Greetings,

Considering getting a bipod for more of a longer range SPR setup.

I have zero experience using one.  I kinda like the idea of a Grip Pod, but no idea how practical it is in reality.  The Magpul one seems decent, but again, no real experience.

Any thoughts on a bipod that is not terrible heavy, doesn't stick the weight all the way at the far end of the gun and would practical is a more dynamic environment?

Grip Pod is great for posing a rifle for pictures on your countertop, that's about it.

I would start with a Magpul bipod and see if it works for you, and go from there. It's lightweight and relatively inexpensive.

I'm stuck in my ways and stick to Harris bipods.

The grip pods tend to feel goofy to me. The center of gravity doesn't feel great and the height doesn't feel right  

Others might disagree

Atlas makes a fine buy once cry once bipod.

Decide what length you need.  I shoot mainly sitting as I'm not laying down in a prairie dog town.  Use Harris S 25 mostly, really like the swivel feature.

I have both Atlas and Harris.  Both great,  Atlas has far more adjustability and the legs can be folded either forward or back.

Some hate bipods that pan and say it interferes with the consistency of recoil and accuracy.  In my experience on 5.56 its a complete non issue.  Just be mindful of what features will best suit your needs.

Harris just works, is stable and not super expensive. It's the standard for a reason.
Magpul's bipod is a wobbly pos that takes a ridiculous amount of load to stabilize and is not really that much lighter.

Super late edited to add: go with notched legs and swivel if you're looking for either 6-9" or 9-13".

^^^For a lot of uses Harris stuff works great.  If you have a long, skinny handguard I would recommend not mounting it towards the very end.

Harris on a budget.  Atlas Cal on a larger budget.  

Had a magpul and hated it, returned it ASAP.

Have a MDT Grnd and don't hate it but don't love it.  For the Dale price it was OK if I paid 200 for it I'd be pissed.

There is also GG&G with a few options. They have made some bipods for the military.

It depends how weight sensitive you are and as others have mentioned what features you like.  Locking tilt? Pan? Etc.

UTG has some cheap, solid chineseum and a more expensive UTG Pro line which is domestic.

I have an old (20+ years) Harris, with one non functioning leg. An Atlas for my Tikka, a couple UTGs that mount to MLOK on the handguard, a couple Magpuls and a GG&G.

The Magpul should be interesting to see how much (ab)use it can take for it's light weight.

If you're going to get a bipod, get a bipod; such as a Harris, Atlas or GG&G.

















The whole point of a bipod is to stabilize the rifle and that's where the bipod provides the most stability.
....

Spartan bipods from the Uk are the best i have seen or used.  The are pricey but the attach magnetically.   Love mine.

https://accu-tac.com/collections/bipods

Another option I find it more stable than Atlas. Not knocking Atlas I own a few think they are great think these are better.

I'm shopping for a new bipod also. Which of the Accu-Tac bipods is most comparable to the BT46-LW17 PSR Atlas? Thanks

The Accu Tacs are notably heavier than the Atlas bipods.  Maybe that matters to you, maybe not.

Atlas CAL on an Arisaka rail slider. It’s a fantastic setup. Arisaka makes various lengths of mlok 1913 rail segments too.

I’ve swapped everything to this setup.

UTG, FTW

A bit heavy, but easily removable to place in your pack.

https://www.ar15.com/forums/ar-15/Any-experience-with-UTG-Over-Bore-bipod-/19-775686/

Interesting, but I actually like the bipod legs that attach to each side of an M-lok rail.  Simple, but effective.

Grip Pod is fine for a clone. Real life, not so much. Harris isn't sexy, but they've been around forever and they work.

If you have a 1913 handguard these are kind of cool.

Attached File

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https://www.vltor.com/shop/ar/bipods/mp-1-vltor-modpod/

Love magpul

Others may feel differently, but I really like my Magpul bipods. No wobble when under just a bit of tension. They're lighter than a Harris and don't have those fucking external springs. I shoot out past a thousand regularly and have no complaints about the Magpul. If I needed something more than a budget offering, Atlas is my pick.



Those are shit. I think I still have a set. No tilting function other than adjusting the legs, and they wobble bigly, whether under load or stowed.

