it handles recoil fine with no movement.
I have the Salmon River solutions Hunters rail on a 300BO Tikka T3X and it works great. The rail is good for a bipod and ARCA for bipod or tripod as long as recoil doesn't walk it away from where you want it.
I use Atlas bipods and like the mount from RRS that will clamp to either rail or ARCA.
Also, the Area 419 one for ARCALOCK also works on standard ARCA with pins removed.
Stud is really only good for a Harris.
Plastic Rail will not survive recoil much beyond a 22lr so use metal and avoid stocks with molded in rails for more than rimfire.
Metal rail locks forward and back movement unlike ARCA so it will not slide around under recoil. I prefer a rail over ARCA on a spigot.
ARCA can slide around or off the end unless you have a stop. I tried the ARCA spigot on a 6.5C MPA bolt and it would walk off the end after 20-30 shots. Flipped it over to the rail side and zero issues.
The Aria 419 ARCALOCK locks like a rail and is in another class. My DT SRS M2 in 338LM has the ARCALOCK and it handles recoil fine with no movement.
I have the Salmon River solutions Hunters rail on a 300BO Tikka T3X and it works great. The rail is good for a bipod and ARCA for bipod or tripod as long as recoil doesn't walk it away from where you want it.
I use Atlas bipods and like the mount from RRS that will clamp to either rail or ARCA.
Also, the Area 419 one for ARCALOCK also works on standard ARCA with pins removed.
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This has been my observation as well. Pic rails hold better then arca, but arca are more adjustable. I prefer pic for a bipod attachment.
I have done pull-ups on the krg spigot with a plastic pic rail bolted on.
Any arca other than the area 419 or rrs pro will slip at some point.
I prefer having a clamp that does both. All my bolt guns have both, all my ARs have small sections of pic rail to keep them slim.
Any arca other than the area 419 or rrs pro will slip at some point.
I prefer having a clamp that does both. All my bolt guns have both, all my ARs have small sections of pic rail to keep them slim.
I run mostly RRS Rlock rails with there clamp that can fit both Arca and Pic rail. Having the ability to slide the bipod lower on the rifle when putting it in the safe or on the roof rack on my side by side is nice. The combo mount on my bipods means I can swap it from rifle to rifle easily enough. I only have a coupld rifles that still use a sling stud. Most of the are hunting rifles with cheaper plastic style stocks like my Ruger American or TC muzzle loader and a couple .22's.
I ran one on my old MPA BA Comp.
1: Bipods don’t move back and forth on them as smooth.
2: main reason, the spikes on the arca don’t really feel fantastic on the hands when your picking up your rifle during stages.
All in all it was a solution looking for a problem in my experience. To each their own though, couldn’t can’t stand it.
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I had issues with Arca rails sliding as well. I run a RRS SC-ARC clamp on my bipod and tripod. It slid on cheaper rails and the 419 Arca lock as well.
I know they’re different systems for RRS and 419 and each are designed to work well with their respective parts. But my RRS clamped down hard on the 419 rail still slid and took the finish off of it.
Heavier, lighter recoil rifle probably won’t move as much. It also helps if your bipod/tripod has some give and can slide a bit as well
When I used the knob version it was even worse trying to keep it from sliding
I have the sawtooth on my AI as well and pairs up excellent with the rrs heads
I know they’re different systems for RRS and 419 and each are designed to work well with their respective parts. But my RRS clamped down hard on the 419 rail still slid and took the finish off of it.
Heavier, lighter recoil rifle probably won’t move as much. It also helps if your bipod/tripod has some give and can slide a bit as well
When I used the knob version it was even worse trying to keep it from sliding
I have the sawtooth on my AI as well and pairs up excellent with the rrs heads
Mine slipped on my AXSR til I made it very tight, and hasn’t slipped since, on a 300PRC
I can second this. I actually took my 419 Arca loc off and put a small pic rail on the front again. I have a McMillan a3-5 stock so when I picked it up I just felt Arca loc and I hated it. If it were an a5 or something else that’s a little wider it probably would be fine but I tried it, didn’t like it.
I use a rail spigot for 90% of my shooting. My only ARCALOCK is a DT SRS M2 that has it as an integrated feature of the stock. Standard ARCA slips under recoil, but the ARCALOCK holds solid under 338LM.
Of my three go to precision rifles one has an Atlas with arca mount, one has an Atlas with picatinny mount, and one has a Harris on a stud.
The one I like the least is the stud/Harris. The forend is flat so it can spin around quite easily and the set screw never seems to stay consistent. It's also slow to take on and off.
The picatinny rail mount I like as the cross bolt keeps it from sliding if the clamp comes loose.
The arca setup is actually an RRS hybrid arca/pic mount I got because I like the idea of being able to move my bipod up to the mag well on my full length rail to use it on top of 55 gallon drums or something similar. It's on a spigot so I can't really do it on the fly. In hindsight with the hybrid clamp I wish I had gotten a picatinny spigot setup and still had the option to use it on the full length arca rail.
The one I like the least is the stud/Harris. The forend is flat so it can spin around quite easily and the set screw never seems to stay consistent. It's also slow to take on and off.
The picatinny rail mount I like as the cross bolt keeps it from sliding if the clamp comes loose.
The arca setup is actually an RRS hybrid arca/pic mount I got because I like the idea of being able to move my bipod up to the mag well on my full length rail to use it on top of 55 gallon drums or something similar. It's on a spigot so I can't really do it on the fly. In hindsight with the hybrid clamp I wish I had gotten a picatinny spigot setup and still had the option to use it on the full length arca rail.
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My main guns all have arca setups on them. Either a full length rail or a short section at the rear for a tripod and a spigot for a bipod. I still have a couple guns with picatinny rails on them, but my primary 2 bipods (Atlas and Ckyepod LW double pull) have a mount that will work on both arca and picatinny.
ARCA rail is the best if you plan to run a full length rail or to use a tripod.
If it’s a rifle for carrying and off hand shooting then I don’t really like full length ARCA and would go for a short picatinny section or sling stud. I still use a Harris bipod on hunting orientated rifles and don’t have many complaints.
If it’s a rifle for carrying and off hand shooting then I don’t really like full length ARCA and would go for a short picatinny section or sling stud. I still use a Harris bipod on hunting orientated rifles and don’t have many complaints.
ARCA rail that's close to 419/RRS spec. That shouldn't matter too much, but not every ARCA-compatible ballhead/tripod mount/bipod has the same amount of travel and dimensions.
Though, I still mostly use pic rails, the Levitate ballhead for Fat Boy can use either so I'm not stuck having it on every weapon.
I try to go for the short Magpul ARCA adapters, they have the set screws for forward stop, and full length can be a little sharp in the hand.
Fuck a sling swivel unless you absolutely must use it for some older rifle.
Though, I still mostly use pic rails, the Levitate ballhead for Fat Boy can use either so I'm not stuck having it on every weapon.
I try to go for the short Magpul ARCA adapters, they have the set screws for forward stop, and full length can be a little sharp in the hand.
Fuck a sling swivel unless you absolutely must use it for some older rifle.
