I just bought a Harris bipod 9 to 13 inch notched legs and swivel base,it is mounted to a Rem 700 R5 milpec .308! I was wondering what is the most accurate way to use these,HOLD on to front of stock,or NO HOLD on stock?If it is to hold on to stock how much pressure should I use for best accuracy?Thanks for the help!
bipod and accuracy
- Thread starter reloaders
- Start date
Shooting off a Harris bipod is a technique that takes practice.
I have had best results using the Harris and a rear bag.
I place the butt of the gun into my shoulder and push slightly forward into the bipod, using my shoulder.
Some call this loading it.
The key is to get a consistent "load" of the bipod and the same shoulder pressure every shot.
Your results will let you know if you are doing it correctly.
Very good groups can be shot using the Harris....and some bad ones too.
Hope this helps.
I have had best results using the Harris and a rear bag.
I place the butt of the gun into my shoulder and push slightly forward into the bipod, using my shoulder.
Some call this loading it.
The key is to get a consistent "load" of the bipod and the same shoulder pressure every shot.
Your results will let you know if you are doing it correctly.
Very good groups can be shot using the Harris....and some bad ones too.
Hope this helps.
- Location
- Virden, MB
And your hat needs to be backwards.
Pod-loc replaces the knurled nut on pods with a swivel feature. Allows the pod to be locked quickly and firmly to accomodate unevenness of the ground.
Try shooting groups with the pod loaded and unloaded and see how the groups form. The pod in the post above is mounted so the legs fold backward.
This doesn't allow the legs to flex with spring tension. Probably not critical for that rifle(rimfire) but may affect performance with a HP rifle. A pad under the feet as shown is beneficial to reduce deflection from recoil off hard surfaces.
Try shooting groups with the pod loaded and unloaded and see how the groups form. The pod in the post above is mounted so the legs fold backward.
This doesn't allow the legs to flex with spring tension. Probably not critical for that rifle(rimfire) but may affect performance with a HP rifle. A pad under the feet as shown is beneficial to reduce deflection from recoil off hard surfaces.
I have much better success with a bipod and rear bag than I do off a pack or bench. I absolutely hate shooting from a bench. I have rifles that use a Sako bipod on a Trg 22, Parker Hale on an AI and a rifle with a Harris as well. Both the Sako and PH are more similar in design than the Harris but maybe through practice and repetition I am more comfortable shooting any of those 3 than off a pack or bench.
First shot results improve for me by dry firing a time or two. The reticle will bounce around until you achieve a proper hold. I find that the rifle must be held soft, so it just lays there on natural p.o.a.. Any steering with cheek or trigger hand to hold on target often causes an errant shot. While prone try keeping your body parallel to the barrel and with moderate shoulder contact. Seems to help consistency during the barrel time phase of recoil.
Follow through is important . I've seen some that snap their trigger finger forward as soon as the shot breaks, and that indicates a lack of the zen like state of mind needed to keep the body relaxed.
Now to go practice what I preach!.
Follow through is important . I've seen some that snap their trigger finger forward as soon as the shot breaks, and that indicates a lack of the zen like state of mind needed to keep the body relaxed.
Now to go practice what I preach!.
I may get slammed for this, but here it goes...
Do not shoot with your bipod while on a bench. Use a front rest and rear bag set up. It is much more stable. If you can't hold you rifle still, you will not be able to shoot small groups. The bipod, IMO, was designed for prone shooting, not bench shooting.
Some guys can pull this off, and use a bipod on a bench. Most beginners can't, and get very frustrated at poor results.
R.
Do not shoot with your bipod while on a bench. Use a front rest and rear bag set up. It is much more stable. If you can't hold you rifle still, you will not be able to shoot small groups. The bipod, IMO, was designed for prone shooting, not bench shooting.
Some guys can pull this off, and use a bipod on a bench. Most beginners can't, and get very frustrated at poor results.
R.
- Location
- Niagara Region, Ontario. For now
I am a beginner in the precision department and I have to say I have been using a bipod and rear bag with great results.
Now I have only really been shooting at 100m, and have now maby put about 500 rounds downrange at that distance, but I am getting quite comfortable with this setup. I actually have a serious budget rifle going on. Its a Stevens 200, and I am using a Caldwell bipod. Cheap as hell but it has stood up to the recoil of my .223 no problems. Ive just started handloading and using the rear rest but I am very pleased with the results. It is a swivel bipod to. Do you pros/experts really think that a front rest is a better option. I am curious as hell, but I am at the point now where I really feel that I need to change something to get better. I have been shooting less than half inch groups regularily, and if using a front rest will help I am going to have to give it a try. I guess I really need to change out my barrel for a match grade, but for now a rest might be a cheaper option. These groups I shot yesterday. I hade 20 rounds loaded to test and 2 of 4 groups came out like this! The others were just under an inch with the colder barrel. Seems my gun needs to be warm to shoot like this. Any tips would be appreciated. Sorry for the Hijack!