I like my Magpul but you have to get the one with the 17S mount. I think that it's the only one they make that features pan & swivel

What does the mount have to do with pan and “tilt”? They all have the same features, regardless of MLok, 1913, or 17S.

I rarely use it, but the one I got from GG&G is super nice.  No complaints.

I  have both GG&G bipods, fixed and adjustable cant.

I can confirm. They also have a pan lockout if you desire.

Genuine Harris.  Not clones or copies.  Battle priven.  Light, sturdy, reliable, functional.  I do prefer the notched legs pivot style and add a locking lever.

That’s good to know. I was looking at them, but went with Atlas. Came to this thread because I’m in the market for a third bipod (also have a Magpul), and was wondering if I should just get another Atlas, or look at other options again.

To elaborate on this;
The goal is to aid in holding the smallest amount of deviation.

@rauchman

Consider the angular deviation with a short fulcrum vs long fulcrum.

- if you place the bipod midway, a 1/16" tremor at the body = a 1/16" deviation at the muzzle

- if you (somehow) place the bipod at 1/4 position closer to you, that same 1/16" tremor at the body = magnified deviation at the muzzle.

- conversely, if the bipod is at the 1/4 closest to the muzzle, the deviation at the muzzle is a fraction of the tremor at the stock end.

The general practice with bipod, is to place further forward, to minimize any deviation induced by the shooter.

What features are important to you?

I have all these
1 Harris
3 Atlas PSR QD
1 Atlas 5-H
1 Ckye-Pod (original release. Haven't tried the Gen2 models)
1 S7
2 Elite Iron Revolution bipods (the .50, and the Panning model)

For accuracy/precision, the EI Revolution is tits. Haven't felt anything like it.

The stability of the apex-above-barrel leg geometry. Cant that feels and works better than anything else I've ever owned or tried. Likewise, the Panning model allows for smoother panning without any looseness/sloppiness that other models might experience when I loosen the friction screws on the others to allow the same ease of panning.

They are a little bulkier and heavier than some options, but the pros are worth it, to me (the .50 obviously sits on a .50. The Panning model is on a .308 SASS).

The Atlas PSR, Ckye-Pod and S7, I'd rank in the same ballpark, with slight differences and pros that someone might prefer over the others.

- the Atlas and S7 have less play. The CP had more play, both when the legs are extended, and when the stock is stowed (to the point the CP can rattle, if that's a concern).

Those 3 have apex-below-barrel geometries. Ideally, the recommendation for the CP (and the same can be used with the others), is to tighten the cant resistance (Allen wrench, IIRC. Not toolless), enough to where it can hold your particular rifle's weight at an angle, without flopping over completely.

Preferences for this may vary between shooters. On the one hand, it makes it easier to keep the rifle steady. OTOH, it can take more...twitches, to get the rifle back to level if the cant changes from recoil after a shot. But if you loosen the resistance for smoother cant adjustments, the apex-below-barrel allows the rifle to flop over, and the shooter has to concentrate on maintaining level cant on top of everything else.

Of all of them, the Harris obviously deploys the quickest, if that's a consideration (it is, depending on the type of shooting/events).

The Ckye-Pod has the added adjustability of different leg width positions, on top of 45 forward and back.

The S7 has a lever for the friction adjustment, which is easier to crank down on, than the Atlas knob, if that's a consideration. The Ckye's friction adjustments require Allen wrenches/keys, and I haven't used it in a long enough session of run and gun, to know how well it holds, or if it will loosen up on its own (it was supposedly developed specifically with run and gun PSR in mind).

P.S.

I'm assuming the Atlas 5-H was designed/made solely with bench shooting/competition in mind, because I can't figure a design with a giant, shiny reflective chrome (polished steel?) crossbar is a good design for any use where there are concerns with being spotted by the target (to include hunting), and you can't spraypaint/tape that shiny chrome cross piece without eliminating the ability to adjust cant (the cant adjustments rely on the OEM clearances).

The cant adjustments are also stiff/clunky. With EVERY other bipod, you tilt the rifle over to adjust the cant. With the 5-H, you have to rotate the rifle around the centerpoint of the curve in that shiny crosspiece. If you simply try to tilt the rifle over, it usually doesn't move much. The heavier the rifle, the more clunky this becomes.

