F Class Bi pods input.
- Thread starter stralia
- Start date
I got one of the four brought in by wheelgun. It cost $375 all in, picked up at his place near Winnipeg.
I'm not going to write a review that's on par with one of Tomochan's but I will make a few comments.
The Rempel is far and away the best F class bipod on the market for stability and rigidity. Unfortunately it is also the heaviest by quite a bit. Thee are now somewhere near a dozen different copies / knock offs of Henry's design which offer varying degrees of quality.
The EVO bipod is is a direct copy of Henry's design but made to weigh half as much. The EVO weighs in at 1.5 lbs compared to approximately 3.5 lbs for the Rempel. Adjustments are identical.
Significant design difference: The mounting bracket is much smaller. Rather than having a plate mounted to your rifle and inserting the top of bipod into the mount, the EVO has a aluminium block which inserts into your Anschutz or Freeland rail slot then tightens down the underside of the stock against the face of the bipod. See photo #3.
There are two differences in stability I have noticed so far.
Firstly, there is a slight bit of vertical flex in the EVO under heavy load. If you hold the bipod down onto a hard surface by the arms and press you will feel a slight amount of flex. Try this with the Rempel and it remains rock solid.
Secondly, the cant adjustment lever on the EVO does not tighten up firmly enough to prevent any cant movement. The Rempel again locks up rock solid for cant when tightened fully. I won't call the EVO flimsy but there's no denying it's not built as robust as the Rempel in this aspect.
As with all things in life there is a trade off. The Rempel bipod uses stainless steel for the pins and internal mechanisms.The EVO does not, all pins and internals appear to be aluminium. The benefit is two pounds of weight removed that can be put into the gun as a heavier barrel, scope or stock.
Now, the important question. Does either or these two flex points on the EVO make any difference to stability when shooting?
I have only used the EVO bipod once, yesterday was the first time I had it on a gun at Homestead. I shot it at 400m and 800m. I can say it tracks beautifully, maintains elevation and performs as well as the Rempel in every regard.
I did not observe any vertical flex during recoil. The gun I was using weighs roughly 16.5 lbs not including bipod and is therefore heavier than most F-TR rifles. Despite the added weight or perhaps because of it, the bipod was extremely stable. Using a Rempel bipod my rifle will not make the F-TR weight limit. With the EVO I am within it.
I also had no issues with unwanted cant. I tightened the adjustment bolt as snugly as it would go. There was still a small amount of cant that could occur if I pushed it. The adjustment bolt seemed to loosen up a bit during the string but could easily be retightened. I did not notice the loosening while shooting as my rear bag held the gun in place. It was only when checking knobs afterwards that I noticed.
My conclusion:
If you are using one of these bipods to shoot f class competitively and have the room within the weight limit available, without question, use the Rempel. If you, like me, are looking for a high quality option with a reduced weight as compared to the Rempel, the EVO stands head and shoulders above the rest of the clones.
Rempel bipod
EVO Bipod
Side / top view of Rempel (L) and EVO (R) side by side
The Rempel is far and away the best F class bipod on the market for stability and rigidity. Unfortunately it is also the heaviest by quite a bit. Thee are now somewhere near a dozen different copies / knock offs of Henry's design which offer varying degrees of quality.
The EVO bipod is is a direct copy of Henry's design but made to weigh half as much. The EVO weighs in at 1.5 lbs compared to approximately 3.5 lbs for the Rempel. Adjustments are identical.
Significant design difference: The mounting bracket is much smaller. Rather than having a plate mounted to your rifle and inserting the top of bipod into the mount, the EVO has a aluminium block which inserts into your Anschutz or Freeland rail slot then tightens down the underside of the stock against the face of the bipod. See photo #3.
There are two differences in stability I have noticed so far.
Firstly, there is a slight bit of vertical flex in the EVO under heavy load. If you hold the bipod down onto a hard surface by the arms and press you will feel a slight amount of flex. Try this with the Rempel and it remains rock solid.
Secondly, the cant adjustment lever on the EVO does not tighten up firmly enough to prevent any cant movement. The Rempel again locks up rock solid for cant when tightened fully. I won't call the EVO flimsy but there's no denying it's not built as robust as the Rempel in this aspect.
As with all things in life there is a trade off. The Rempel bipod uses stainless steel for the pins and internal mechanisms.The EVO does not, all pins and internals appear to be aluminium. The benefit is two pounds of weight removed that can be put into the gun as a heavier barrel, scope or stock.
Now, the important question. Does either or these two flex points on the EVO make any difference to stability when shooting?
I have only used the EVO bipod once, yesterday was the first time I had it on a gun at Homestead. I shot it at 400m and 800m. I can say it tracks beautifully, maintains elevation and performs as well as the Rempel in every regard.
I did not observe any vertical flex during recoil. The gun I was using weighs roughly 16.5 lbs not including bipod and is therefore heavier than most F-TR rifles. Despite the added weight or perhaps because of it, the bipod was extremely stable. Using a Rempel bipod my rifle will not make the F-TR weight limit. With the EVO I am within it.
I also had no issues with unwanted cant. I tightened the adjustment bolt as snugly as it would go. There was still a small amount of cant that could occur if I pushed it. The adjustment bolt seemed to loosen up a bit during the string but could easily be retightened. I did not notice the loosening while shooting as my rear bag held the gun in place. It was only when checking knobs afterwards that I noticed.
My conclusion:
If you are using one of these bipods to shoot f class competitively and have the room within the weight limit available, without question, use the Rempel. If you, like me, are looking for a high quality option with a reduced weight as compared to the Rempel, the EVO stands head and shoulders above the rest of the clones.
Rempel bipod
EVO Bipod
Side / top view of Rempel (L) and EVO (R) side by side
Last edited:
wapitiwhacker
CGN Regular
- Location
- East Kootenay B.C.
Here's a video of an EVO under recoil. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNjuLCunmdE In slo-mo looks like it flexes slightly at the apex of the legs.. It also looks like the flex occurs as the rifle settles after the shot, so affects on accuracy.....?? At $375 to the door, I was kind of interested in trying an EVO out, but with the numbers I used (237.50 GBP+30 shipping) coming out closer to $420.00 I really can't fault my Dolphin Trakker enough to spend the coin.