Now I have only really been shooting at 100m, and have now maby put about 500 rounds downrange at that distance, but I am getting quite comfortable with this setup. I actually have a serious budget rifle going on. Its a Stevens 200, and I am using a Caldwell bipod. Cheap as hell but it has stood up to the recoil of my .223 no problems. Ive just started handloading and using the rear rest but I am very pleased with the results. It is a swivel bipod to. Do you pros/experts really think that a front rest is a better option. I am curious as hell, but I am at the point now where I really feel that I need to change something to get better. I have been shooting less than half inch groups regularily, and if using a front rest will help I am going to have to give it a try. I guess I really need to change out my barrel for a match grade, but for now a rest might be a cheaper option. These groups I shot yesterday. I hade 20 rounds loaded to test and 2 of 4 groups came out like this! The others were just under an inch with the colder barrel. Seems my gun needs to be warm to shoot like this. Any tips would be appreciated. Sorry for the Hijack!
I read on the internet that a bipod works best from a hard bench................................
The pod in the post above is mounted so the legs fold backward.
Please define backward.
If the bi-pod is mounted normally, the legs should fold towards the muzzle.
R.
- Location
- Somewhere on the Hudson Bay Coast
Due to the fact that you are shooting a .308, you might find that you experience significant bounce when firing the bipod supported rifle from a hard surface. When possible, always put an intervening soft material between the bipod legs and the hard surface you shoot from. When you shoot in a loose surface like sand, you will not experience the bounce, but the legs will bury themselves, and your hold and check weld will vary from shot to shot, so again a soft intervening material is useful. I often just use a pair of mitts or gloves, whatever is handy.
I get pretty good results shooting from a bipod, but I have not the success allowing the .308 to free recoil that I previously had with a .222. I load up the legs by leaning into the bipod, and use a firm grip that I would normally reserve for my .375. Because the rifle is supported fore and aft, this does not cause wobble and the practice seems to result in nice round groups from my .308, once I was able to achieve a consistent shot to shot hold on the rifle. Check out the article Bugholes from Bipods at www.6mmbr.com/TacticalFroggyA1.html, it helped me quite a bit.
I get pretty good results shooting from a bipod, but I have not the success allowing the .308 to free recoil that I previously had with a .222. I load up the legs by leaning into the bipod, and use a firm grip that I would normally reserve for my .375. Because the rifle is supported fore and aft, this does not cause wobble and the practice seems to result in nice round groups from my .308, once I was able to achieve a consistent shot to shot hold on the rifle. Check out the article Bugholes from Bipods at www.6mmbr.com/TacticalFroggyA1.html, it helped me quite a bit.
Tent peg
This will probably sound crazy, but trust me it works!
Use a haris bipod and connect a 1 inch qd swivel to the sling strap hook on the bipod
to the 1 inch swivel run a 2 foot length of nylon webbing and attach it to a tent peg jammed into the ground in front of the rifle
You pull back on the rifle until you have good tension on the strap
At this point your wobble area should be zero with the butt settled into your rear bag - maintain cheek pressure as well as moderate rearward pressure
The strap tension will prevent muzzle jump and absorb recoil.
If your setup is clean you will be able to watch the vapor trail of your bullet as it flies to the target
Seriously, give it a try
This will probably sound crazy, but trust me it works!
Use a haris bipod and connect a 1 inch qd swivel to the sling strap hook on the bipod
to the 1 inch swivel run a 2 foot length of nylon webbing and attach it to a tent peg jammed into the ground in front of the rifle
You pull back on the rifle until you have good tension on the strap
At this point your wobble area should be zero with the butt settled into your rear bag - maintain cheek pressure as well as moderate rearward pressure
The strap tension will prevent muzzle jump and absorb recoil.
If your setup is clean you will be able to watch the vapor trail of your bullet as it flies to the target
Seriously, give it a try
Harris style bipods have the advantage of being good for leaning into. 308 sporting rifles (such as the 5R design) are not constructed for free-recoil shooting. I used a Harris for a few years in F-Class and they work fine for most rifles, but tight twist 308's have a great deal of torque, and it is bloody hard not to shoot without torque twisting and boucing the gun around a bench. 223's are no comparison: far less recoil, and there isn't as much of a problem with over-twisting like there is with this weird obsession with 10" twists in 308's.
For the recreational pursuit of precision, they are just fine. If you were a hard-core accuracy junky, you would not be using that style of stock, that caliber or a factory gun anyway, so just enjoy the pursit of doing the best you can with what you own currently. It is a nice set-up and capable of terrific results.
For the recreational pursuit of precision, they are just fine. If you were a hard-core accuracy junky, you would not be using that style of stock, that caliber or a factory gun anyway, so just enjoy the pursit of doing the best you can with what you own currently. It is a nice set-up and capable of terrific results.