*** with the Revolution, you rotate the rifle on the the barrel's/upper's axis. The rifle doesn't flop over, and it also holds the position on its own, because the rotation (revolution) results in very little change to the rifle+bipod's side-to-side balance/center-of-gravity (unless there's a big disparity between the weight above and below the barrel).

^ nice post

B&T Bipod? It's all polymer mostly so it's light

I’ve got a Magpul on my 308 ar and I’m getting rid of it for a Warne I got in the EE. I was going to buy an Atlas before this became available.

I wasn’t happy with the magpul, at least for the large frame, heavy gun. I’ll keep it and the adm qd for a 16” 556 gun I have a scope on.

Buy once, cry once.

Depends. I’ve already got lightweight and reasonable stowed size covered with the Magpul, and max stability covered with the Atlas 5H. I like that the apex is above the barrel, so there is no tendency for it to get “floppy”. That’s why I was looking at the Vltor, too, but if its wobbly, then scratch that idea.

I don’t keep my 5H attached all the time, it just gets used for zeroing, testing ammo, specific matches, screwing around at distance, etc. I have the ADM QD pic mount, and I keep some pic rail clean at the front of most of my rifles for when I want to use it.

Maybe the (Super) CAL or the Ckye would be a happy medium. Not quite as stable as the 5H, but better than a Magpul or Harris, with more versatility. I think that’s what I’m looking for.

I’ll look into those other ones you mentioned…I’ve never heard of a couple of them. Edit: Revolution looks pretty awesome for a dedicated precision rig. I might get one for my not-quite-SPR-clone.

Great info, and you explain it well.....thanks.

I've been reading on some of the options where the pivots for the bipod legs are more at the sides of the handguard vs underneath.  Seems to make sense in that there would be less wobble?

Some great info in the thread.....thanks all

I'm not sure if I'm addressing what you're talking about, but here's a general description of apex-above-barrel vs apex-below-barrel geometry.

Basically, you can look at the legs of the bipod when they're down in the shooting position, and see if the angles of the legs mean they would theoretically intersect at a point above the barrel, or below the barrel.

The overwhelming majority of bipods, tend to have geometries where that apex is below the barrel.

It raises the center of gravity of the whole ensemble, typically making it a bit less stable. An apex that's above the barrel is more stable, even when the feet of the bipod are the same width apart.

Then there's another aspect of bipod design/geometry. I'm not sure if there's a common terminology/description for it, but I just describe it as 'hanging from above/hanging mounts'.

Most bipods attach underneath the handguard, so the rifle is basically balancing on top of the mount.

This comes into play in my earlier post regarding cant adjustments. With bipods with the ability to loosen or tighten the cant resistance, if you loosen the knob that affects the resistance to adjustments for cant, with a rifle sitting on top of the bipod mount, the weight above the mount means the rifle flops over to the side.

Conversely, there are bipods that have BOTH apex-above-barrel geometries, AND 'hanging mounts'. The hanging mount means the weight of the rifle is hanging underneath the mount. As you can visualize, this means that even with a loose cant resistance, because the rifle is actually hanging underneath the mount, it naturally stays vertical and stable more easily.

The Elite Iron Revolution is one such bipod (with a very unique design. While it attaches below the rifle, that ring is what actually holds the weight of the rifle, hanging from it).

I don't recall the brand, but I've seen photos of another bipod that I haven't had the chance to try/play with, that has a low profile picatinny mount (that's pretty much out of the way of a scope) that's made to attach to the top picatinny rail on tactical rifles. When the legs are folded in the stowed position, they actually sit next to the barrel (vs below the barrel, like most designs). The downside, is that because it requires a top picatinny rail, it's not easily used on regular bolt guns.

Most of the other bipod designs with apex-above-barrel geometries, attach from below, and use a wide frame to achieve the apex-above-barrel geometry (the Atlas 5-H is one such design). Makes the bipod quite a bit wider). The Accu-tac FC bipods are another example.

