Bipods: To swivel or not to swivel
- Thread starter rascal1
- Start date
It depends a bit on what sort of chassis or stock you are mounting it on, and whether you are talking about precision rifle shooting generically, or PRS type matches where you shoot off varied positions/terrain in short time frames.
If the former, most anything will work. You need cant but can do without pan.
If the latter, nothing beats a MDT Ckye pod on an Arca rail. You can get a position on pretty much anything and quickly. People say they’re expensive, but in the context of $3700 scopes, $1500 chassis or stocks, and $0.65 bullets, a $550 bipod isn’t out of place, the $150 bipod is.
If the former, most anything will work. You need cant but can do without pan.
If the latter, nothing beats a MDT Ckye pod on an Arca rail. You can get a position on pretty much anything and quickly. People say they’re expensive, but in the context of $3700 scopes, $1500 chassis or stocks, and $0.65 bullets, a $550 bipod isn’t out of place, the $150 bipod is.
Ya, I have another brand version of that bipod but find it a bit sloppy in the swivel mechanism. Not sure if an actual Harris brand version would be more solid. Wondering if the swivel feature was not really necessary. Wanted to here what other guys are using etc.
When they talk about "swivel" with regards to a Harris bipod, what they really mean is "cant". The bipods without cant aren't very useful unless you only shoot off perfectly flat, level surfaces or have all the time in the world since you'd have to individually adjust the leg heights to adjust for cant. The most common (and most necessary) upgrade to a Harris bipod is a "podloc" of some kind to replace the tension wheel that adjust the amount of force needed to cant the rifle. There's nothing wrong with a Harris bipod and there are many upgrades that you can add to them to make them more functional (I have 2 bipods set up like that). They don't end up particularly inexpensive though once you tally up the cost of the upgrades and they still don't end up being as versatile as a Ckye-pod. To echo what RGV said, if PRS/field shooting matches are the game that you want to play, the Ckye-pod is the best option hands down.
Mystic Precision
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Summerland, BC
Cant - very important. Need a way to lock it up tight or run it with some resistance.
Pic attachment... NOPE... ARCA rail interface as you really need to consider an ARCA rail on the bottom of your forend.
Length of legs - really depends on the type of matches you are competing in. Local matches in BC so far, basic gear has worked out well. Field matches with weird terrain, tall grass, hillsides, etc... whole different story.
Pan feature... I do not like it.
Jerry
For those of us who are unfamiliar with this realm, can you give an example or two?
The best option with regards to the clamp for a bipod is one of the RRS adapters (they can be used with Harris, Atlas, Ckye-pod) that are compatible with both pic and RRS/arca. They are available as a twist knob or a throw lever. They aren't cheap but they sure are nice and versatile, especially if you have multiple rifles with different mounting systems.
Right now I'm using Truglo Carbon Pro Bipods 9-13, they have pan, tilt and roll, with a throw lever. Other examples would be UTG Recon 360, Cadwell Accumax,
Panning can be important if moving targets are to be engaged.
Swiveling or cant correction is important if firing from uneven or irregular ground. A bipod that can be adjusted only by varying leg length is awkward, unless it is being used on a flat, level, uniform surface.
Swiveling or cant correction is important if firing from uneven or irregular ground. A bipod that can be adjusted only by varying leg length is awkward, unless it is being used on a flat, level, uniform surface.
I’m personally going with Atlas PSR as it’s a solid bipod. I love the ckye pod features, but it’s a really loose bipod. The legs have a lot of play and I don’t want a rattling bipod. Plus their notorious for flexing at the attachments pin forward of the Arca clamp. If you can live with the play than ckye pod is the way to go. Apparently their working on fixing these issues so we’ll see what comes next.
Ckye pod really nailed the design features just need to tighten up those tolerances. Price is cheap considering what your getting and it’s what keeps your rifle secured and damage free. Might be best to go on YouTube and look at the comparison videos, than pick the ones you like and head down to the range and see if anyone is using them. That’s what I did and got my hands on a ckye and atlas in the same day. I would also recommend Arca-Swiss rail as it’s a really good system, which is why it’s been around for years in the camera industry. Good luck with you hunt, it gets real confusing with all the different setups out there, been there haha.
Ckye pod really nailed the design features just need to tighten up those tolerances. Price is cheap considering what your getting and it’s what keeps your rifle secured and damage free. Might be best to go on YouTube and look at the comparison videos, than pick the ones you like and head down to the range and see if anyone is using them. That’s what I did and got my hands on a ckye and atlas in the same day. I would also recommend Arca-Swiss rail as it’s a really good system, which is why it’s been around for years in the camera industry. Good luck with you hunt, it gets real confusing with all the different setups out there, been there haha.
It's built fairly sturdy for a lower cost carbon. The throw lever can be adjusted for more or less tension, legs are locked in place, sturdy with push button releases, leg extensions are twist lock and pick rail attachment uses Allen key bolts.
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I use a 6-9" Harris S-BRM with with a pod loc installed on my bolt action rifle and it is great. It is effective for usage at the range and in the field. The pod loc is a must buy as well. With the original lock nut it is nearly impossible to keep the swivel tight, but the pod loc makes it quick and simple.
Midnight Rider
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- ......the Vanishing Point .
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