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Turning a Wrench
Before we ever hit the range with our bipod equipped rifle we need to ensure one simple thing is done. If you fail to complete this step correctly your trip to the range is going to be a loud means of wasting ammo and time. So what’s the most important step in shooting with a bipod?
Rail or Sling Swivel Mount?
Generally, there are two respected types of bipods. One attaches to Picatinny rails, and the other attaches to sling swivel studs. Both are secure and stable platforms for a bipod, and sling swivel studs seem to be the most dominant option out there.
Choosing a Position
Another important factor to consider is choosing where you set up with your bipod. I’ll admit I learned this purely through gunning with an M240 during my Marine Corps days. A hard surface is not a stable surface! It makes the gun rock and roll, twist, hop and generally makes any kind of rapid follow up shot a pain. Stay away from hard surfaces even though they seem so inviting. Look for softer dirt that the bipod can actually dig into.
Loading the Bipod
You load rifles not bipods right? No actually to get the best performance out of your bipod and rifle both should be loaded. Loading a bipod is a little different than loading a rifle though. When you load a bipod you are putting slight pressure on it, which aids in stability. You are taking the slack out of the accessory that connects your rifle to the ground. The reason being is that a bipod isn’t going to do much to help deal with recoil. Recoil mitigation is still on the shooter. The lack of loading is what leads to the bipod and rifle moving rather erratically while shooting. Without any pressure behind the bipod, it’s going to basically act as a pivot. The recoil will cause it to hop up, or to one side. Bipods aren’t rabbits…Don’t let them hop.
Loading a bipod is going to become even more important if you start doing any form of urban, or action shooting. Shooting from flat ground is one thing, but once you start adding in angles and odd positions and angles you’ll have to really control that rifle.
How Do I Load My Bipod?
Loading a bipod simply means apply some pressure to it via your firing shoulder. The trick is to learn the difference between too much, and not enough. Too much and you are going to shoving your bipod forward. I mean if you are physically moving the rifle and bipod across the ground you need to let up, take a deep breath and apply a little a finesse. Certainly, some weapons take more force than others, but if it’s moving you ain’t grooving. If the rifle is still jumping, and sliding backward you aren’t applying enough pressure. You need to put some more shoulder into it. You control the rifle, the rifle doesn’t control you. It’s a bit like a bully, you gotta let ‘em know early who the boss is. There are two methods you could use to load a bipod, the Toes method, and the Cobra method. To be fair one sounds lame and one sounds awesome, but both are effective. The Toe method starts with you getting into the Perfect Prone Position. From here you’ll bring your rifle up to your shoulder and get the fundamentals down. What you want to do is straighten out your feet, and push your body forward with just your toes.
Follow Through
One of the few things golf has in common with shooting (besides being expensive) is that follow through is critical. When shooting with a bipod you don’t get to eliminate follow through. For some reason the moment people get a bipod and a spotting scope out they forget about follow through. So many shooters take a shot and immediately drop the rifle and move to their spotting scope to try and see where they hit. They eliminate the idea of seeing where your sight picture is after the shot, which is critical with a bipod. Your sight picture should be reexamined after every shot.
Choosing a Bipod?
If you are looking to choose a bipod you’re lucky enough to have a very wide variety of options available to you. You can get a decent to amazing bipod at most price ranges, and there aren’t any laws in gun control states prohibiting bipods (yet.) Here are a few options I like.The Budget Option
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Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
Available Coupons
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25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
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The Mil-Spec Choice
Available Coupons
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25% off all OAKLEY products – OAKLEY25
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11 Leave a Reply
Hey Travis,
First thank-you for your service (I know it can sound trite, but it is said with with a deep respect).
I am a beginner in the rifle arena and want to do some long distance shooting. I have built a .223 Wylde and a .308 in an AR platform and look forward to learning to shoot. Thanks to your advice I have a Harris bipod coming that I will mount on which ever rifle I am shooting. Once I have developed my technique, thanks in part to your great article, I suspect I will get an Atlas.
Your advice on bipod selection is reflected in many other best of reviews that did not go into technique which is all important.
Thanks Again!!!
Great article. Thank you Sir
Hey Guys,
I just wanted to say whoever wrote this article about bipods obviously does not like polymer bipods. It is not a free country, but we can still share our views bipods. I have thought a little bit about this bipod article. The bottom line with bipods is, will hold up the front end of my rifle. I am personally too cheap to drop $300.00 on any one bipod. It burned my ass to spend $100.00 for a new Magpul polymer bipod, and now I am glad I did.
I am shooting NRL22, which involves shooting from any imaginable position. The Magpul bipod is light, does not take up much room, is easy and fast to deploy, and it has 20 degree cant. In this NRL22 game, I do not have the time to fiddle with trying to level the rifle to make the shots.
The only thing change on the Magpul bipod, is I would make with a quick release similar to the UTG QD bipods of which I own at least four. Are you listening Magpul dudes and dudettes?
Thanks,
Sparky
I bought the tip top for about $80 off amazon and it is everything a Harris is and more...
Good info! Can you discuss pan and tilt a bit more though? For example, do you want a bipod that can lock it's tilt or does it matter?
I do like one with pan and tilt so you can load it up snugly.
Just bought a .50 and a bipod came with it. The bipod tilts from left to right with no locking in between. I’ve never used a pod before so I’m less then a novice.
I would think that the barrel should be solid locked with no play before shooting. Otherwise it would force a resight on every shot.
What am missing??
Great article., should be attached as instructions with every bipod purchase. I tried UTG years ago and considered them junk. Might have to give them another chance. Harris has always served me well.
Thanks so much, Monte!
Well, I may not be handsome, but I do wake up in the mornings older and uglier. Older is okay; the uglier part I could do without.
I just bet some. if not a lot, of your readers are not handsome; they are pretty if not beautiful.
Don’t forget about them.
P. S. Thanks for the great articles.
This is a nice piece of wisdom.