There are other bipods that don't use apex-above-barrel geometries, but are very stable for long range precision shooting, but one look at them tells you that these aren't particularly optimized for any kind of run and gun shooting. Their stability stems from having a super wide base, and tightening the adjustment once the rifle's cant is leveled (eg. The Phoenix, Sinclair, LARSchassis and Tier One F-class bipods).

I went with a Magpul 1913 bipod and one of these from KDG. Makes for a nice QD/mlok bipod setup.

https://kineticdg.com/product/kinectmlok-3-slot-single-mlok-picatinny-section/

Grippod sucks... no can't adjustment, heavy, height, etc.

Magpul sucks. Wobbly. Inconsistent.  But lightweight.

Prefer Harris over Atlas even if prices were reversed. Would pay more for Harris because I hate bei g required to preload the Atlas. Hate the manual leg length on Atlas. But holy crap don't get a Harris with out click notch legs. The manual screw legs are the dumbest thing ever.

Get a Harris swivel unless you only shoot on perfectly level concrete slabs. Better yet get the Larue version of the Harris. Lower profile and lighter than an add on mount. Knob is lower profile than lever.

Or just go off your imagination... I used to think the Harris was the worst based on the way the legs folded, not as Gucci as Atlas, heavy (it is lighter than most Atlas BTW), and predetermined what was "best" based on my very active imagination with no experience. There is a reason some people still choose Harris for PRS where the budgets are unlimited. They prefer them.

I don't hink a bipod is really a great permanent addition to a rifle. I want it off the gun and in my pack until I get ready to lay down in my position. So QD is a must. Also, throw levers need to be sized to your rail and rails vary. I have 2 Larue bipods... one set up for wide rails one set up for skinny rails.

If I wanted a bipod for permanent attachment it would be some carbonfiber ultralight job.  But a tripod is WAY more likely to be useful in the real world vs a bipod. A bipod is too low for most terrain. Grass blocks view.

A ginormous hanging bipod is not QD. A huge weight penalty vs the nothing that is usually on my rifles.

If I was going to use a hanging bipod it would only be on a rifle so heavy I would never be able to shoot it offhand without without a bipod.

Also, if you get a bipod you want a rear bag. I personally hate the lightweight Wiebad bags. Too wobbly. I like heavier fill. If it is not stable what is the point?

You're not alone, I find it's really hard to beat the Harris. It may not do any one thing excellent but it does everything well.   Unlike other bipods which seem to do one or two things excellent at a much higher price.

Even if you have a bipod you’ll probably also have a forward grip so the GripPod is 8oz and takes care of both. If I had a 20” or longer 5.56 barrel then I’d go with a QD bipod.

The Grip Pod might be the worst bipod that exists.

If you get a true Harris, which I recommend as the standard, get a QD mount for easy detachment and attachment. Get the swivel (or pivot) version and add a lock lever.

can't go wrong with Harris.  

only problem is deciding what variant.  I have the notched leg and smooth leg versions, both work great.  if you have a pic rail integral to the handguard, i'd find a qd pic rail sling mount (bipod adapter).

I put a MagPul mlok sling mount on one of my free float hg for use with the Harris.  it's small and light and stays out of the way.

Harris < Atlas < CKY pod

That is what I consider the proper order for good bipods

I have a Harris on my Bergara B14 HMR, nice stable bipod that doesn't cost a fortune. Have used it for 25 years across multiple factory and custom bolt guns.

If I had a gripe it would be the springs that stick out.

I also have a Magpul MOE for sighting in my AR's and rimfire rifles, no problems with it but I just use it on the bench at 50 yards.

Elite Iron, I need to take some pictures.


or Atlas, both are very good

If you are OK with polymer bipods, like the Magpul, MDT just put one out.



ORYX

I like my Harris clone alright, but made the mistake of going the screw route instead of the notches in the legs.

Really like my Atlas.  I feel like the 45 degree forward tilt option for the legs is a great way to get lower than you could with a Harris of similar size.

Got my Atlas a while ago for free when Optics Planet ran a special of offering a free 2-screw picatinny Atlas (~$210) with the purchase of any Helix 6 Precision product.  They sell Helix 6 Precision carbon fiber barrels from $760 to $1460...  and a Rifle +1 Gas tube with MSRP $29, which they accidentally included in the special -- best unnecessary AR part purchase ever.