Looking for suggestion to upgrade from a harris bipod

OR4NGE

OR4NGE

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Hey there,

I currently have a harris bipod on my precision rifle. It is one of the new tilt one but was wondering if it was worth it to upgrade to an atlas or Falcon bipod.
 
I like the Atlas Bipods, they have a certain degree of canter in them that allows for uneven positioning, and I also like the cleaner look they have.
 
I used to compete in F Class T/R with a Harris for about 4 years. I got tired of squeezing the rear bag to make fine adjustments and how it would jump of target after every shot. Upgraded to a Seb Joypod and really stepped up my average score. 15 MOA adjustment in elevation and windage on the stick, very wide stance, the skiis when used a on a carpet mat glide smooth and straight back and keep you on target after every shot. And they weight just over a meager 500 grams. Downside is they are not cheap, and are always on back order.
 
I don't compete but I actually did the opposite of what you want to do. I started shooting off a Atlas and switched to a Harris. I was not consistent off the Atlas and since I switched to the Harris the groups are better with way less vertical. Much less vertical and fliers at longer distance as well. I have one of the earlier Atlas and it has much more movement in the legs than the newer ones. Maybe that was the problem? They are sure machined nice though.
 
It all depends on what kind of shooting you do (or want to do). Some have suggested F-Class type bipods which are probably the most stable but only really practical for that specific kind of shooting, not field shooting or PRS, for instance. If you let us know more what kind of shooting you're looking to do, it would narrow the options down. What is it about the Harris that makes you want to upgrade?
 
I went from a PH to a Harris, then LRA, then Atlas. The expensive bipods did not make me shoot better. I kept the PH and Harris with pod-loc, sold the rest.
 
Looking to get a lower to the ground bipod , I kinda set my sights on a h5 or cadex falcon, will probably go with the h5 as the Cadex is like 400$ more.
 
beeman2 said:
I don't compete but I actually did the opposite of what you want to do. I started shooting off a Atlas and switched to a Harris. I was not consistent off the Atlas and since I switched to the Harris the groups are better with way less vertical. Much less vertical and fliers at longer distance as well. I have one of the earlier Atlas and it has much more movement in the legs than the newer ones. Maybe that was the problem? They are sure machined nice though.
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Sounds like shooter error to me. Improper loading of the bipod and application of the fundamentals.
 
J996 said:
I went from a PH to a Harris, then LRA, then Atlas. The expensive bipods did not make me shoot better. I kept the PH and Harris with pod-loc, sold the rest.
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It's not about "shooting better" from a square range. Some bipods have features on them that make them very useful in certain situations, such as field matches or hunting scenarios.

The Ckye-Pod has a huge range of height adjustability that I haven't seen on other bipods, and I love the rapid adjust nature of the leg heights. Great for field type matches. Also has a built in barricade stop.

These differences you wouldn't notice shooting prone or on a bench on a square ranch, but can certainly make the difference in the field. All depends on what the shooter is looking for. Sometimes the extra features and versatility is a good thing. For others, it's just a waste of money.
 
I ran a Harris 6-9" Swivel Notched Leg model with a PodLoc on my .300wm Tikka Build for the first 2 years of shooting it after building it. Recoil management was fine; no bipod hop in prone on dirt / gravel despite shooting a .300wm!!! Traversing with the rifle can be interesting; minor adjustments with an 18lb precision rifle are ok but wide abrupt turns can cause the legs to bind / hop or collapse one or both legs etc.

I tried the Atlas PSR on it but couldn't get used to the swivel / pan it provided; the pan function felt weird (creature of habit with harris bipods....call it a false preference i guess.) The ability to fold / deploy legs at 45 and 90 degrees front and/or rear and each leg is independent in adjustment is cool....at a small cost of speed of deployment and stowage compared to the spring-loaded legs of the Harris bipod family.

Fast forward to 2018...Accu-shot releases the Atlas CAL bipod. As a guy that only ran harris on precision rigs, the CAL is basically like the best parts of both a Harris (saddle swivel and podloc) and an Atlas PSR (legs, length and position adjustments, ADM QD, etc.)

Harris has been around a long time; they're old but still a good platform albeit with quirks and limitations that some aftermarket parts address but not all of them. Although some look at a harris as being limited in function, others appreciate its simplicity in function.
 
That Warrne looked promising until buddy dropped the price bomb.

How about you fellas with deep pocket start haggling a bit over the price of these things. Now before any of you jokers spout "you get what you pay for", consider that if you got what you paid for at $400+ the thing would adjust itself, and tell you when the moment had come for the perfect shot (limited production, blaa, blaa, I get that in some cases). I have two Harris clones, one is so good I'll be hanging on to it as a spare assuming I actually get another bipod. The other is a pretty good copy as well, just not as good as my taller one. I'd really like to give one of these bipods with the cool features a try, just not at $200+ dollars. There are some made by our currently not so friends across the Pacific that have many of the features of an Atlas, or similar. One in particular looks like it would be useful, it's not perfect, by all accounts it's sturdy, it just looks like one of the important features doesn't work quite as well as it should.

Can anyone recommend something under $200 that isn't a Harris. The only bipods that fit that description I'm aware of is the Magpul and a couple of others marketed by Caldwell, and UGT/Leapers.
 
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I have Harrison longs for kneeling shots and the shorts for prone. A few of them that is since you can't own one. Ha.

Yuppers,,, learn how to swing them and get use to twisting them till the legs near break off. That's what good times are all about.

And no,,, the legs won't break off since there ready made for potato head operations. LOL
 
Munkey1973 said:
I used to compete in F Class T/R with a Harris for about 4 years. I got tired of squeezing the rear bag to make fine adjustments and how it would jump of target after every shot. Upgraded to a Seb Joypod and really stepped up my average score. 15 MOA adjustment in elevation and windage on the stick, very wide stance, the skiis when used a on a carpet mat glide smooth and straight back and keep you on target after every shot. And they weight just over a meager 500 grams. Downside is they are not cheap, and are always on back order.
Click to expand...

That Joypod looks like a very good product. I'm very scared to find out what they cost.
 
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